Writing Objectives

(Now that summer is here, it is time for me to discuss different educational topics alphabetically. Please join in the conversation and tell me what you think!)

Teachers develop objectives to help them plan their lessons and assess student learning. Well-written objectives are clear, measurable, and achievable. They should also be aligned with the curriculum and the needs of the students.

There are a few different ways that teachers can develop objectives. One common approach is to use the ABCD model:

• Audience: Who is the target audience for this objective?
• Behavior: What is the desired behavior of the learner?
• Condition: Under what conditions will the learner demonstrate the desired behavior?
• Degree: To what degree of mastery must the learner demonstrate the desired behavior?

For example, an objective for a math lesson might be:

• Audience: Students in 2nd grade
• Behavior: Solve addition problems with two-digit numbers
• Condition: Using a number line
• Degree: With 90% accuracy

Another approach to developing objectives is to use Bloom's taxonomy. Bloom's taxonomy is a hierarchical model of cognitive skills, ranging from simple knowledge and comprehension to more complex skills such as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.

When using Bloom's taxonomy, teachers can develop objectives that focus on different levels of thinking. For example, an objective for a science lesson might be:

• Knowledge: Identify the different types of clouds
• Comprehension: Explain how clouds form
• Application: Use a cloud chart to predict the weather
• Analysis: Analyze the factors that affect cloud formation
• Synthesis: Create a model of the water cycle
• Evaluation: Evaluate the effectiveness of different methods for predicting the weather

No matter which approach they use, teachers should make sure that their objectives are clear, measurable, and achievable. Well-written objectives can help teachers to plan effective lessons and assess student learning.

Here are some additional tips for teachers when developing objectives:

• Start with the end in mind. What do you want students to be able to do by the end of the lesson?
• Be specific. What exactly do you want students to know or be able to do?
• Use action verbs. What are the specific actions that students will take to demonstrate their learning?
• Be measurable. How will you know if students have achieved the objective?
• Be achievable. The objective should be challenging, but it should also be within reach of the students.
• Align with the curriculum. Make sure that the objective is aligned with the learning standards for the grade level.

By following these tips, teachers can develop objectives that will help them to effectively teach their students. Objectives need to be realistic and attainable in order to help students be successful.

Writing Behavioral Objectives

Recently I was in a discussion with another teacher about writing behavioral objectives. I thought I would share how I write objectives for my students.

Every objective should contain the following: a condition, a target behavior, a criterion and a time frame.

A condition is what the students are given such as:

·      When given a list of 20 sight words…

·      When given a story prompt…

·      Given 20 math problems with addition and subtraction…

·      Given a reading sample written on a 4^th grade level…

A target behavior is what I want the student to do. This behavior must be observable and measureable such as:

·      The student will say…

·      The student will write…

·      The student will compute…

·      The student will answer comprehension questions…

A criterion is how I want to measure this behavior such as:

·      18 out of 20 words accurately…

·      5 sentences using capital letters and punctuation with 85% accuracy

·      8 out of 10 problems accurately

·      with 90% accuracy

A time frame is when I want this objective to be achieved such as:

·      By the end of the semester.

·      By the annual review date.

·      In 18 weeks.

·      By the end of the first quarter.

A complete behavioral objective would look like the following:

·      When given a list of 20 sight words, the student will say 18 out of 20 words accurately by the end of the semester.

·      When given a story prompt, the student will write 5 sentences using capital letters and punctuation with 85% accuracy by the end of the first quarter.

·      Given 20 math problems with addition and subtraction, the student will compute 8 out of 10 problems accurately in 18 weeks.

·      Given a reading sample written on a 4^th grade level, the student will answer comprehension questions with 90% accuracy by the annual review date.

·      Given 3 specific tasks, the student will complete all of them 3 out of 4 times accurately.

Do you write behavioral objectives? Please share!