Module 1: Key Takeaways

The Problem with Wallpaper Intentions

• A learning intention on the board is not the same as one understood by students
• Visibility is not the same as impact

Engaging Students First

• Students do not arrive motivated — create curiosity before sharing the goal
• When to share the intention is a professional decision, not a policy

When to Share Learning Intentions

• There is no evidence that sharing a learning intention at the start of every lesson improves learning
• Ask not "have I shared it?" but "does sharing it now serve my students?"

Performance Versus Learning

• Completing a task and learning from it are not the same thing
• Making things easier in the lesson often makes learning shallower over time

Success Criteria as 'I'll Be Happy If'

• Success criteria are your best bet about what needs to happen for learning to take root
• Learning intentions are for planning; success criteria are for evaluating
• Scaffolds improve work — but students must eventually move beyond them to improve as learners

In the Next Module

We have established that success criteria matter — but how do you actually communicate what quality looks like in a way that students genuinely understand? In Module 2, Communicating Quality and Success Criteria, we will explore why traditional rubrics so often fall short, and what to do instead.