How to Set Effective Teaching Objectives

In general, we often focus on how to teach, in other words, on strategies and methods. However, equally crucial is what to teach, or so-called, teaching objectives.

These objectives serve as the foundation of effective education. They influence our instructional decisions and provide a clear path for student achievement.

Without them, it is like flying without a clear path and destination. You never know where you will end up and if you have enough fuel not to crush. Fuel in this case is the student’s motivation.

In this article, we will explore the critical role of teaching objectives. Also how to define them for maximum impact.

Understanding Teaching Objectives

Many educators lack a clear understanding of what teaching objectives are.

Teaching objectives are specific goals, that describe what students should know, understand, or be able to do. And we should set them for each lesson, unit, or course.

They are the outcomes of the learning process. What your students achieved and know. And serve several important purposes:

• Provide direction for instruction.
• Guide assessment and evaluation.
  
• Communicate expectations to students.
  
• Align curriculum with standards.
  
• Or align the learning plan with your student's ultimate goal, if you are a tutor.
  
• Facilitate the selection of proper teaching materials and activities.
  

Clearly and well-defined objectives ensure that both the teachers and students are working towards clear goals, and stay on track.

Key characteristics

However, you should not set all objectives equally. To be truly effective, a teaching objective has its key characteristics:

First of all, each objective should be specific. You should write them as precise and unambiguous as possible. They should specify the result, and what your students will learn how to do.

So, instead of "Students will understand fractions," try "Students will be able to add and subtract fractions with like denominators."

Second, the objectives should be measurable. If we cannot measure the goal how do we know if we achieved it or not? Therefore, when writing the objectives, you should use action verbs that describe observable behavior.

Third, objectives need to be achievable. While they should be challenging, they must also be realistic based on the time and available resources.

Fourth, objectives should be relevant. They must align with the broader curriculum or learning plan you defined for your student. Also, they need to have real-world applicability.

And last but not least, they need to be time-bound. What I mean by that, is you need to set a clear timeframe to achieve the objective. This timeframe can be a lesson, a unit, a learning plan, or even a school year.

Usually, these characteristics are summarized using the SMART model. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound.

You may know this model from the area of setting goals. But since the objectives are also a goal, the model applies to them too.

How to Set Objectives

As I have already mentioned there are different levels of specificity when it comes to the objectives.

You can set a learning plan objective, course, or an end-of-year curriculum objective. These are broad statements, they need to define what your students need to achieve by the end.

For example, "By the end of this biology course, students will understand the fundamental principles of cellular biology and be able to apply them to real-world scenarios."

There are less broad objectives. These are the ones you set per unit. Or in other words, the ones that cover several weeks of instruction or each topic.

For instance, "At the end of the cell structure unit, students will be able to identify and describe the functions of major cell organelles."

And the most specific objectives are lesson-level. These objectives define, what students should accomplish in a single lesson period.

For example, "By the end of today's lesson, students will be able to accurately draw and label a plant cell, identifying at least 8 major organelles."

Each level of objectives should align with and support the levels above it. Meaning, each lesson objective should align with the unit objective. And the unit objective with the course objective.

Bloom's Taxonomy

When it comes to creating objectives, one of the most effective tools is Bloom’s Taxonomy. Now, what is it?

This is a model that hierarchically divides educational goals into six cognitive levels. They go from lower-order to higher-order thinking skills.

1. Remember: (Define, List) Recall facts and basic concepts

2. Understand: (Describe, Summarize) Explain ideas or concepts

3. Apply: (Implement, Execute) Use the information in new situations

4. Analyze: (Compare, Contrast, Examine) Draw connections among ideas

5. Evaluate: (Judge, Critique) Justify a stand or decision

6. Create: (Design, Develop, Formulate) Produce new or original work

As you noticed each level comes with a specific action verb. These verbs you can use to create clear measurable objectives.

Also, when creating objectives, consider clearly answering the following questions:

• What subject matter should your students master?
• What should your students be able to do with this knowledge?
  
• What level of mastery do you expect?
  

The objectives you set should reflect these standards.

Backward design of objectives

In practice, when you look at creating SMART objectives you would start from the end in mind. This model is called Backward design. Hence, you would go through the following three steps:

1. Identify desired results or end goals (objectives).

2. Determine what will play as evidence you achieved them (assessment).

3. Plan learning experiences and instruction.

When you begin with clear objectives, you ensure that your lessons, materials, and instructions will be aligned.

Setting objectives for 21st century skills

Education and the world develop rapidly. Therefore, setting your objectives should expand beyond just academic content.

When setting objectives in modern education you should also pay attention to the skills required in the 21st century.

Consider creating objectives that target 21st-century skills such as:

• Critical thinking and problem-solving
• Creativity and innovation
  
• Communication and collaboration
  
• Information literacy
  
• Media literacy
  
• Technology literacy
  
• Flexibility and adaptability
  
• Initiative and self-direction
  
• Social and cross-cultural skills
  
• Productivity and accountability
  
• Leadership and responsibility
  

These skills are crucial for students' future success. Therefore, do your best to integrate into your subject-specific objectives where possible.

