2/15/20

FORMULATING GOALS AND Outline

OBJECTIVES •  Defintions of goals and objectives

•  Relationship between goals and objectives

Lecturers:
Nguyen Thi Hoa •  Ways to formulate goals and objectives
Nguyen Huy Hoang

•  Examples of goals and objectives

Detailed Outline
•  I. What are goals and objectives and what are their relationship? Food for thought
▫  Goals
▫  Objectives
•  Goals vs. objectives: differences?
•  II. Formulating goals
▫  Knowledge – Awareness – Skills – Attitude •  Goals – hindrance or guidelines?
▫  Proficiency – Cognitive – Affective – Transfer (Stern, 1992) •  General vs. Specific
▫  Language – Strategic – Socio-affective - Philosophical – Method
(process) (Genesee & Upshur, 1996).
•  Cause vs effect
•  III. Formulating objectives •  Future-oriented
▫  Subject – Performance – Conditions – Measure – Criterion •  Hierarchical
(Brown, 1995)
▫  Coverage – Activity – Involvement – Mastery – Generic thinking
(Saphier & Gower, 1987)
•  IV. Examples

1
 2/15/20

I. What are goals and objectives and

What is their relationship?
A- GOALS:
1- Goals are a way of putting into words the main purposes and
I. What are goals and objectives intended outcomes of your course.
and What is their relationship? 2- Goals are general statements, but they are not vague. For
example:
- “Students will improve their writing” is vague.
- Compare the above with “By the end of the course students
will have become more aware of their writing in general and be
able to identify specific areas in which improvement is needed”

I. What are goals and objectives and

I. What are goals and objectives and what is their relationship? (cont.)
what is their relationship? (cont.) 5- Goals are future-oriented.

3- A goal states an aim that the course will explicitly Goals are “what the students should be able to do when they
leave the program” J.D Brown (1995)
address in some way.
For example: “By the end of the course students will have
For example: if one of the goals of a course is to help
developed the ability to write letters for a variety of purposes”
students develop learning strategies, then the class time
will be explicitly devoted to that goal.
4- Goals should be realistically achieved within the
constraints and resources of your course.

2
 2/15/20

I. What are goals and objectives and I. What are goals and objectives and
what is their relationship? (cont.) what is their relationship? (cont.)
6- Goals are the benchmark of success for a course.
B- OBJECTIVES
Analogy:
•  Our course = a journey 1- Objectives are statements about how the goals will be
•  The goals = ??? Destination achieved.
•  The objectives = ??? Different points we pass on the way Through objectives, a goal is broken down into
learnable and teachable units. Course designer should
The course is successful and effective if the objectives and goals
ask himself “ Will achieving this objective help to reach
are reached.
the goal?”

OBJECTIVES (cont.)
•  2- Objectives are in hierarchy relationship to goals. The relationship
•  Which one is more general?
•  Which one is more specific? •  If the goal remains important but not achieved

•  3- The relationship between goals and objectives is that through the means of objectives
of CAUSE and EFFECT. à the objectives: examined / changed / refined.
•  Which one is the CAUSE?
•  Which one is the EFFECT?

3
 2/15/20

II. FORMULATING GOALS

•  Step 1: List all the possible goals you could have for
your particular course, based on your conceptualization
of content, your beliefs, and your assessment of
II. FORMULATING GOALS
students’ needs.
•  Step 2: Look for redundancies/overlapping, and
identify priorities based on your beliefs and your context.
•  Step 3: Organize your list of goals into a coherent
plan using the following suggestions:

FORMULATING GOALS (cont.)

FORMULATING GOALS (cont.) •  Suggestion 2: use Stern’s framework (1992)
(Cognitive goals, Proficiency goals, Affective goals, Transfer goals)
•  Suggestion 1: Use the framework of KASA Matching:
A.  include learning how to transfer what one learns/
(Knowledge, Awareness, Skills, Attitude) does in classroom to situations outside classroom
-  Knowledge goals address what students will know and to continue learning.
B.  include explicit knowledge, information and
understand. conceptual learning about language (e.g.,
1.  Cognitive goals
-  Awareness goals address what students need to be aware of 2.  Proficiency goals
grammar and other system aspects of
communication) and about culture (e.g., rules of
when learning a language. 3.  Affective goals conduct, norms, values)
-  Skills goals address what students can do with the language. 4.  Transfer goals C.  include achieving positive attitudes towards the
-  Attitude goals are those that address the affective and value- target language and culture as well as to one’s
own learning of them.
based dimensions of learning: students’ feeling towards D.  include what students will be able to do with the
themselves, towards others, the target language and culture. language (e.g., mastery of skills, ability to carry
out functions.

