Readings for

Teaching Approaches In
Secondary Socia Studies
(Socsci 3195)

LESSON 1: Crafting and

Implementing a
Less Plan in
Sec d y Social
Studies
1. How to Create a Student-
Centered Lesson
2. How to Design a Student-
Centered Lesson Plan
3. Steps in Preparing a Student-
Centered Lesson Plan
3.1. Learning Objectives
3.2. Specific Learning
Activities
3.3. Assessment of Student
Understanding
3.4. Sequences of Engaging
and Meaningful Tasks
3.5. Realistic Timeline
3.6. Lesson Closure

DR. MYLA L. SANTOS

Department of Secondary Education
LESSON 5
College of Education LEARNER-
First Semester
CENTERED
AY 2022-2023 LESSON PLANS

Disclaimer:
This copy of the module is NOT FOR SALE. Its purpose is only for online/modular learning during the suspension of face-to-face
classes because of COVID-19 pandemic. The source has been provided for proper attribution to the original author/source.

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on
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 Overview
As a teacher, it's more than likely that you've led a lesson on a tricky subject
that your student's didn't quite grasp the concept of. This isn't a failing on
your part - difficult topics make it harder to retain student concentration
and application to a particular task. There are routes you can take to try
and avoid this problem - even though it isn't all that easy to overcome.
Formulating and implementing student centered lesson plans into your
classroom could well be the answer to this complex conundrum, and
making such magic happen doesn't take a total teaching makeover.

The best way to grasp the attention of a class is to run activities that are
interesting and meet their needs as individuals. One of the vital stages in this
process is making learning more active and engaging. It's been scientifically
proven that children find it harder to memorize information by sitting and
listening compared to being involved in practical tasks.

Objectives
1. Identify the different parts, functions and characteristics of a learner-
centered lesson plan
2. Compare and contrast an exemplar learner-centered lesson plan with
teacher or content-centered lesson plans
3. Craft a lesson plan chick emphasizing the use of a selected strategy;
and,
4. Implement the designed lesson plan chunk and the appropriately
chosen/selected strategy in response to learners’ diverse needs,
learning styles, and background

1. How to Create a Student Centered Lesson

When devising potential hands-on activities to be conducted in the

classroom, it's important to try and connect it to a real life circumstance.
Even at a young age, children find it difficult to remember and become
involved in lessons based around topics they cannot apply to themselves.
Therefore, to make a learning session more student centered, it is the
responsibility of the teacher to incorporate student's own opinions, ideas
and life experiences into the specific activity.

 Considering this, we could say that student centered learning encourages

pupils to take more responsibility for their class and homework. Still, don't
be fooled: this doesn't necessarily mean more pressure is applied to
students, but rather that they have more say in what they learn, how they
learn it, and the choices that they opt to take along the way.

Making sure that pupils are comfortable enough to learn in this manner
demands teachers to introduce confidence building tasks. Not only does
this come in handy for a student's self belief in their own abilities, but it's
also a skill that they may carry with them and benefit from for the rest of
their lives. When they reach adulthood, the ability to carry oneself
properly and communicate fearlessly with colleagues and other members
of society is one that ex-pupils will hold in high esteem.

Another technique used for the successful integration of student centered

learning approaches involves nurturing the student and procuring the
answer from them, rather than simply laying down the facts. It's all too
easy for a teacher to see a pupil as someone who knows nothing, but in
reality, this couldn't be further from the truth. All students have some base
knowledge, and will often be able to reach correct answers and
conclusions if given the correct support. To get this full, brilliant best from
students, teachers should motivate children with regular enrichment
opportunities.

As a general concept, learning never stops developing; there's always

new and improved methods of teaching to try and assist pupils in
accessing their full potentials more readily. Student centered learning is
just one of these, and is a great practice to help students develop life skills
as well as academic strategies.

2. How to Design a Student-centered Lesson Plan

A lesson plan is the instructor’s road map of what students need to learn and
how it will be done effectively during the class time. Then, you can design
appropriate learning activities and develop strategies to obtain feedback on
student learning. Having a carefully constructed lesson plan for each 3-hour
lesson allows you to enter the classroom with more confidence and maximizes
your chance of having a meaningful learning experience with your students.
A successful lesson plan addresses and integrates three key components:

 2.1. Learning Objectives

2.2. Learning activities
2.3. Assessment to check for student understanding

A lesson plan provides you with a general outline of your teaching goals,
learning objectives, and means to accomplish them, and is by no means
exhaustive. A productive lesson is not one in which everything goes exactly as
planned, but one in which both students and instructor learn from each other.

