Designing Project Learning Targets

Driving Question: How can learning targets help students take responsibility for their learning?

When you develop learning targets for your students you provide them a clear path to know what content you expect them to know by the end of the PBL unit.  Remember, no matter how great the project, they need to know the content.

Developing your learning targets first starts with your standards. Take your standards for the PBL unit and really break the standard down so that you can scaffold the learning targets.

Learning targets are statements written in student friendly language; they are specific, measurable, and demonstrate a level of rigor.

When drafting your learning targets consider the following:

• How could we chunk down the standards
• What key pieces of learning do students need to build on to reach these learning goals?
• What would it sound like in student friendly language?
• What are we really wanting students to be able to DO here?

So when you plan your next project, develop clear learning targets for your students so they will know exactly what content you want them to learn while they are working through your PBL unit. You can use the linked rubric to assess your learning targets.