Teach Like Finland: 33 Simple Strategies for Joyful Classrooms pdfdrive com

in graphs we make about the number of chips in our cookies, and we will be able
to explain what made that pattern” (p. 39, emphasis added). Thus, this teacher
designed the lesson’s learning target with a performance of understanding in
mind.
In my experience, one of the things that students need, in order to hit a
learning target in the classroom, is a clear example of what success looks like.
Although it’s tempting to just tell students the success criteria (it’s much faster
this way!), I’ve found that children produce higher-quality work when they
“discover,” or identify, the key ingredients on their own through studying
exemplars. (In a way, this is a start with freedom approach.)
Here are two scenarios at the high school level, adapted from one of Moss
and Brookhart’s examples. In one scenario, an English teacher tells his students
that they’re going to learn how to write an effective thesis statement for a
persuasive speech. He distributes a list of criteria. Then he announces that they
will have the next thirty minutes to practice writing strong thesis statements for
their speeches. “Good luck!” he says.
In the second scenario, an English teacher brings in a collection of thesis

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In the second scenario, an English teacher brings in a collection of thesis
statements of varying degrees of quality; some appear hastily written and
unintelligible, while others appear methodically written and eloquent. (These are
examples she has borrowed and cited from different sources, written on her own,
or saved from previous classes.) This teacher starts the lesson by saying that
they’re going to be learning how to write effective thesis statements. But instead
of handing out the success criteria and letting her students loose, she points to a
question on the whiteboard: “What are the ingredients of a strong thesis
statement for a persuasive speech?”
She splits the class into several small groups and distributes copies of the
different thesis statements to each group. She gives the groups five minutes to
investigate this collection of examples, as they consider the question on the
whiteboard. The teacher then calls everyone together and asks, “So, what are the
ingredients of a strong thesis statement for a speech?” At this point, the teacher
is already aware of several key criteria, which she has identified before class, but
she wants her students to take ownership of their learning by “discovering” these
ingredients. She can guide them during the discussion, if they’re struggling to
identify the most important components.
Through a short discussion, her students identify the most important
elements of a strong thesis statement. Then, with a clear picture of what success
looks like, guided by an appropriate learning target, they are ready to practice
well as they aim to master this skill of writing a strong thesis statement—and
this teacher is ready to coach them well.
“Learning targets make the difference, from a student’s point of view,
between complying with teachers’ requests and pursuing their own learning,”
Moss and Brookhart write. “Students who pursue their own learning demonstrate
increased motivation, learn more, and develop stronger metacognitive skills”
(2012, p. 40).