Perhaps you have heard a teacher make a statement similar to this: “I don’t teach English, I teach students.” This is an interesting statement – and this perspective should reflect in each of us who are called to be teachers. Regardless of what we are teaching, we must keep in mind that our focus ought to be the students, not the subject matter. We are placed into the classroom for the purpose of impacting our students; our goal should be to teach the subject matter in such a manner that each student is changed.
As part of this process of teaching to change lives, written educational objectives are a necessity. These must contain specificity, clarity, and measurability. Permit me to provide two reasons that educational objectives are essential.
PROPERLY WRITTEN EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES ARE ESSENTIAL FOR EFFECTIVE TEACHING
Are you writing educational objectives which focus on the student, the subject matter, or you—the teacher? For illustrative purposes, consider three different learning outcomes:
- “I will lecture on early American Literature.”
- “I will complete the unit on fractions.”
- “As a result of this unit of instruction, the student will match the fifty states and capitols.”
In the first example, the focus is on the subject – literature. In the second example, the focus is on the instructor – “I will complete.” In the final example, the focus is on the student and how he will be changed as a result of the instruction.
Can you see how student-centered objectives will generate the subject matter and methodology which will accomplish your objectives? Focusing on the end result in the life of each student will drive the instructor to teach the material in such a way that each student will be prepared to demonstrate the attainment of the objectives.
PROPERLY WRITTEN EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES ARE ESSENTIAL FOR EFFECTIVE TESTING
The objective, “I will lecture on early American literature,” does not give any indication of how the teacher will measure to see if the objective has been met. However, “As a result of this unit of instruction, the student will match the fifty states and capitols,” sets up a system of test questions to measure if the objective has been met. Obviously, in this situation, a matching exercise will effectively measure if the objective has been reached.
Teachers should not be administering tests and quizzes as a method of punishment or filling time. Rather, tests and quizzes ought to be tools to determine if objectives are being met. It all ties together. The effective teacher plans a course and writes measurable objectives as a part of his plan. He then teaches the subject matter in an interesting manner which can be understood and which causes the student to learn. Finally, he tests the students to measure whether or not the objectives have been met.
The key to writing measurable objectives is the use of action verbs which can be observed. Write your objectives with these types of verbs: identify, match, list, demonstrate, evaluate, critique, etc. Avoid using verbs which cannot be observed: know, understand, really know, learn, perceive, think, etc. Once you have written your educational objectives using measurable verbs, test writing will come easily. Simply write the questions in a manner which will measure those observable verbs.
An effective Christian teacher will plan, teach, and evaluate. That’s how we improve our teaching. That’s how we measure whether or not we are impacting our students in the classroom. After all, it’s all about them and the changes taking place in their lives. It’s not all about you and me!