Overview & Rationale

The core mathematical ideas emphasized by your learning goals will guide the direction of not only this single lesson but also the unit and overall mathematics curriculum. Having clearly articulated learning goals will help you keep sight of what you are trying to accomplish mathematically.

Articulating learning goals requires you to identify the mathematical thinking you want students to engage in, beyond what students will be doing. Beyond getting to an answer, you will consider the core mathematical ideas that students will learn more deeply as a result of working on the task. For example, you don’t want your learning goals to stop simply at, “Students will be able to add two-digit numbers.” Instead, you want your learning goals to clearly express what understandings about the core ideas of place value or addition students will engage with as they learn to add two-digit numbers.

Write (and rewrite) your learning goal

Your group is welcome to use whatever approach works best for you to write the learning goal for your task, but here are some recommendations. CHAPTER 2 in the 5 Practices book provides additional details about setting goals for instruction and matching tasks with goals for learning.

1. Solve the task again, paying particular attention to what students have to know and understand to be able to solve the task. This is challenging because often that understanding is hidden to you because you’re already fluent with the procedure(s). Try to focus on the mathematical relationships or core ideas that are at the heart of the task.

2. Review the TN state standards that are related to your task. These can often give insight into the core mathematical ideas or relationships that are important.

3. Working separately from your group members, draft a learning goal. You might use the examples in Chapter 2 in the Five Practices book as guides (including the sample lesson in Appendix B).

4. Compare your learning goal to your group members' and continue to refine the specificity or your goals by combining and/or revising your goal(s).

5. Get feedback from a classmate(s) and ask them if it the goal clearly and explicitly articulates the mathematical relationships and/or conceptual underpinnings that is at the heart of the task.