4
 2/15/20

FORMULATING GOALS (cont.)

Task: Identify the following goals as Cognitive, Proficiency,
•  Suggestion 2: use Stern’s framework (1992)
Affective or Transfer:
(Cognitive goals, Proficiency goals, Affective goals, Transfer goals)
Match A with B: 1. Students will develop effective writing skills transferable to any
-  1.B - Cognitive goals: include explicit knowledge, information and context.
conceptual learning about language (e.g., grammar and other system aspects 2. Students will gain awareness of the influence of socio-cultural issues
of communication) and about culture (e.g., rules of conduct, norms, values) on their writing.
-  2.D Proficiency goals: include what students will be able to do with the
3. Students will develop confidence in their ability to write in English.
language (e.g., mastery of skills, ability to carry out functions)
4.  Students will develop an appreciation for the contribution of their
-  3. C Affective goals: include achieving positive attitudes towards the
target language and culture as well as to one’s own learning of them.
knowledge and experience (and that of their peers) makes to the
-  4. A Transfer goals: include learning how to transfer what one learns/ learning process.
does in classroom to situations outside classroom to continue learning. 5. Students will gain an understanding of how they can continue to
improve their writing skills.

FORMULATING GOALS (cont.) SOME EXAMPLES OF GOALS

•  Suggestion 3: use framework by Genesee and Upshur
Task: Classify the following goals as Cognitive,
(1996)
Communicative, Affective, or Learning.
- Language goals: language skills learners are expected to acquire 1. To encourage learners to develop confidence in using the
in the classroom. target language. Affective
- Strategic goals: strategies learners use to learn the language. 2. To develop skills in monitoring performance in spoken
-  Socio-affective goals: changes in values, attitudes or social language. Learning
behaviors that result from classroom instruction. 3. To establish and maintain relationships through exchanging
-  Philosophical goals: changes in values, attitudes and beliefs of a information, ideas, opinions, feelings, experiences and plans.
Communicative
4. To develop the ability to study, in English, at university.
more general nature.
-  Method or process goals: the activities learners will engage in.
Cognitive

5
 2/15/20

Some guidelines to consider when

formulating goals
1.  Goals should be general, but not vague
2.  Goals should be transparent. Don’t use jargon.
3.  Goals should be reached.
4.  Goals should be realistic and achievable.
III. FORMULATING OBJECTIVES
5.  Goals should be relatively simple. Unpack them and make
them into more than one goal if necessary.
6.  Goals should be something the course will explicitly address
in some way. In other words you will spend class time to
achieve that goal.

FORMULATING OBJECTIVES (cont.)

FORMULATING OBJECTIVES
B- Brown’s model (1995): 5 components
A- The classical model to formulate objectives
-  Subject: who will achieve the objective
by Mager (1962):
performance – condition – criterion -  Performance: what the subject will be able to do
-  Performance: describes what the learners will be -  Conditions: the way in which the subject will be able to perform
able to do.
-  Condition: describes the circumstances in which the -  Measure: the way the performance will be observed or
learner are able to do something. measured
-  Criterion: the degree to which they are able to do
-  Criterion: how well the subject will be able to perform
something

6
 2/15/20

FORMULATING OBJECTIVES (cont.) FORMULATING OBJECTIVES (cont.)

•  Task read the objective below and identify the subject, •  Task read the objective below and identify the subject,
performance, conditions, measure, and criterion. performance, conditions, measure, and criterion.

