This week (2nd week) I’d first like to focus on the difference between a “goal” and an “objective”. Goal is defined as “a statement that describes in broad terms what the learner will gain from instruction”. On the other hand, objectives are “statements in specific and measurable terms that describe what the learner will know or be able to do as a result of engaging in a learning activity.”* As one can see from the definitions above, goals are broad terms and they might be difficult to measure whereas objectives are lesson specific. Furthermore, objectives are composed of measurable or observable items.
Why set objectives?
It is highly important for a teacher first decide what students need to learn and to observe if students are learning. The first reason why instructional objectives are a must for a high quality instruction is that they allow the teacher and the learner to make sure about what is expected of the learners; what they are required to learn, how will they be evaluated**. Secondly, objectives provide some basis and guidance for the selection of instructional content and procedures***. Depending on the objectives set for a certain lesson you can design your learning activities in a more informed manner. Moreover, objectives provide models so that the students can write their own objectives and help the student organize his/her own learning steps to accomplish the assigned learning objectives****.
Three Types of Objectives
1. Cognitive Objectives are related to a learner’s knowledge, understanding, awareness, and insights Example: the learner will be able to list the six levels in the cognitive domain of Bloom’s taxonomy.*****
2. Affective Objectives are related to a learner’s attitudes, appreciations, and relationships. Example: The learner will be able to project an image of professionalism including appearance, dress, and confidence.
3. Psychomotor objectives are related to physical skills that a learner is expected to develop. Example: The learner will be able to demonstrate skill in using micropipetting devices to the satisfaction of the faculty member.
The ABCD of Objectives
This model is considered to be an easy starting point to write effective instructional objectives.
Audience: The who. "The student will be able to…"
Behavior: What a learner is expected to be able to do or the product or result of the doing. The behavior or product should be observable.
Condition: The important conditions under which the performance is to occur.
Degree: The criterion of acceptable performance. How well the learner must perform in order for the performance to be considered acceptable.
An example objective created depending on ABCD model:
After reading about the ABCD model, participants will share a behavioral objective for a class they teach, using the ABCD model, in at least one post on Nicenet.******
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