Plenary 2

Summer Institute2009

Thunder Bay

Setting Lesson Goals

First word/last word

Get in a group with 3 others.

One of you begins and asks the next person:

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First word/last word

What are important things to think about when creating a lesson goal?

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First word/last word

That person replies, then the next, the next, and then it goes back to the start – that person gets the last word.

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Let’s share

What was the most interesting idea you heard during this minds-on activity?

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It’s so important…

Getting a goal clear in your own mind can make a big difference in increasing the likelihood that students will learn what you hope they will learn.

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That includes knowing why you have that goal.

What’s the point of it?

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Teacher struggles

My experience is that setting lesson goals beyond reciting an expectation or simply using a topic name is a struggle for teachers.

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For example…BLM2.1Instead of reciting a

curriculum expectation as a goal: solve problems involving percents expressed to … whole-number percents greater than 100%...

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For example…

The goal could be:

If one number is less than 100% of another, the second number is more than 100% of the first.

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For example…

The goal could be:

If a percent is greater than 100%, its decimal equivalent is greater than 1.

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For example…The goal could be:

The same strategies are used to solve problems involving percents greater than 100% as problems involving percents less than 100%. Or…

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Why you want to do this…

If you decide on the goal, you are more likely to know what questions to ask, what activity to use,…

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Make it yours

Even if you get a lesson from a valued resource, you have to make your OWN decision about what to pull out of that lesson.

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For example…

Let’s look at this lesson from Grade 7 TIPS.

The stated goals are:

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• Review patterning concepts• Build a growing pattern• Explore multiple representations

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There is no “right way” to formulate the construction of term.

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Understand the limitations of recursive representations.

Highlighting the validity of all representations.

Encourage students to move on from recursive representations.

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For example…

The stated goals are:

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• Review patterning concepts• Build a growing pattern• Explore multiple representations

Maybe…

the goal could be about recognizing when it’s useful to use a generalization when describing a pattern

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Maybe the closing asks…

Complete this:

The way someone figures out terms 3, 4, 5, and 6 might be very different from the way that person figures out term 100 because…

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Here are several goals

I have handed out a list of stated goals BLM 2.2 taken from a series of lessons on linear equations in a grade 9 text.

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Activity

Take 2 of these goals and focus them to relate more explicitly to one or more of the big ideas. To do this…

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Work with…

at least 2 new colleagues. Be ready to share. You may use the provided BLM 2.1 models to help you.

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Now…

Work with the same colleagues to write consolidating questions for two of those goals that would bring them into the spotlight for students… 29

Remember…

Consolidating questions are a way to see if students have met the goal. They are not “exercises”.

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Now…

Post your goal and associated consolidating question beside the appropriate Big Idea elicited.

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Let’s share

Let’s do a gallery walk looking at the questions that were created.

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Anticipating problems– impact on

lesson goals

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Suppose…

You want your students to solve this problem.

•Brandon and Alexis counted their money. Between them, they had $7.50, but Brandon had $2.90 more than Alexis. 34

First solve both partsBrandon and Alexis counted their

money. Between them, they had $7.50, but Brandon had $2.90 more than Alexis.

a) How much did each have?

b) How do you know there are no other answers?

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Let’s talk…

Your initial goal relates to one on the list I shared with you. Which one?

Now let’s make a list of a “top 5” anticipated problems. Keep the list.

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Now…

Discuss at your table.

How could knowing these potential problems affect your instructional goal for one or two subsequent lessons?

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Then…

Choose one of those new goals you decided upon.

What question might you ask at the end of the problem discussion to get at that goal?

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Share

Share your thoughts with another pair.

Were you surprised, or not, at the different directions the other pair took?

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Consolidate

A colleague suggests s/he just doesn’t have the time to personalize the goal and then anticipate student problems; s/he’ll just deal with them as they arise. 40

Consolidate

Role play with a partner. Play critical friend and convince the person otherwise.

Reverse roles and play again.

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