How to Write an Instructional Objective
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How to Write an Instructional Objective
Introduction
Thinking in terms of instructional objectives will help you clarify, in your own mind, what you are trying to teach and it will help the students to be clear in their own minds what they should be able to do after they have received instruction. Working from objectives also allows you to create and administer exams that flow seamlessly from your classroom activities.
Instructions
Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Steps
1
Step One
Determine what you want the student to know. For example, teaching a list of vocabulary words in a foreign language.
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Step Two
Plan for a specific goal. In this case, assume that you want the student to know 20 specific words for a coming exam.
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Step Three
Choose the elements that you want to test. Be clear on exactly which words, for example, and in what structure. Will this be Spanish to English? Will this be English to Spanish?
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Step Four
Write a goal-specific statement using active, measurable verbs. You should stay away from verbs like "know" and "understand," as those concepts are not measurable in any quantifiable way. The statement must indicate what the student is expected to do at the end of the instructional period and how that student will be assessed. For example, "After studying and practicing with these 20 words, she will be asked all 20 of them in English and expected to repeat them to the instructor in Spanish with proper pronunciation."
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Step Five
Decide on what your "mastery level" will be. That is, at what level will you consider the student knowledgeable enough to proceed to the next instructional unit or level? A typical mastery level is 80 percent. Add this into your instructional objective. For example, "To show mastery, the student will correctly identify and pronounce at least 16 of the 20 words given."
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Step Six
Design your testing or assessment tools around your instructional objectives, based on what you stated the student should be able to do following the instruction. You could make your test as simple as a repeat of your instructional objective or you can expand the objective to include several such objectives. The testing instructions, then, could be "You will be shown 100 vocabulary words in Spanish. In the time given, you are to write their equivalents in English. Mastery is achieved when you have answered 80 of them correctly."
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Step Seven
Check for missed elements and determine how to re-teach any needed material. For example, it's possible that students will have missed several words in one particular topic field. These words would then be retaught, a review of all words would be advisable, then a new test given, similar to the first. Again, you're looking for students to meet your instructional objectives by gaining mastery at the level you determine.
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