Elevator Pitch: Learning Outcomes

Curriculum and assessments leaders recommend beginning lesson and curriculum plans with a list of learning outcomes. What knowledge will students develop and what skills will students develop during the lesson or the unit. Many also advocate for clear and measurable outcome to be articulated. It is reasoned without these, the data deemed necessary for making data-driven decisions.

While that starting point for planning for some types of lessons is appropriate, that is by no means a universal truth that all desired outcomes can be reduced to measurable outcomes, and it is not true that these are the foundation of effective lessons.