Characteristic Description

Clearly stated tasks Free from jargon and complex vocabulary; describe specific and achievable
tasks (such as ‘describe’, ‘analyse’ or ‘evaluate’) NOT vague tasks (like
‘appreciate’, ‘understand’ or ‘explore’).

Important learning Describe the essential (rather than trivial) learning in the course which a
goals student must achieve.

Achievable Can be achieved within the given period and sufficient resources are
available.

 Demonstrable and Can be demonstrated in a tangible way; are assessable; achievement and
measurable quality of achievement can be observed.

Fair and equitable All students, including those with disabilities or constraints, have a fair chance
of achieving them.

Linked to course Consider the broader goals - i.e. course, program and institutional goals.
and program
objectives

3. Steps for Preparing a Learner-centered Lesson Plan

Listed below are 6 steps for preparing your lesson plan before your class.
 
3.1. Identify the learning objectives
Before you plan your lesson, you will first need to identify the learning objectives
for the lesson. A learning objective describes what the learner will know or be
able to do after the learning experience rather than what the learner will be
exposed to during the instruction (i.e. topics). Typically, it is written in a language
that is easily understood by students and clearly related to the program learning
outcomes. The table below contains the characteristics of clear learning
objectives:
The Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy of Educational Objectives (link) is a useful
resource for crafting learning objectives that are demonstrable and
measurable.
 
3.2. Plan the specific learning activities
When planning learning activities you should consider the types of activities
students will need to engage in, in order to develop the skills and knowledge
required to demonstrate effective learning in the course. Learning activities
should be directly related to the learning objectives of the course, and provide
experiences that will enable students to engage in, practice, and gain
feedback on specific progress towards those objectives.
As you plan your learning activities, estimate how much time you will spend on
each. Build in time for extended explanation or discussion, but also be prepared
to move on quickly to different applications or problems, and to identify
strategies that check for understanding. Some questions to think about as you
design the learning activities you will use are:

3.2.1. What will I do to explain the topic?

 3.2.2. What will I do to illustrate the topic in a different way?

3.2.3. How can I engage students in the topic?
3.2.4. What are some relevant real-life examples, analogies, or situations
that can help students understand the topic?
3.2.5. What will students need to do to help them understand the topic
better?

Many activities can be used to engage learners. The activity types (i.e. what the
student is doing) and their examples provided below are by no means an
exhaustive list, but will help you in thinking through how best to design and
deliver high impact learning experiences for your students in a typical lesson.

Activity Type Learning Activity Description

Interaction with content Drill and practice Problem/task is presented to students where
  they are asked to provide the answer; may
be timed or untimed
Students are more likely to
Lecture Convey concepts verbally, often with visual
retain information presented
in these ways if they are aids (e.g. presentation slides)
asked to interact with the Quiz Exercise to assess the level of student
material in some way.
understanding and questions can take
many forms, e.g. multiple-choice, short-
structured, essay etc.

Student Oral report where students share their

presentation research on a topic and take on a position
and/or role

Interaction with digital Game Goal-oriented exercise that encourages

content collaboration and/or competition within a
  controlled virtual environment

Students experiment with Simulation Replica or representation of a real-world

decision making, and visualise phenomenon that enables relationships,
the effects and/or contexts, and concepts to be studied
consequences in virtual
environments

Interaction with others Debate Verbal activity in which two or more

  differing viewpoints on a subject are
presented and argued
Peer relationships, informal






 Peer relationships, informal

support structures, and Discussion Formal/informal conversation on a given
teacher-student interactions/ topic/question where the instructor
relationships facilitates student sharing of responses to
the questions, and building upon those
responses

