Writing Instructional Objectives

Writing Instructional Objectives…or if you don't know where you are going,

you'll end up someplace else.

Learning Experience Menu

•Introduction•Activities•Scaffolds•Practice/Feedback•Review

Introduction

“When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”

“It aint over till it’s over.”

“It’s like déjà vu all over again.”

“If you don't know where you are going, you'll end up someplace else.”

Introduction

Instructional Objectives =

Introduction

Teachers regularly read, write and/or revise instructional objectives.

Introduction

Instructional objectives for this experience:

1. Revise existing objectives to make them well-written

1.1 Identify when a standard is needed1.2 Identify when conditions are needed1.3 Clarify statements of performance

Introduction

Introduction

Context:

Improve the quality of your existing learning experience by clarifying instructional objectives (and using this to review and revise the experience).

Activities

Information Presentation

Activities

Students will learn about the causes of the

Civil War.

Activities

Students will learn about the causes of the

Civil War.

Activities

Students will understand the causes

of the Civil War.

Activities

PerformanceCondition (Givens)

Standard

Activities

Students will describe the three commonly-

accepted primary causes of the American

Civil War.

Activities

Students will describe the three commonly-

accepted primary causes of the American

Civil War.

Activities

Students will know how to measure the length of objects.

Activities

Given a meter stick and objects with flat surfaces, the students will measure specified dimensions of the objects to nearest millimeter.

Activities

Given a meter stick and objects with flat surfaces, the students will measure specified dimensions of the objects to nearest millimeter.

Practice

Practice

Practice

Did you mark items 1, 5, and 6? These are the items that describe student performances that are observable. Items 2, 3, and 4 describe internal states or processes, not observable performances. Item 7 describes a teacher performance, not a student performance, and therefore should not be marked. Item 8 describes a process (learning), not an observable skill that students are expected to possess after instruction.

Practice

Did you mark items 1, 5, and 6? These are the items that describe student performances that are observable. Items 2, 3, and 4 describe internal states or processes, not observable performances. Item 7 describes a teacher performance, not a student performance, and therefore should not be marked. Item 8 describes a process (learning), not an observable skill that students are expected to possess after instruction.

Practice

Practice

You should have marked items 2 and 3, They require givens; items 1 and 4 do not. In item 2, the givens are needed to indicate what type of material (e.g., a list of sentences, a paragraph) the student will be given to insert the capital letters and periods in. In item 3, the givens are necessary to indicate what the student will be given to label—for example, a diagram of the body or digestive system, a model, or drawings of the individual parts. In item 1, it would not be necessary to include a statement such as “given a swimming pool” because such a given is so obvious.

Practice

Practice

Items 1, 4, and 5 are the correct choices here. They have appropriate statements of givens. (The statement of givens in item 4 begins with the phrase “when shown.” ) Items 2 and 3 are inappropriate. Item 2 describes an instructional event (practice). Item 3 indicates a type of test item.

Practice

Practice

Items 2 and 3 are well-written. Item 3 does not require a statement of givens. Item 1 is not well written because it does not indicate what students will be given to label—a real flower, a diagram of a flower, the individual parts of a flower, or some other item. Item 4 is not well written because the “given paper and pen” statement is so obvious that it should not be included. Practice

Practice

You should have picked items 3 and 4 for this one. Item 1 is not well written because the verb does not indicate an observable performance. In item 2, the givens are an instructional activity. No givens are required for item 3, which would be an appropriate attitudinal objective for an area such as citizenship or school and community service. Item 4 includes givens (a list of difficult-to-classify foods), even though they are not stated in a phrase preceding the statement of the student performance.

Practice

Scaffolds

Scaffolds

Three documents will be available for students who continue struggling with revising objectives:

• List of common ambiguous verbs used in objects (next screen)

• Summary of common characteristics of Poor Objectives (2 screens from here)

• Access to Chapter Two: Writing Objectives (Sullivan, H. & Higgins, N. (1983). Teaching for competence. New York: Teachers College Press).

Scaffolds

Scaffolds

Common Ambiguous Words

"Better" Performance Words

Know, Become familiar with, Become aware of, Learn

State, Recite, Tell, Declare, Name, List, Define, Identify

Understand, Grasp the significance of

Solve, Show, Demonstrate, Generate, Develop, Create, Determine, Calculate, Predict

Appreciate Choose (or select), Join, Participate

Demonstrate […an understanding of]

Any of the above

Scaffolds

Review

Review

ReviewWhat?

So what?

Now What?

Review

Review

Review