Posting Objectives or Essential Questions/Discoveries?

I bet you are excited after reading the title for this week.

As I visit our classrooms, I see an array of how our learning objectives are or aren't being posted.  Some teachers have shared with students that I feel that learning objectives are important and should be posted.  Students let me know about that when I visit the room.  It is pretty neat.  Seeing some of the objectives posted in very student friendly ways and then seeing that some aren't being posted got me thinking.  Why do some teachers post them?  How do they interact with them?  Why don't some teachers post them?  Do they really think it is pointless?  Just the ramblings in my little brain.

Then I began to reflect further...does the staff know why I think it is important...Does my reasoning make sense to them....so I began to research (not scholarly research but just reading online).

I found some great articles with cited resources and studies but then I came across this blog.  Please read it.  It is an easy read, 4 mins max.

PS- I would never want students repeating standards, as is discussed in the article...

My Objective:  Readers of this blog will understand why I think posting objectives and interacting with them is important.


Questions to consider:

1.  You didn't think the blog would be a negative view of posting objectives, did you?  It just proves that posting objectives is not that important.  Reflect
2.  What was the point of including this blog?  If you don't post objectives or if you do-the main objective is students understanding the "why."
3.  How can you find out if the students understand the "why"  What great informal assessments could you use?  Google tools?
4.  Do you interact with students and the objectives?  Do you talk to students about the "why"
5.  I know it is possible for students to understand the "why" without posting your objectives.  Do you have a systematic manner in place to do that?

Interacting with my objective:  Fill in this exit slip to let me know how we did with today's objectives
Why do I feel posting and interacting with your objectives or essential questions is important?
Do students ever interact with your posted objectives in your room or when you state them to the students?