Feedback Information provided by the instructor and/

or peer(s) regarding aspects of one’s
performance or understanding

Guest Speaker Feelings, thoughts, ideas and experiences

specific to a given topic are shared by an
invited presenter

Problem solving and Critical Case Study Detailed story (true or fictional) that
thinking students analyse in detail to identify the
  underlying principles, practices, or lessons it
contains
Presenting students with a
problem, scenario, case, Concept Mapping Graphical representation of related
challenge or design issue, information in which common or shared
which they are then asked to concepts are linked together
address or deal with provides
students with opportunities to Real-world projects Planned set of interrelated tasks to be
think about or use knowledge executed over a fixed period and within
and information in new and certain cost and other limitations, either
different ways individually or collaboratively

Reflection Reflection journal Written records of students’ intellectual and

  emotional reactions to a given topic on a
regular basis (e.g. weekly after each lesson)
The process of reflection starts
with the student thinking
about what they already
know and have experienced
in relation to the topic being
explored/learnt. This is
followed by analysis of why
the student thinks about the
topic in the way they do, and
what assumptions, attitudes
and beliefs they have about,
and bring to learning about
the topic.

It is important that each learning activity in the lesson must be (1) aligned to the
lesson’s learning objectives, (2) meaningfully engage students in active,
constructive, authentic, and collaborative ways, and (3) useful where the





 student is able to take what they have learnt from engaging with the activity
and use it in another context, or for another purpose.
 
3.3. Plan to assess student understanding
Assessments (e.g., tests, papers, problem sets, performances) provide
opportunities for students to demonstrate and practice the knowledge and skills
articulated in the learning objectives, and for instructors to offer targeted
feedback that can guide further learning.
Planning for assessment allows you to find out whether your students are
learning. It involves making decisions about:
● the number and type of assessment tasks that will best enable students to
demonstrate learning objectives for the lesson
o Examples of different assessments
o Formative and/or summative

● the criteria and standards that will be used to make assessment

judgements
o Rubrics

● student roles in the assessment process

o Self-assessment
o Peer assessment

● the weighting of individual assessment tasks and the method by which

individual task judgements will be combined into a final grade for the
course
o information about how various tasks are to be weighted and
combined into an overall grade must be provided to students
● the provision of feedback
o giving feedback to students on how to improve their learning, as
well as giving feedback to instructors how to refine their teaching

To learn more about designing assessment, click here.

 
3.4. Plan to sequence the lesson in an engaging and meaningful manner
Robert Gagne proposed a nine-step process called the events of instruction,
which is useful for planning the sequence of your lesson. Using Gagne’s 9 events
in conjunction with Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy of Educational Objectives (link)
aids in designing engaging and meaningful instruction.

 1. Gain attention: Obtain students’ attention so that they will watch and listen
while the instructor presents the learning content.
o Present a story or a problem to be solved
o Utilize ice breaker activities, current news and events, case studies,
YouTube videos, and so on. The objective is to quickly grab student
attention and interest in the topic
o Utilize technologies such as clickers, and surveys to ask leading questions
prior to lecture, survey opinion, or gain a response to a controversial
question
2. Inform learner of objectives: Allow students to organize their thoughts
regarding what they are about to see, hear, and/or do.
o Include learning objectives in lecture slides, the syllabus, and in instructions
for activities, projects and papers
o Describe required performance
o Describe criteria for standard performance

3. Stimulate recall of prior knowledge:

o Help students make sense of new information by relating it to something
they already know or something they have already experienced.
o Recall events from previous lecture, integrate results of activities into the
current topic, and/or relate previous information to the current topic
o Ask students about their understanding of previous concepts

4. Present new content: Utilise a variety of methods including lecture, readings,

activities, projects, multimedia, and others.
o Sequence and chunk the information to avoid cognitive overload

 o Blend the information to aid in information recall

o Bloom's Revised Taxonomy can be used to help sequence the lesson by
helping you chunk them into levels of difficulty.
5. Provide guidance: Advise students of strategies to aid them in learning
content and of resources available. With learning guidance, the rate of
learning increases because students are less likely to lose time or become
frustrated by basing performance on incorrect facts or poorly understood
concepts.
o Provide instructional support as needed – as scaffolds (cues, hints,
prompts) which can be removed after the student learns the task or
content
o Model varied learning strategies – mnemonics, concept mapping, role
playing, visualizing
o Use examples and non-examples

