Why Learning Intentions and Success Criteria Matter
Learning in classrooms is more than just completing assignments and studying for tests. Each lesson has a purpose and goals for students to achieve. Teachers display these at the start of each lesson and make these available for students in their CANVAS class tasks pages.
These are referred to as Learning Intentions and Success Criteria.
I remember when I was at school, these weren’t shared and the goal I made for myself was to get the work completed so I didn’t get in trouble. We don’t want this for our students. We want to be transparent and make it very clear to students what the learning intentions are and how to achieve success in the lesson.
What Are Learning Intentions?
A Learning Intention is a clear statement of what students are expected to learn in a lesson. It answers the question, “What am I learning this lesson?” Rather than focusing just on the activity (“answering these questions”), Learning Intentions helps students focus on the goal (“We’re learning how to analyse persuasive techniques”).
This supports students:
- To know what they are going to learn
- What they should achieve
What Are Success Criteria?
If Learning Intentions tell students what they’re learning, Success Criteria show them how to know they’ve learned it. These are clear, specific descriptions of what success looks like.
For example, if the Learning Intention is to “To investigate the effect of voltage on resistance and current in a simple circuit,” the Success Criteria might be:
- I can setup a simple circuit
- I can measure the voltage, and current in a simple circuit
- I can calculate the resistance in the circuit for each voltage
- I can make a table of my results
- I can make a graph of my results
Success Criteria help students:
- Self-assess and take ownership of their progress
- Understand teacher feedback more clearly
- Strive for quality, not just completion
Elevated Learning
Elevated Learning is a class that students do once a week in their tutor group, to learn how to become more effective learners. Not only have teachers been using Learning Intentions and Success Criteria in class, but this term we have spent the time teaching these to students. Our goal was to have students describe how they can effectively use Learning Intentions and Success Criteria to support their learning and achieve their SMART goals they set for themselves at the start of the term.
How You Can Use Learning Intentions and Success Criteria at Home
There are many ways to use these terms at home to support your son’s learning. One simple strategy is during test revision: ask your son if he has a list of Success Criteria from the lessons related to the test topic. Then, have him go through his notes or practice questions and tick off the criteria he feels confident he has met. For any criteria he can’t yet tick off, encourage him to research how to improve in that area, or help him prepare specific questions to ask his teacher. This process not only reinforces learning but also builds self-reflection and independence.
Zach Holmes
Assessment and Data Coordinator