“All students at the Guangzhou English Language Centre “All students at the Guangzhou English Language Centre
will be able to write all missing elements on the will be able to write all missing elements on the
appropriate lines in a graph, chart or diagram from appropriate lines in a graph, chart or diagram from
information provided in a 600-word 11th grade reading information provided in a 600-word 11th grade reading
level general science passage” level general science passage”

-  Subject: -  Subject: students at GELC

-  Performance: -  Performance: write missing elements ….. passage.
-  Conditions: -  Conditions: on the appropriate lines … passage.
-  Measure: -  Measure: to write the correct words (observable part)
-  Criterion: -  Criterion: the criterion is 100% students and all the
missing elements

Task: Classify the following objectives into the five

FORMULATING OBJECTIVES (cont.) components of Spahier and Gower’s framework (1987):
C- Saphier and Gower’s (1987) cumulative Coverage
framework for objectives: Activity
Involvement
-  Coverage: the material that will be covered in the lesson
Mastery
-  Activity: what students will do in a unit, lesson Generic thinking
-  Involvement: how students will become involved in what
they do in the unit, lesson
-  Mastery: what the student will be able to do as a result of GOAL: Students will develop effective writing skills
transferable to any context.
the unit, lesson
-  Generic thinking: how the students will be able to problem
solve and critique in the unit, lesson.

7
 2/15/20

Coverage - Activity – Involvement – Mastery – Generic thinking

1.  Students will develop criteria for a well-written paragraph,
essay, and short research paper. Involvement
2.  Students will use assessment forms to evaluate their own
and their peers’ writing. Activity
3.  Students will be able to determine and articulate
characteristics of a well-written paragraph, essay, and short
research paper Generic / Critical thinking
4.  Students will work with peers to generate ideas, get
IV. EXAMPLES
feedback, and to write a research paper. Involvement
5.  Students will be able to use the process writing model. Mastery
6.  Students will use a five-step process writing model to write
3 paragraphs: descriptive, personal narrative (memory),
and expository; Activity
7.  Students will be able to assess writing (their own and
others’) based on criteria for good writing Mastery

Goals and Performance Objectives –

Goals and Performance Objectives –
Example 1
Example 1
General standard 1: Students will be able to use English for
communication.
2.  Understand the main ideas of some discrete information in
General standard 2: Students will develop cross-cultural skills and
television and radio or live presentation.
understanding.
3.  Initiate and sustain conversation, face-to-face, with native
Goal 1: Students will be able to utilize the skills of listening and
speakers or fluent individuals.
speaking for the purposes of: socializing, providing and obtaining
information, expressing personal feelings and opinions, persuading 4.  Select vocabulary appropriate to a range of topics,
others to adopt a course of action, in the targeted topics by: employing simple and complex sentences in present, past
Objectives: Students will be able to: and future time frames.
1.  Comprehend messages and short conversations when listening to 5.  Exhibit spontaneity in their interactions, particularly when
peers, familiar adults, and providers of public services in face-to- the topic is familiar, but often relying on familiar utterances.
face interactions.

8
 2/15/20

Enabling skills expressed as objectives –

Example 1
After completing a reading course, the students will be able to:
1- use skimming when appropriate to ensure that they read only
what is relevant and to help subsequent comprehension.
2- Make use of non-text information (especially diagrams etc.)
to supplement the text and increasing understanding.
3- read in different ways according to their purpose and the type
of text.
4- not worry if they do not understand every word, except when
complete accuracy is important.
5- recognize that a good writer chooses his words carefully and
would have meant something different if he had chosen A
rather than B.
6- make use of the reference system, discourse makers… to help
them understand the meaning of difficult passages

WRAP-UP GAME

9
 2/15/20

WRAP-UP GAME
Some guidelines to consider when
formulating objectives short-term Goals are
3- Objectives are relatively _________.
relatively long-term.
specific than goals and should
1- Objectives are more _________ 4- Objectives should focus on what students will learn, not
directly related
___________to goals. activity
simply on the__________.
cause-effect
2- Objectives and goals should be in a ______________ more objectives than goals.
5- There should be _______
relationship.
However, one objective may relate to more than one goal

one objective Limit

•  6- Don’t try to pack too much on __________.
each objective to a specific skill or language area.
a sense
•  7- The goals and the objectives give _______of the
syllabus of the course. Objectives are like the building
blocks of the syllabus.
•  8- A clear set of goals and objectives provides the
basis for evaluation of the course (goals) and
________
assessment of students’ learning (objectives)

10