To find out more about scaffolding student learning, click here

6. Practice: Allow students to apply knowledge and skills learned.
o Allow students to apply knowledge in group or individual activities
o Ask deep-learning questions, make reference to what students already
know or have students collaborate with their peers
o Ask students to recite, revisit, or reiterate information they have learned
o Facilitate student elaborations – ask students to elaborate or explain
details and provide more complexity to their responses
7. Provide feedback: Provide immediate feedback of students’ performance to
assess and facilitate learning.
o Consider using group / class level feedback (highlighting common errors,
give examples or models of target performance, show students what you
do not want)
o Consider implementing peer feedback
o Require students to specify how they used feedback in subsequent works

8. Assess performance: To evaluate the effectiveness of the instructional events,

test to see if the expected learning outcomes have been achieved.
Performance should be based on previously stated objectives.
o Utilise a variety of assessment methods including exams/quizzes, written
assignments, projects, and so on.
9. Enhance retention and transfer: Allow students to apply information to
personal contexts. This increases retention by personalising information.
o Provide opportunities for students to relate course work to their personal
experiences
o Provide additional practice

 3.5. Create a realistic timeline

A list of ten learning objectives is not realistic, so narrow down your list to the two
or three key concepts, ideas, or skills you want students to learn in the lesson.
Your list of prioritized learning objectives will help you make decisions on the spot
and adjust your lesson plan as needed. Here are some strategies for creating a
realistic timeline:

● Estimate how much time each of the activities will take, then plan some
extra time for each
● When you prepare your lesson plan, next to each activity indicate how
much time you expect it will take
● Plan a few minutes at the end of class to answer any remaining questions
and to sum up key points
● Plan an extra activity or discussion question in case you have time left
● Be flexible – be ready to adjust your lesson plan to students’ needs and
focus on what seems to be more productive rather than sticking to your
original plan

3.6. Plan for a lesson closure

Lesson closure provides an opportunity to solidify student learning. Lesson closure

is useful for both instructors and students.
You can use closure to:

● Check for student understanding and inform subsequent instruction

(adjust your teaching accordingly)
● Emphasise key information
● Tie up loose ends
● Correct students’ misunderstandings
● Preview upcoming topics

Your students will find your closure helpful for:

● Summarizing, reviewing, and demonstrating their understanding of major

points
● Consolidating and internalising key information
● Linking lesson ideas to a conceptual framework and/or previously-learned
knowledge
● Transferring ideas to new situations

There are several ways in which you can put a closure to the lesson:

 ● state the main points yourself (“Today we talked about…”)

● ask a student to help you summarize them
● ask all students to write down on a piece of paper what they think were
the main points of the lesson

References

Calmorin, Laurentina (2011).Assessment of Student Learning 1. Rex Book Store

Publishing, Manila.
Conception, Benjamin.et.al. (2016). LET Reviewer. MET Review Center, Manila.
Garcia, Carlito D. (2008).Measuring & Evaluating Learning Outcomes. Books
Atbp.Publishing Corp.,Mandaluyong.
Lucas, Maria Rita D. & Corpuz, Brenda B. (2014) Facilitating Learning: Lorimar Publishing
Inc., Metro Manila, Philippines
Robles, Ava Clare Marie O. (2012).
Ed 103 Format 1. Retrieved on March 5, 2014 from http://www.slideshare.net 

Lesson 4. Writing Measurable Objectives in Social Studies/Social Sciences

Characteristics of E ective Learning Objectives

What Are Learning Objectives?

A learning objective should describe what students should know or be able to do at the
end of the course. It is also called learning target. The objective is the expected
behavioral change attributed from the teaching and learning activities prepared for a
certain lesson or topic. Usually, the objective or the target is achieved in a day’s
classroom session.

Learning objectives should be brief, clear, speci c 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 or learning targets The
Learning objective or objectives that you use can be based on three areas of learning:
knowledge, skills and attitudes. Learning objectives de ne 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 di erence 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.

The Lesson Objectives

1. The objectives must be clear to students. They ALL must know WHAT they are
learning and WHY they are doing it. They also need to see the point of the objectives in
the bigger picture; that is, how they relate to the last lesson’s learning, the course they
are following and the big overall goal. This means that you can’t simply write the
objectives on the board and hope that the students copy them down. It implies that
you have fully explained them in context; the students have engaged with them and
can explain them to any observer.

