Learning is not just remembering and repeating things.

Students also need to be

able to think and do. The starting point for planning learning is to have clear
learning objectives. This is the case whether you are planning a course, a lesson, or
a single activity in a lesson. Learning objectives are written for the student to tell
him or her, what they are going to learn, how they are going to learn and what level
of accomplishment is expected of them. Learning objectives are NOT written for
the teacher but they help the teacher in their role as a guide and facilitator know
where the student is going, what they are doing and how they can help the student
reach their goal..

What is a Learning Objective? Why should teacher use learning objectives?

A learning objective should describe what students should know or be able to do at

the end of the course that they couldn't do before .Learning objectives should be
brief, clear, specific statements of what learners will be able to do at the end of a
lesson as a result of the activities, teaching and learning that has taken place. They
are sometimes called learning outcomes. The Learning objective or objectives that
you use can be based on three areas of learning: knowledge, skills and attitudes.

Learning objectives define learning outcomes and focus teaching. They help to
clarify, organize and prioritize learning. They help you and your students evaluate
progress and encourage them to take responsibility for their learning.

What is the difference between an aim and a learning objective?

A lesson aim is a very general statement of what the overall goal is in a lesson –
the intention behind the teaching. The lesson objective/objectives are the
measurable stages that a learner will go through and need to achieve in order to
achieve the overall goal. Aims are like strategy, objective are like tactics .
How do teachers write aims and learning objectives?

As part of teacher planning is deciding what students need to be able to do after

they have learned something that teacher have taught. Beginning planning with the
learning objectives will also help teachers ensure that their tasks and activities are
appropriate and will help the students achieve their objectives.

A learning objective must not include the phrases 'to know' or 'to understand' but
instead active verbs such as 'state', 'explain', 'outline', 'list' or 'describe'. Teachers
should avoid using verbs that are difficult to measure objectively. The following
verbs are difficult to assess and measure and therefore should be used with caution:
know, comprehend, understand, appreciate, familiarize, study, be aware, become
acquainted with, gain knowledge of, cover, learn, realize know and understand do
not specify any 'doing' and although knowing and understanding underpin learning.

Objectives are always written using active doing verbs. They are statements of
what teachers want their learners to do and should be stated clearly, define or
describe an action , be measurable, in terms of time, space, amount, and/or
frequency and be differentiated.

The following picture shows a range of action verbs that can be used in stating
learninig objectives in the three domains of teaching:
http://batchwood.herts.sch.uk/files/Learning-Objectives.pdf
learning objectives may be simple like just providing information or a list of data
or it may be a little more complex, as the teacher must direct the student to the
correct research materials; guide them through the research and the development of
the proposal. The student will then present the teacher with the completed proposal
for assessment. When writing objectives the teacher first has to review ALL of the
topics they are expected to cover over the course of one term. These topics form
the basis for the goals the students will reach at the end of the term. To help the
students reach those goals the teacher has to develop the steps the student will take.
These steps are thelearning objectives. This means that the teacher must ask him or
herself the following question:

What do I want my students to be able to do as a result of this lesson or

activity?

All learning objectives have three parts; a performance that tells the student what
he/she is to do, a condition that tells the student the focus of the thing he/she is to
do, and a standard that tells the student how well the performance must be carried
out.
 The most useful objective is the one that allows the student to be able to make a
number of decisions about how they will carry out the performance. When writing
objectives teachers are searching for a group of words that will tell students exactly
what has to be done and does not confuse them in any way. For example consider
the following phrases. Those on the left would confuse the student; they might ask
“What do I have to know?” or “What do I have to understand?” Those words on
the left however just need a qualifier to tell the student what he/she is to do. “Write
an essay.” “Recite a poem.” Or “Identify a place from a photograph.

Words open to many interpretations Words open to fewer interpretations

to know To write
to understand To recite
to really understand To identify
to appreciate To sort
To really appreciate To solve
To grasp the significance of To construct
To enjoy To build
To believe To compare

3-Domains for Behavioral Objectives:

Cognitive Domain

• Refers to intellectual learning and problem solving

• Cognitive levels of learning include: knowledge, comprehension,
application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation
• Example objective: The student will construct a treatment plan for a teenager
newly diagnosed with IDDM. The treatment plan must contain the
following: ..............
Affective Domain

• Refers to the emotions and value system of a person

• Affective levels of learning include: receiving, responding, valuing,
organizing, and characterizing by a value
• Example objective: The student will demonstrate a commitment to
improving case presentation skills by regularly seeking feedback on
presentations.

Psychomotor Domain

• Refers to physical movement characteristics and motor skill capabilities that

involve behaviors requiring certain levels of physical dexterity and
coordination.

