To transfer our students’ learning from surface to deep learning, it is important to separate skills from knowledge. In the example below, students learning is focused on the skills about an effective poster creation using the current teaching context. Learning intention: To create an effective poster Context: Holiday in Bali When criteria are co-constructed show an effective poster as well as a poor example. In discussing which poster is better, say in pairs, students will recognise the features of an effective poster that is relevant to different contexts. Students will come up with, for example: • • • •
All the relevant information is there (date, time, place, price) It is eye-catching (pictures, graphics) The font chosen is easily legible Contrasting colours have been used for the words
Some learning intentions have compulsory success criteria – grammar, punctuation, procedures. For example: Learning Intention: To use speech marks. Remember to… • Put speech marks before and after speech. • Start each new person’s speech on a new line. • Start speech with a capital letter, unless it follows a linking phrase (eg ‘What?’ she yelled, ‘is the meaning of this?’) • Include any punctuation before the final inverted commas. Where your criteria require a choice, allow students to select those aspects they wish to use. You may * those which are essential. For example, in a narrative writing exercise: Learning Intention: To write a characterisation Choose: • Describe the face/hair/voice • Describe the body • Describe the clothes • Use 3rd person • Describe their actions • Show their personality (eg, likes, dislikes, attitudes to people, introvert, extrovert, sense of humour) In the Bali poster example, knowledge can be incorporated using the following examples: • Tourist hotspots • Leisure activities • Bali resorts • Climate and landscapes • History • Wildlife • Balinese traditions
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