2. The objectives and outcomes must be di erentiated for the individual student. All the
learners should be able to see where they are and what they need to do to get to the
next level. This should link into subject standards and progression where possible. It is
crucial to have high expectations of what can be achieved and engage the students
with that belief.

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3. SUCCESS CRITERIA for achieving the outcomes need to be negotiated with the
students for optimum engagement to enable them to be clear about what it will look
like and feel like and sound like when they have made that progress.

Types of Learning Domain and Appropriate Learning Objectives

Objectives for learning can be grouped into three major domains: cognitive,
psychomotor, and a ective.  Benjamin S. Bloom and his associates developed a six-
level taxonomy for cognitive domain from the lowest level knowledge to more complex
intellectual levels  comprehension, application, analysis,  synthesis, and  evaluation. A
newer version of Bloom's Taxonomy puts  creating as the most complex learning
activity that can be performed to show one's learning mastery.

1. Cognitive Domain (Knowledge)

The domain that receives the most attention in instructional programs is the cognitive
domain. It includes the objectives related to knowledge or information, naming, solving,
predicting, and other intellectual aspects of learning. 

Sample Verbs For Learning Objectives

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 Knowledg Comprehensi Application Analysis Synthesis Evaluation
e on

Cite Describe Apply Analyze Arrange Appraise

De ne Discuss Assign Appraise Assemble Assess

Give Explain Demonstrat Calculate Collect Check

e

Label Express Dramatize Categorize Combine Choose

List Identify Employ Compare Compose Compare

Match Locate Illustrate Contract Conclude Critique

Name Recognize Interpret Criticize Construct Decide On/

To

Recall Report Operate Debate Create Discriminate

Record Restate Practice Diagram Design Estimate

Relate Review Schedule Di erentiate Determine Evaluate

Select Tell Shop Distinguish Diagnose Grade

State Translate Sketch Examine Di erentiate Inspect

Tell Use Experiment Dissect Judge

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 Underline Inspect Examine Measure

Write Inventory Formulate Monitor

Question Manage Rank/Rate

Relate Organize Research

Solve Plan Review

Test Prepare Revise

Propose Score

Refute Select

Set Up Value

2. Psychomotor Domain (Skills)

The second category for grouping instructional objectives is psychomotor domain. It
encompasses the skills that require the use and coordination of skeletal muscles.
Psychomotor behaviors are easier to observe, describe, and measure than cognitive or
a ective behaviors.

Skills Verbs 

Assemble Diagram Implement Package Re ll Sketch

Attach Dictate Inspect Perform Regulate Sort

Balance Direct Instruct Plant Renovate Splice

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 Build Dismantle Interview Portion Repair Stratify

Bundle Document Lift Position Replace Sterilize

Calibrate Draw Line Prepare Reproduce Tape

Care For Duplicate Load/Reload Press Retrieve Terminate

Clean Edit Locate Process Route Transfer

Code Execute Log Program Save Transplant

Collate Fix Make Proofread Search Treat

Collect Format Manage Propagate Secure Trim

Conduct Gather Measure Prove Select Troubleshoot

Conserve Grade Mix Provide Separate Verify

Construct Grid Mount Prune Sharpen Wash

Control Harvest Operate Raise Simplify Write

Design Highlight Organize Recheck Simulate

 3. A ective Domain (Attitude)

The third category of a ective domain encompasses attitudes, appreciations, values,
and emotions – although highly important in education, the hardest to assess the
student. The levels of a ective domain form a continuum from simple awareness and
acceptance to internalization, as attires become part of an individual’s practicing value
system.

Attitudinal Verbs

Receiving Responding Valuing Organizing Characterizing

Listen To Reply Attain Organize Believe

Perceive Answer Assume Select Practice

Be Alert To Follow Along Support Judge Continue To

Show Tolerance Of Approve Participate Decide Carry Out

Obey Continue Identify With

How To Write Measurable Learning Objectives

Objectives, unlike goal statements, are detailed descriptions of what students will be
able to do by the end of a learning activity.

• They are related to intended outcomes, rather than the process for achieving
those outcomes.
• They are speci c and measurable, rather than broad and intangible.
• They are concerned with students, not teachers.

