DESIGNING
LEARNING
OBJECTIVES
November 3, 2009
What is a Learning Objective?
• A written STATEMENT
• A clear picture of what STUDENT
OUTCOME (PRODUCT/PERFORMANCE)
is expected AS A RESULT of a lesson
• Describes what the student will/will be
able to do AFTER the learning occurs
• Is OBSERVABLE and MEASURABLE
What a Learning
Objective is NOT…
• A broad unit objective
• A description of what the teacher is
doing
• A classroom activity in and of itself
• A test or homework assignment
• A description in terms of verbs which
can’t be observed or measured, such as
“know,” “learn,” “demonstrate,” or
“understand.”
How is a Learning
Objective designed?
• There is a sentence STEM:
Students will…………
OR
Students will be able to…………
Both forms of the stem are acceptable.
The stem clearly focuses the learning
objective on the student behavior.
1. WHAT will students do/ be able to do?
2. HOW will students do it/be able to do it?
3. WHAT DEGREE of accuracy or mastery is expected?
1. The BEHAVIOR part of the objective:
EXAMPLE: Students will/will be able to create a time
line of the main events at Gettysburg.
2. The CONDITIONS part of the objective:
EXAMPLE: after generating a graphic organizer
(entitled “A Decisive Battle)
3. The CRITERION part of the objective:
EXAMPLE: and earn a rubric score of 3 or 4.
How to define the
STUDENT BEHAVIOR…
• Let’s look at Blooms’ original
and revised taxonomies.
• What do you notice about
them?
Original Bloom’s Taxonomy
Six Cognitive Domains:
Synthesis
HIGHER ORDER
Evaluation
Analysis
Application
Comprehension
Knowledge
LOWER ORDER
Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy
Six Cognitive Domains:
• Create
HIGHER ORDER
• Evaluate
• Analyze
• Apply
• Understand
• Remember
LOWER ORDER
Original and Revised Bloom’s
Taxonomies
1. Refer to specific cognitive domains
2. Contain specific action verbs that involve students
in specific academic behaviors
3. Lead to specific student outcomes
(products/performances)
3. These student outcomes can be assessed as evidence
of student learning.
3. These outcomes inform the teacher about what
students are able to do (and with what degree of
accuracy or mastery) as a result of his/her teaching.
Cognitive Domain:
REMEMBER
At this level, students retrieve relevant
knowledge from long-term memory.
Examples of REMEMBERING stems:
Students will recognize…
Students will recall…
Students will recite…
Students will identify…
Cognitive Domain:
UNDERSTAND
At this level, students construct meaning
through oral, written, and graphic
communication.
Examples of UNDERSTANDING stems:
Students will classify…
Students will organize…
Students will interpret…
Students will illustrate…
Cognitive Domain: APPLY
At this level, students carry out or
use a procedure.
Examples of APPLYING stems:
Students will calculate…
Students will estimate…
Students will solve…
Cognitive Domain:
ANALYZE
At this level, students break material into its
parts and determine how parts relate to one
another and to the overall structure or
purpose.
Examples
Students
Students
Students
Students
of ANALYZING stems:
will compare
will contrast…
will combine…
will dissect…
Cognitive Domain:
EVALUATE
At this level, students make
judgments based on criteria and
standards…
Examples of EVALUATING stems:
– Students will determine whether…
– Students will judge which…
Cognitive Domain:
CREATE
At this level, students put elements
together to form a coherent or
functional whole; re-organize elements
into a new pattern or structure.
Examples of CREATING stems:
Students will construct…
Students will research…
Students will generate…
Other verbs to show
REMEMBERING…
Locate
Repeat
Label
Select
Copy
Describe
Quote
List
Arrange
Define
Name
Match
Memorize
State
Other verbs to show
UNDERSTANDING…
Summarize
Paraphrase
Discuss
Explain
Indicate
Review
Rewrite
Restate
Distinguish
Translate
Infer
Compare
Defend
Report
Other verbs to show
APPLYING…
Construct
Appraise
Sketch
Interview
Diagnose
Use
Implement
Execute
Carry out
Other verbs to show
ANALYZING:
Sort
Categorize
Differentiate
Discriminate
Classify
Prove
Sketch
Diagram
Attribute
Other verbs to show
EVALUATING
•
•
•
•
•
Appraise
Argue
Assess
Critique
Recommend
Justify
Defend
Rate
Estimate
Other verbs to show
CREATING
Plan
Compose
Produce
Modify
Design
Develop
Propose
Formulate
Invent
Devise
Is it an learning objective or
an activity?
November 3, 2009
Learning Objective or Activity
?
A Learning Objective is a statement
of what a student will do/be able to
do as a result of specific learning.
An activity is merely a means through
which a student will achieve the
desired outcome (product/
performance).
