DiMatteo Mod 2 Learning Targets 1

Module 2 Application Assignment

Learning Targets

Samantha DiMatteo

Marygrove College
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In order to effectively construct a teaching unit it is important to establish both

educational goals and learning targets. These two components have many similarities

but some very distinct differences. Goals support the teachers perspective and

describe intended learning outcomes using a professional language that is derived from

local, state, or national standards. Wiggins and McTighe (2011) state, a key aspect of

good design is to be clear about priorities and what meeting them looks like (p. 55).

Once the educator has determined goals, learning targets can be created that

emphasize these goals in a student-friendly context. Both are valuable tools that aid in

the preparation and delivery of an effective unit plan.

There are three learning targets that I have developed based off of the

educational goals I had created in the design of my unit on perimeter and area.

Bookhart and Nitko (2015) explain, The more clearly you specify the learning targets,

the more directed your teaching efforts and your students learning efforts will be (p.

19). Each goal was derived from the NJ Common Core Standards and they were

intended to guide me as the teacher, however before communicating them to my

students they must be adjusted into learning targets that support my students

viewpoint.

The first learning target for this unit will state that students will be able to use

different shapes to create a design for their dream backyard. This target was derived

from the goal of using geometric polygons, their measures, and their properties to

describe modeling situations. This learning target is student-centered and embodies

both the affective and psychomotor domain. The affective domain is addressed in the

sense that when students create their own yard it taps into what their personal

preferences for design. This target also has properties from the psychomotor domain
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because students will be physically constructing scaled models of their design.

Bookhart and Nitko (2015) explain, To properly communicate the target, you need to

share the criteria for good work (p. 145). To help my students accomplish this learning

target I will provide a sample project that I have personally designed. If I use this lesson

again in the future I will share student work from the year before as my samples.

Wiggins and McTighe (2011) explain, Good teaching requires good planning, and good

planning requires clarity about purposes and means of achieving them (p. 55). When

students have a concrete example they can more easily understand what is required of

them; having clear examples can also offer up students a baseline goal and the chance

to exceed expectations. Mastery of this learning target requires students to have a

strong understanding of the various properties of polygons. I will be able to see this in

their ability to create a model that is a compilation of all of the shapes from this chapter.

Students will be identifying the perimeter and area of their designed space, so in order

to see their mastery I will also be cognizant of the appropriate use of the formulas and

the accuracy of their measurements.

The second goal I want to address is for students to give an informal argument

for the formulas for the circumference, diameter, pi, and area of a circle. Bookhart and

Nitko (2015) state, student learning happens one lesson at a time, which is the reason

for focusing learning targets at the lesson level (p. 144). In order to present this goal

as a learning target I would inform the students that by the end of the lesson they will be

able to use the measurements of a circle to explain how the formulas for circles were

discovered hundreds of years ago. This learning target is predominantly cognitive in

nature. This is because in order for students to master this learning target the students

will have to use thinking skills to discover the relationship between the various
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dimensions of a circle. This discovery will allow them to create formulas that work to

identify the area, circumference, diameter, and pi. They will demonstrate their mastery

by applying the formulas that they derived to various application problems. Heacox

(2009) notes, Both the teacher and the student are able to assess learning through the

completion of the task (p. 61). This learning target is student-centered because their

understanding evolves around their own personal discovery of the measurements from

various circular objects.

Lastly, the goal of using trigonometric ratios and the Pythagorean theorem to

solve right triangles in application problems would be transformed into a learning target.

I would do this by telling the students that they will find the measurements of the

missing side of any right triangle by using relationships and a formula. Wiggins and

McTighe (2011) note, Knowing where the learning is headed enhances focus and

engagement (p. 48). This is a cognitive, content-centered learning target because it

requires students to use intellectual knowledge to find solutions to application problems

that involve triangles. This learning target also embodies the traits of being

performance centered because in order for students to master this learning target they

must understand the relationship between the sides and angles of various triangles and

demonstrate their ability to identify the missing measurements of any right triangle.

Goals can be a useful device in the successful implementation of a unit. Each of

the preceding learning targets will help me successfully address each of the goals of my

unit with my students. Bookhart and Nitko (2015) explain that, educational goals give

direction and purpose to planning overall educational activities (p. 20). However,

developing learning targets to support the your students perspective can ensure that

they see the value in the units progression and the purpose of each lesson.
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References

Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (2011). The understanding by design guide to

creating high-quality units. Alexandria, Va.: ASCD.

Heacox, D. (2009). Making differentiation a habit: How to ensure success in

academically diverse classrooms. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing.

Brookhart, S. M., & Nitko, A. J. (2015). Educational Assesssment of Students.

Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.