Writing Objectives

A learning objective contains three major components:

1. The skill or behavior to be performed.

This component of the objective should contain an action verb relevant to the domain
of the activity (cognitive, psycho-motor or e ective). It’s important to stay away from
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 generic verbs such as “understand” or “know” in your objectives. These aren’t

measurable, no one can really create an assessment tool that measures
“understanding” or “knowing,” but an assessment tool can measure whether a student
can "explain, list, de ne, outline, paraphrase, di erentiate," etc.

Example
“At the end of the lesson, students are expected to develop and demonstrate
pro ciency in writing and verbal skills."
“At the end of the session, the students are expected to write and produce a historical
analysis video.”

2. The conditions under which the student will perform the skill/demonstrate
knowledge.

In addition to including an action verb, you must indicate the conditions under which
the student will need to demonstrate their knowledge or skills.

Example:
"At the completion of the topic, Battle of Gettysburg, students will be able to write and
produce a 3-minute historical analysis video.”

3. The Criteria used to Measure Performance


We still need to add information to our objective because we haven't yet told the
student how we are going to measure success.

Example
  "At the completion of the topic on Battle of Gettysburg, students will write and
produce a 3-minute historical analysis video with a rubric rating of 80 out of 100."

Writing a clear and speci c learning objectives

A clear objective states what the learner will be able to do upon completion of a
learning activity, in terms of behavioral change. A clear objective identi es the terminal
behavior or desired outcome of the teaching episodes.

When writing objectives, follow these 3 steps:

Step 1

Learning objectives begin with the phrase that speci cally state the intention of the
activity for a behavioral change such as:

“At the conclusion of this activity, the students will be able to…”

“At the end of the lesson, the students will….”

“At the end of the session, the learners are able to….”

Step 2

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 Connect step one with an action verb which communicates the performance by the
learner. Use verbs which describe an action that can be observed and that are
measurable within the teaching time frame (e.g., via a post-test). Use the verbs in the
tables above. Be sure to have the three domains considered in the learning objectives.

Step 3

Conclude with the speci cs of what the learner will be doing when demonstrating
achievement or mastery of the objectives. Stress what the students will walk away
from the activity with.

Words to Avoid as they are not speci c and measurable

appreciate, approach, become, believe, grasp, improve,

increase, know, learn, thinks, understand

Sample learning objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

• formulate scienti c questions about the motion of visible celestial objects

• Identify ways to model and/or simulate an answer to the questions chosen
• select and integrate information from various sources, including electronic and
print resources, community resources, and personally collected data, to answer
the questions chosen
• construct sentences of scienti c ideas, procedures, results, and conclusions
using appropriate SI units, language, and formats
• describe the impact of research and other accomplishments in space
technology.

Sample learning objectives involving the three domains

Knowledge

1. By the end of the lesson, students will be able to categorize conditional sentences
according to the syntactic structures.

2. By the end of the lesson, students will be able to describe the characteristics of the
three main types of geologic faults (dip-slip, transform, and oblique) and explain the
di erent types of motion associated with each.

Skills

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1. By the end of the lesson, students will be able to ask questions concerning
language usage with con dence and seek e ective help from reference sources.

2. By the end of the lesson, students will be able to analyze qualitative and quantitative
data, and explain how evidence gathered supports or refutes an initial hypothesis.

Values

1. By the end of the lesson, students will be able to work cooperatively in a small
group environment.

2. By the end of the lesson, students will be able to identify their own position on the
political spectrum.

REMEMBER

1. Learning objectives should use speci c language, and should clearly indicate
expectations for student performance.

Vague objective

By the end of this session, students will have added to their understanding of the
complete research process.

More precise objectives

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

• describe the research process in social interventions

• evaluate critically the quality of research by others
• formulate research questions designed to test, re ne, and build theories
• identify and demonstrate facility in research designs and data collection
strategies that are most appropriate to a particular research project
• formulate a complete and logical plan for data analysis that will adequately
answer the research questions and probe alternative explanations
• interpret research ndings and draw appropriate conclusions

2. Learning outcomes are useful for all levels of instruction, and in a variety
of contexts.

Vague objective

By the end of this lesson, students will have a deeper appreciation of literature and
literary movements in general.