To be clear about the difference between a
learning objective and an activity:
• Identify the outcome first and then tie it back to the activity.
• This approach is called “backward planning.”
• For example, a science teacher wants to teach her students
about geologic earth formations. The outcome is that students
identify diverse geologic earth formations and are given a
specific product or means of displaying that learning.
• She employs the use of a web-based application of 3-D maps of
the world.
• The student activity involves using this web program.
• The outcome is NOT that students know how to use the web
program.
Breaking it down:
The Learning Objective:
Students will identify ten specific geologic
formations on earth in a poster after using webbased 3-D maps.
The Student Activity:
The activity engages students in the use of a webbased program.
The Student Product/Outcome that is Observable
and Measurable:
The poster will serve to demonstrate whether or not
students have correctly identified ten specific
geologic formations.
Learning Objective or An Activity?
• The following statements are
representative of different subject areas.
• Some are more clearly learning objectives;
others are more clearly classroom
activities.
• After each statement, identify whether it
is better classified as a learning objective
or an activity.
Learning Objective or Activity?
• 1. Students will be able to recognize the
protagonist, theme, and voice of a piece of
literature.
• 2. Students will produce a book report on
a book of their choice, including a table of
contents, with proper pages and format
throughout.
• 3. Given a list of coordinates, students
will be able to graph the slope of a line.
•
Answers for 1-3
• 1. Learning objective: Desired outcome of
student demonstrated knowledge or
performance is specified – “recognizing”
• 2. Activity: Desired outcome is not clearly
specified - there is no level of
understanding or ability specified that will
be used to produce the book report
• 3. Learning objective: Desired outcome is
specified – there are clearly defined skills
that the students must demonstrate
Learning Objective or Activity?
• 4. Students will compare and describe the
slopes of two lines.
• 5. Students will compare and describe the
differences and similarities between
metamorphic, igneous, and sedimentary
rock.
• 6. Students will be able to describe how
the Borgia family influenced the
Renaissance.
Answers for 4-6
• 4. Activity: No explanation of the
skills/knowledge students must
demonstrate while comparing /contrasting
• 5. Activity: No explanation of
skills/knowledge students must
demonstrate. Could be changed to a
learning objective by changing to
“Students will be able to
describe/explain….”
• 6. Learning objective: Desired outcome of
identifying a causal relationship is
specified
Learning Objective or Activity?
• 7. Students will be able to explain how the
problems created by the French and Indian
War contributed to causes of the American
Revolution.
• 8. Students will produce a play dramatizing
the problems created by the French and
Indian War.
• 9. Students will be able to explain that
matter is made up of atoms, and that atoms
are made up of subatomic particles.
• 10. Students will write a paper describing
the relationships among atoms and
subatomic particles.
Answers for 7-10
• 7. Learning objective: Desired outcome of
identifying a causal relationship is specified
• 8. Activity: Desired outcome of identifying a
causal relationship is specified
• 9. Learning objective: Desired outcome for
demonstrated student knowledge is specified
• 10. Activity: A paper is to be written, a topic
is specified, but it does not make clear the
knowledge or skill level a student must
demonstrate
Learning Objectives:
Math
• Students will simplify fractions. (how?)
• Students will be able to simplify fractions by
identifying the common factors. (better)
• Students will be able to simplify fractions by
identifying and using the greatest common factor
to simplify fractions. (better)
• Students will be able to recognize complex
fractions that can be simplified and will be able to
perform the arithmetic necessary to correctly
complete the task. (better)
Learning Objectives:
Science
• Students will learn photosynthesis. (vague, not
measurable)
• Students will describe photosynthesis. (an activity)
• Students will describe the process of
photosynthesis and its role in plant life. (still a
little vague, how?)
• Students will describe the process of
photosynthesis and how it functions in terms of
plant respiration, nutrition, and growth. (clearer,
measurable)
Learning Objectives: ELA
• Students will improve reading
comprehension. (vague, not measurable)
• Students will answer questions about main
idea. (an activity)
• Students will determine the main idea.
(how?)
• Students will determine the main idea
sentence of each paragraph in an
expository text. (clearer, measurable)
Learning Objectives: Social
Studies
• Students will learn about the Industrial
Revolution. (vague, not measurable)
• Students will learn about inventions in the
Industrial Revolution. (a little clearer in focus,
but still not measurable)
• Students will identify five inventions created
during the Industrial Revolution. (clearer focus)
• Students will identify five important inventions
created during the Industrial Revolution and
explain how each one changed life in a significant
way. (better)
Learning Objectives:
Dance
• Students will dance hip-hop. (an activity)
• Students will learn the dance steps and
movements of hip-hop. (not measurable)
• Students will perform a short hip-hop
routine that incorporates three hip-hop
components. (clearer, measurable)