Learning is most effective when learners have a clear understanding of their goals and the expectations associated with them. Establishing clear goals and expectations, both for the overall learning experience and for specific tasks, helps learners stay focused, motivated, and track their progress effectively.
Here’s a breakdown of how to approach this:
1. Defining Clear Goals:
- Learning Goals vs. Learning Objectives:Learning goals are broad statements of what learners should understand, know, or be able to do. Learning objectives are more specific and measurable steps towards achieving those goals.
- SMART Goals:Use the SMART framework to ensure goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
- Examples:
- Goal: To understand the scientific method.
- Objective: Students will be able to describe the scientific method and provide examples of its application.
- Action Verbs:Use action verbs to describe the expected behavior (e.g., analyze, apply, evaluate).
- Communicate Learning Intentions:Clearly state the learning intention of each lesson or activity and make it student-friendly.
2. Setting Expectations:
Be Explicit: Explain expectations for each activity and how students can achieve success.
Introduce Expectations Early: Make expectations clear from the beginning of a course or project.