More precise objectives

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

• identify and describe the major literary movements of the 20th century
• perform close readings of literary texts
• evaluate a literary work based on selected and articulated standards
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 Using Bloom’s Taxonomy to Write

Effective Learning Outcomes
Posted by Jessica Shabatura | Jul 26, 2022 | Assignments & Measuring Student Learning
Bloom’s Taxonomy is a classification of the different objectives and skills that educators set for their
students (learning outcomes).
What is Bloom’s Taxonomy
Bloom’s Taxonomy is a classification of the different outcomes and skills that educators set for their
students (learning outcomes). The taxonomy was proposed in 1956 by Benjamin Bloom, an
educational psychologist at the University of Chicago. The terminology has been recently updated to
include the following six levels of learning. These 6 levels can be used to structure the learning
outcomes, lessons, and assessments of your course. :

1. Remembering: Retrieving, recognizing, and recalling relevant knowledge from long‐

term memory.
2. Understanding: Constructing meaning from oral, written, and graphic messages
through interpreting, exemplifying, classifying, summarizing, inferring, comparing,
and explaining.
3. Applying: Carrying out or using a procedure for executing, or implementing.
4. Analyzing: Breaking material into constituent parts, determining how the parts relate to one
another and to an overall structure or purpose through differentiating, organizing, and
attributing.
5. Evaluating: Making judgments based on criteria and standards through checking
and critiquing.
6. Creating: Putting elements together to form a coherent or functional whole; reorganizing
elements into a new pattern or structure through generating, planning, or producing.
Like other taxonomies, Bloom’s is hierarchical, meaning that learning at the higher levels is
dependent on having attained prerequisite knowledge and skills at lower levels. You will see
Bloom’s Taxonomy often displayed as a pyramid graphic to help demonstrate this hierarchy. We
have updated this pyramid into a “cake-style” hierarchy to emphasize that each level is built on a
foundation of the previous levels.
 You may use this graphic for educational or non-profit use if you include a credit for Jessica
Shabatura and citation back to this website.
How Bloom’s can aid in course design
Bloom’s taxonomy is a powerful tool to help develop learning outcomes because it explains the
process of learning:

 Before you can understand a concept, you must remember it.

 To apply a concept you must first understand it.
 In order to evaluate a process, you must have analyzed it.
 To create an accurate conclusion, you must have completed a thorough evaluation.
However, we don’t always start with lower order skills and step all the way through the entire
taxonomy for each concept you present in your course. That approach would become tedious–for
both you and your students! Instead, start by considering the level of learners in your course:

1. Are lots of your students freshman? Is this an “Introduction to…” course? If so, many your
learning outcomes may target the lower order Bloom’s skills, because your students are
building foundational knowledge. However, even in this situation we would strive to move a
few of your outcomes into the applying and analyzing level, but getting too far up in the
taxonomy could create frustration and unachievable goals.
2. Are most of your students juniors and seniors? Graduate students? Do your students have
a solid foundation in much of the terminology and processes you will be working on your
course? If so, then you should not have many remembering and understanding level
outcomes. You may need a few, for any radically new concepts specific to your course.
However, these advanced students should be able to master higher-order learning
objectives. Too many lower level outcomes might cause boredom or apathy.
How Bloom’s works with learning outcomes
Fortunately, there are “verb tables” to help identify which action verbs align with each level in
Bloom’s Taxonomy.

You may notice that some of these verbs on the table are associated with multiple Bloom’s
Taxonomy levels. These “multilevel-verbs” are actions that could apply to different activities. For
example, you could have an outcome that states “At the end of this lesson, students will be able
to explain the difference between H2O and OH-.” This would be an understanding level outcome.
However, if you wanted the students to be able to “…explain the shift in the chemical structure of
water throughout its various phases.” This would be an analyzing level verb.
Adding to this confusion, you can locate Bloom’s verb charts that will list verbs at levels different
from what we list below. Just keep in mind that it is the skill, action or activity you will teach using
that verb that determines the Bloom’s Taxonomy level.