Assessing Objective Achievement

The true test of any effective objective is whether students have achieved it. But how can you verify if your students have achieved them? The answer is simple.

You can tie the objectives to assessment, using methods that accurately measure the intended outcome. This might include:

• Traditional tests and quizzes
• Performance tasks
  
• Projects and presentations
  
• Portfolios
  
• Observations and anecdotal records

The key here is to ensure two things. Your assessments align with the cognitive level and specificity of your objectives.

Teaching objectives are not huge stones. You can adjust them for different students, different goals, etc.

Perhaps they are too ambitious, or even not challenging enough. Maybe they simply do not resonate with your students. Your task is to reflect and refine them.

Now, how do you understand that you need to refine those objectives? Begin with an analysis of students’ performance data. It will show clearly if you need any adjustments.

Also, you can gather feedback directly from your students or collaborate with your colleagues or tutor community.

Also, it is very important that you stay updated on educational research and your learning plan or curriculum.

Communicating Objectives

After you create your objectives, it is important that you communicate them to your students.

Consider sharing them at the beginning of each lesson or unit. And revise them throughout the learning process.

It will help your students to organize themselves and set clear expectations. Once again, it is easier to reach the correct destination, when you know where you are heading.

Also, they can take ownership of their learning process and self-assess their progress.

On top of that, they can see the relevance of the lesson activities, hence helping you with their feedback.

Finally, you can even involve your students in creating or adjusting objectives to increase their engagement.

Common Pitfalls When Creating Objectives

A lot of beginner professionals make common mistakes when creating effective teaching objectives. Let’s consider some, so you are ready to avoid them.

The first biggest trap in creating effective objectives is if you are too vague. Let’s look at an example: "Students will understand poetry". Sounds vague enough, no? What kind of poetry, understand exactly what in there, and when?

On the other hand: "By the end of the lesson, students will be able to identify and analyze metaphors in sonnets". It is already more specific, isn’t it?

The next pitfall is when you focus on activities, rather than outcomes. For example: "Students will read Chapter 5" vs. "Students will be able to explain the causes of the French Revolution".

Which one sounds more like an activity, and which one like an outcome?

See, the objective is the goal and the goal is the outcome of activities right? Therefore focus on the outcome and structure the activities to reach it.

The third common mistake is when you set unrealistic expectations. I do not know what subject you teach but, let me give some examples.

You will not expect beginners in English to master Present Perfect in a single lesson. Or 5th-grade pupils to master fractions and their operations in 1 or 2 lessons.

Therefore, consider your timeframe and the student’s prior knowledge.

Also, when writing objectives educators do not focus on higher-order thinking skills. Especially if you teach subjects that require a lot of content, you may focus too much on recall and basic understanding.

Instead, focus on higher-order thinking skills which are creation and evaluation. Remember Bloom’s Taxonomy?

Here are some examples that will illustrate for you the difference:

• Lower-order: "Students will list the parts of a plant cell."

Higher-order: "Students will compare and contrast plant and animal cells, hypothesizing how their structural differences relate to their functions."

• Lower-order: "Students will summarize the plot of 'To Kill a Mockingbird'."

Higher-order: "Students will analyze how the author's use of symbolism in 'To Kill a Mockingbird' contributes to the novel's themes. And they will create their own symbolic representation of a current social issue."

And the last common pitfall is misalignment with assessments. Misalignment occurs when there is a gap between what your students should learn and how you evaluate their learning.

Alignment, means that ssessments directly measure the knowledge, skills, or abilities, that you specified in your learning objective.

And when it is strong, your students understand what you expect from them. And you can accurately measure their progress and mastery.

In general, you can mismatch objectives in three levels.

On a cognitive level, for example:

• Objective: "Students will analyze the causes of the Civil War."

• Misaligned Assessment: A multiple-choice test asking students to recall dates and names.

• Aligned Assessment: An essay question requiring students to compare and contrast various factors leading to the Civil War.

On a content level, for example:

• Objective: "Students will solve quadratic equations."

• Misaligned Assessment: A test primarily focused on linear equations.

• Aligned Assessment: A variety of problems specifically involving quadratic equations.

On a scope level:

• Objective: "Students will design a marketing campaign for a new product."

• Misaligned Assessment: A brief presentation on general marketing principles.

• Aligned Assessment: A comprehensive project where students create and present a full marketing campaign.

To overcome these common mistakes, regularly review and revise your objectives.

Creating effective objectives requires a deep understanding of your subject matter, students, and end goals. With practice and reflection, setting them becomes easier. Effective objectives are clear, purposeful goals that inspire and guide your students and help them achieve more.

So, as you plan your next lesson, unit, or course, take the time to create meaningful, effective objectives.