• These skills are developed through repetitive practice and measured in terms
of speed, precision, distance, procedures, or execution techniques.
Psychomotor levels include: perception, set, guided response, mechanism,
complex overt response, adaptation, and origination.
• Example objective: The student will calibrate instrument X before
performing procedure Y https://med.fsu.edu/facultydevelopment/behavioral-
objectives-and-how-write-them.

Learning objectives and the cognitive domain:

The cognitive domain is based on the idea that thinking can be organized into six
increasingly complex levels. In 1956 B. S. Bloom identified six levels within the
cognitive domain, from simple recall or recognition of facts, at the lowest level,
through increasingly more complex and abstract mental levels, to the highest order
which is classified as evaluation.

Bloom Taxonomy

Categories in the cognitive domain

Bloom taxonomy

The framework elaborated by Bloom and his collaborators consisted of six major
categories: Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, and
Evaluation. The categories after Knowledge were presented as “skills and
abilities,” with the understanding that knowledge was the necessary precondition
for putting these skills and abilities into practice.

While each category contained subcategories, all lying along a continuum from
simple to complex and concrete to abstract, the taxonomy is popularly remembered
according to the six main categories.

The cognitive domain involves the development of our mental skills and the
acquisition of knowledge. The six categories under this domain are:

1. Knowledge: Knowledge is the ability to recall data and/or information.

Example: A child recites the English alphabet.

2. Comprehension: Comprehension is the ability to understand the meaning of

what is known. Example: A teacher explains a theory in his own words.

3. Application: Application is the ability to utilize an abstraction or to use

knowledge in a new situation. Example: A nurse intern applies what she learned in
her Psychology class when she talks to patients.

4. Analysis: the ability to differentiate facts and opinions. Example: A lawyer was
able to win over a case after recognizing logical fallacies in the reasoning of the
offender.

5. Synthesis: Synthesis the ability to integrate different elements or concepts in

order to form a sound pattern or structure so a new meaning can be established.
Examples: A therapist combines yoga, biofeedback and support group therapy in
creating a care plan for his patient.

6. Evaluation: Evaluation is the ability to come up with judgments about the

importance of concepts. Examples: A businessman selects the most efficient way
of selling products. (Hoque,2016 ).

In the mid-nineties Lorin Anderson, a former student of Bloom, revisited the

taxonomy and made some changes, the two most prominent ones being, changing
the names in the six categories from noun to verb forms, and slightly rearranging
the order of the categories.
Bloom’s taxonomy is important in teaching and learning because it helps teachers
better plan their lessons and help students better understand what they have to do
when learning. There is a lot of criticism about the taxonomy however, the main
one being that people don’t learn in such a structured, organised manner and there
is no real link between one level and the next.

This may be the case but the taxonomy is a useful tool to help the teacher organize
learning. The taxonomy helps teachers better understand that if they are going to
teach a student to create something for example there is a lot of learning that has to
take place first. The student has to be given the knowledge and understanding
about what is to be created, then the student must be given time to practice and see
where things are correct and where things are not correct and make a decision
about fixing those things that are not right. Only after all this has been done can the
student create something. Each level in the domain is at a different level of
complexity and helps the teacher develop higher order thinking.
When writing learning objectives make sure they are written at the correct
level of learning

When writing learning objectives the teacher has to consider at what level the
objective is to be written, making sure that all the underpinning knowledge has
been given to the student first. Each level in the taxonomy uses a particular set of
verbs to describe the expected student performance. Using these verbs helps the
teacher better determine what the student needs to learn and how they, the teacher,
can assess the student’s performance.
In the chart shown, the higher the level, the more complex mental operation is
required. Higher levels are not necessarily more desirable than lower levels,
because one cannot achieve the higher levels without an ability to use the lower
levels. As one moves up into higher levels, however, the more applicable the skills
are to those needed in daily life.

Writing Learning Objectives correctly – checklist!:

• Does the learning objective reflect a step in achieving an overall lesson aim?
• Do your lesson activities ensure that students will achieve their objective and
your overall aim?
• Is the learning objective measurable?
• Is the learning objective student-centred?
• Have you used effective, action verb that targets the desired level of
performance?.

http://batchwood.herts.sch.uk/files/Learning-Objectives.pdf

Learning objectives are SMART.

Well written learning objectives are:

Specific It is clear and precise.

Measurable Learning can be “proved” by the student
being able to do something

Achievable The performance is possible and within

the ability of the
student

Realistic It is reasonable in relation to the student

starting points and
time scale
Time limited A time frame has been set for the
performance to be
completed