Bloom’s
Level Key Verbs (keywords) Example Learning Outcome

design, formulate, build, invent, create, By the end of this lesson, the student will be able to
compose, generate, derive, modify, design an original homework problem dealing with
Create develop. principle of conservation of energy.

choose, support, relate, determine, By the end of this lesson, the student will be able to
defend, judge, grade, compare, determine whether using conservation of energy or
contrast, argue, justify, support, conservation of momentum would be more appropri
Evaluate convince, select, evaluate. for solving a dynamics problem.

classify, break down, categorize,

analyze, diagram, illustrate, criticize, By the end of this lesson, the student will be able
Analyze simplify, associate. to differentiate between potential and kinetic energy
 calculate, predict, apply, solve,
illustrate, use, demonstrate, determine, By the end of this lesson, the student will be able
Apply model, perform, present. to calculate the kinetic energy of a projectile.

describe, explain, paraphrase, restate, By the end of this lesson, the student will be able
give original examples of, summarize, to describe Newton’s three laws of motion to in her/
Understand contrast, interpret, discuss. own words

list, recite, outline, define, name,

match, quote, recall, identify, label, By the end of this lesson, the student will be able
Remember recognize. to recite Newton’s three laws of motion.

Learning outcome examples adapted from, Nelson Baker at Georgia Tech:

[email protected]
How Bloom’s works with Quality Matters
For a course to meet the Quality Matters standards it must have learning outcomes that are
measurable. Using a verb table like the one above will help you avoid verbs that cannot be
quantified, like: understand, learn, appreciate, or enjoy. Quality Matters also requires that your
course assessments (activities, projects, and exams) align with your learning outcomes. For example,
if your learning outcome has an application level verb, such as “present”, then you cannot
demonstrate that your students have mastered that learning outcome by simply having a multiple
choice quiz.
Course level and lesson level outcomes
The biggest difference between course and lesson level outcomes is that we don’t directly assess
course level outcomes. Course level outcomes are just too broad. Instead, we use several lesson level
outcomes to demonstrate mastery of one course level outcome. To create good course level
outcomes, we need to ask ourselves: “what do I want the students to have mastery of at the end of the
course?” Then, after we finalize our course level outcomes, we have to make sure that mastery of all
of the lesson level outcomes underneath confirm that a student has mastery of the course level
outcome–in other words, if your students can prove (through assessment) that they can do each and
every one of the lesson level outcomes in that section, then you as an instructor agree they have
mastery of the course level outcome.

How Bloom’s works with course level and lesson level outcomes:
 Course level outcomes are broad. You may only have 3-5 course level outcomes. They would be
difficult to measure directly because they overarch the topics of your entire course.

 Lesson level outcomes are what we use to demonstrate that a student has mastery of the course level
outcomes. We do this by building lesson level outcomes that build toward the course level outcome.
For example, a student might need to demonstrate mastery of 8 lesson level outcomes in order to
demonstrate mastery of one course level outcome.

 Because the lesson level outcomes directly support the course level outcomes, they need to build up
the Bloom’s taxonomy to help your students reach mastery of the course level outcomes. Use
Bloom’s Taxonomy to make sure that the verbs you choose for your lesson level outcomes build up
to the level of the verb that is in the course level outcome. The lesson level verbs can be below or
equal to the course level verb, but they CANNOT be higher in level. For example, your course level
verb might be an Applying level verb, “illustrate.” Your lesson level verbs can be from any Bloom’s
level that is equal or below this level (applying, understanding, or remembering).
Steps towards writing effective learning outcomes:
1. Make sure there is one measurable verb in each objective.
2. Each outcome needs one verb. Either a student can master the outcome , or they fail to
master it. If an outcome has two verbs (say, define and apply), what happens if a student can
define, but not apply? Are they demonstrating mastery?
3. Ensure that the verbs in the course level outcome are at least at the highest Bloom’s
Taxonomy as the highest lesson level outcomes that support it. (Because we can’t verify
they can evaluate if our lessons only taught them (and assessed) to define.)
4. Strive to keep all your learning outcomes measurable, clear and concise.

When you are ready to write, it can be helpful to list the level of Bloom’s next to the verb you choose
in parentheses. For example:

Course level outcome 1. (apply) Demonstrate how transportation is a critical link in the supply
chain.
1.1. (understand) Discuss the changing global landscape for businesses and other organizations
that are driving change in the global environment.
1.2. (apply) Demonstrate the special nature of transportation demand and the influence of
transportation on companies and their supply chains operating in a global economy.
This trick will help you quickly see what level verbs you have. It will also let you check that the
course level outcome is at least as high of a Bloom’s level as any of the lesson level outcomes
underneath.