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Clarity for Learning
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Clarity for Learning
Five Essential Practices That Empower Students and Teachers

First Edition

Foreword by John Hattie, Afterword by Larry Ainsworth



November 2018 | 240 pages | Corwin

AN ESSENTIAL RESOURCE FOR STUDENT AND TEACHER CLARITY

With the ever-changing landscape of education, teachers and leaders often find themselves searching for clarity in a sea of standards, curriculum resources, and competing priorities. Clarity for Learning offers a simple and doable approach to developing clarity and sharing it with students. Are both teachers and students clear about what must be learned, why students are learning it, and how they can be successful? Are students able to determine their next steps in learning through quality feedback and assessment? Have teachers had the time and support to collaborate around clarity to ensure an aligned approach within your school system?

This book offers five powerful practices that include:

  • Gaining clarity
  • Sharing clarity
  • Feedback with clarity
  • Assessing with clarity
  • Collaborating with clarity

In addition, the book is chock-full of examples from teachers and leaders across North America who have shared their journey, struggles, and successes to provide examples, exemplars, and models for readers to use to propel their own work forward. This is a don’t-miss resource!

 

 


 
Foreword by John Hattie
 
Acknowledgments
 
About the Authors
 
Introduction
 
WHY CLARITY?
 
Chapter 1. The Clarity Problem
What Is the Clarity Problem?

 
Evidence of the Clarity Problem

 
Categories of Clarity Problems

 
Conclusion

 
Reflection and Next Steps

 
 
GAINING CLARITY
 
Chapter 2. Gaining Clarity: Crafting Learning Intentions and Success Criteria
A Personal Account of Clarity From the World of Education

 
Learning Intentions

 
Effective Learning Intentions

 
Common Questions and Misconceptions About Learning Intentions

 
Generating Learning Intentions From Content Standards

 
Success Criteria

 
Effective Success Criteria

 
Common Questions and Misconceptions About Success Criteria

 
Generating Success Criteria

 
Planning as a Next Step

 
The Litmus Test

 
Summarizing Gaining Clarity

 
Reflection, Next Steps, and Evidence

 
 
Chapter 3. Gaining Clarity in Action: Voices From the Field
Voices From the Field

 
Conclusion

 
Reflection

 
 
SHARING CLARITY
 
Chapter 4. Sharing Clarity: Co-Constructing Success Criteria With Learners
Why Co-Constructing Matters

 
What Does Co-Constructing Success Criteria Entail?

 
Steps to Co-Constructing Success Criteria

 
Goal Setting and Progress

 
Common Questions and Misconceptions About Co-Constructing

 
Reflection, Next Steps, and Evidence

 
 
Chapter 5. Sharing Clarity in Action: Voices From the Field
Voices From the Field

 
Reflection

 
 
ASSESSING WITH CLARITY
 
Chapter 6. Assessing With Clarity: Opportunities to Respond
What Are Opportunities to Respond?

 
More Than Assessment and Evaluation

 
Timing the Opportunities to Respond

 
Characteristics of Opportunities to Respond

 
Making Thinking Visible

 
Tasks Versus Exercises

 
Engaging Scenarios

 
Conclusion

 
Reflection and Next Steps

 
 
Chapter 7. Assessing With Clarity in Action: Voices From the Field
Voices From the Field

 
Reflection

 
 
FEEDBACK WITH CLARITY
 
Chapter 8. Feedback With Clarity: Giving and Receiving Feedback on and for Learning
What Is Effective Feedback?

 
Types of Feedback

 
The Delivery of the Feedback

 
Effective Feedback With Effective Delivery

 
Adjust Feedback for Learners

 
A Balanced Approach

 
Reflection and Next Steps

 
 
Chapter 9. Feedback With Clarity in Action: Voices From the Field
Voices From the Field

 
Reflection

 
 
CLARITY IN COLLABORATION
 
Chapter 10. Collaborating for Clarity in Learning
Charting Your Clarity Journey

 
Charting Next Steps

 
The Journey Toward Clarity in Barren County Public Schools

 
What It Takes to Make Clarity Happen

 
In the Classroom

 
In the School or District: Collective Teacher Efficacy and Intentionality in Professional Learning

 
Clarity

 
Put Them Together

 
Our Clarity Purpose

 
 
Chapter 11. Collaborating for Clarity in Learning: Voices in Action
Voices From the Field

 
Reflection

 
 
Appendix A
Clarity

 
Learning Intentions

 
Success Criteria

 
Learning Progressions

 
Co-Constructing Success Criteria

 
Assessment-Capable Learners (ACL)

 
Opportunities to Respond

 
Feedback

 
Collective Teacher Efficacy

 
 
Appendix B
 
Afterword by Larry Ainsworth
 
References
 
Index

"Clarity for Learning delivers just what its title promises: a clear and purposeful guide to making a great difference in how your students learn. This book is necessary for any educator who wants to meet their students where they are and show them just how far they can take their learning."

Gayla LeMay, Teacher
Louise Radloff Middle School, GA

"Clarity for Learning provides the scaffolding needed by both novice and experienced educators as they endeavor to make learning more meaningful for students and provide the type of instructional setting that promotes student achievement."

Melissa Miller, Middle School Science Teacher
Randall G Lynch Middle School, AR

"Clarity for Learning is a valuable book for a wide audience and is on its way to making an impact on the effectiveness of American classrooms."

Debra K. Las, Science Teacher,
Rochester Public Schools, ISD #535, MN

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