The artifact that I chose for this reflection and alignment is the Instructional Strategies booklet, which aligns with the instructional strategies standard. This artifact is a booklet that has a multitude of instructional strategies that can be used in a classroom with different classroom examples and management ways. This can be really helpful to teachers because if they need different ideas for strategies, then they can just go through and look and choose one to use or look at strategies. Along with the strategies are notes at the bottom taken about each strategy, so that if someone doesn’t have time to go through all of the strategies, then it is easy to go look at the notes created and make a faster decision.
This assignment has expanded my knowledge and pedagogy by showing me that there are more strategies that I did not know about before creating this. The ones that I did know about showed me that there can be a lot of different ways to use each strategy, and that they can work together in multiple ways. Seeing the number of strategies can be overwhelming in a way, but having notes in the booklet can help it not feel as overwhelming. This can be used for so many different things, like differentiation and different teaching methods. This can help save time when trying to figure out a strategy that should be used, since there are notes, but also because they are all in one space and can go right to that strategy.
Learning Targets
Definition/Description of the Instructional Strategy:
Learning targets are clear, student friendly statements that describe what students are expected to know and be able to do by the end of a lesson. They are derived from academic standards but written in languages students can understand. Learning targets are specific and measurable, focus on one skill or concept at a time, use student friendly “I can” statements,align directly to standards and assessments, and make success driven criteria. They can help students answer: what am I learning?Why am I learning it? And how will I know if I’ve learned it? When used effectively, learning targets increase clarity, student ownership, and achievement.
Classroom Application:
Example: 5th grade math
Standard: Multiply multi-digit whole numbers
Learning target: I can multiply multi-digit whole numbers using the standard algorithm
Success Criteria:
- I line up place values correctly
- I multiply each digit accurately
- I check my work using estimation
How it looks in practice
- Teacher introduces the learning target at the start of class
- Students discuss what the target means in their own words
- Activities directly practice the skill described in the target
- Students self-assess at the end of the lesson(thumbs up/down, exit ticket,reflection)
Other examples:
ELA: I can identify the theme of a story and support it with evidence
Science: I can explain how energy transfers in a food web
Social Studies: I can analyze primary sources to understand historical perspectives
Learning targets are referenced throughout the lesson and not just posted on the wall
Classroom Management Considerations:
Consistency is posting learning targets in the same location daily and referring back to them multiple times during instruction. Clarity is avoiding vague targets like “I can understand fractions” and focusing on observable skills. Student ownership is being able to have students restate targets in their own words and use self-assessment checklists. Alignment can ensure activities and assessments directly measure the target, and avoid “activity-driven” lessons that do not connect to the learning goal. Without clear learning targets, students may complete tasks without understanding the purpose, which can reduce engagement and achievement.
