Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Guidelines for Formulating Educational Objectives

Because objective indicate endpoints or expected outcomes or points that lead to other significant outcomes or points in the educational process, careful thought must be given to the creation of educational objectives. Indeed, giving careful thought to objectives increases the probability that a particular thought program will be judged successful. Educators should consider the following factors when creating objectives.



  1. Matching- Objectives should relate to the goals and the aims from which they are derived. Many curriculum guides include objectives that, although perhaps having merit, are unrelated to the goals.

  2. Worth- It is often debatable which educational objectives have worth and which do not. Many schools overemphasize detail. especially in the skills subjects such as reading and mathematics.

  3. Wording- Objectives are only effective if the persons who are to use them as curriculum guides are able to understand from them the same intended outcomes as their writers.

  4. Appropriateness- Not all objectives need to be attained by all students. Curricularists must ask, What are the needs of the students?

  5. Logical Grouping- Objectives should be grouped logically so as to make sense when units of instruction and evaluation are being determined.

  6. Periodic Revision- No objectives should stand for all times; objectives require periodic revision. This is necessary because students change, society changes, the realm of knowledge changes, and instructional strategies change. Educators should occasionally analyze their objectives to determine if they are still of value to the program.

  7. Legality- The last factor to consider is that of the legality of the objective. Much of what the schools should teach is determined by forces external to the schools.
By Allan & Francis

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