Instructional Objectives
... Write a behavioral objective for
each level of Bloom’s Taxonomy of
the Cognitive Domain according to
the standards set forth by Mager.
Developed by W. Huitt (1998)
Writing Instructional Objectives
Instructional objectives are statements of
educational expectations for students.
Research has NOT demonstrated a strong
link between writing objectives and
student achievement
Writing Instructional Objectives
Nevertheless, it is still considered good
educational practice to have written
objectives in order to facilitate
communication to students about expected
outcomes.
Writing Instructional Objectives
There are a number of approaches to
writing instructional objectives:
• Mager -- Behavioral objectives
Writing Instructional Objectives
Mager proposes writing specific statements
about observable outcomes that can be built
up to become a curriculum (an inductive
approach).
• An example of a behavioral objective:
Given 3 minutes of class time, the student
will solve 9 out of 10 multiplication
problems of the type: 5 X 4 = _____.
Writing Instructional Objectives
There are a number of approaches to
writing instructional objectives:
• Mager -- Behavioral objectives
• Gronlund -- General/specific
objectives
Writing Instructional Objectives
Gronlund proposes starting with a general
statement and providing specific examples
of topics to be covered or behaviors to be
observed (a deductive approach).
Writing Instructional Objectives
• An example of a general/specific
objective:
The student can perform simple
multiplication:
a. can define what multiplication
means, in his our her own words.
b. can define relevant terms such as
"multiplier" and "product”.
c. can solve problems of the type 5 X 4
= ______.
Writing Instructional Objectives
There are a number of approaches to
writing instructional objectives:
• Mager -- Behavioral objectives
• Gronlund -- General/specific
objectives
• Eisner -- Expressive objectives
Writing Instructional Objectives
Eisner proposes that not all instructional
objectives should focus on outcome; some
should focus on the learning process itself
(expressive objectives).
• Examples of an expressive objective:
a. Students will attend a live symphony
performance.
b. Students will use multiplication in
everyday activities.
Writing Instructional Objectives
While there are advantages and
disadvantages to each approach, we will
focus on Mager's approach, because it is
the most widely used and perhaps the
most inclusive.
Writing Behavioral Objectives
An instructional objective is a clear and
unambiguous description of educational
expectations for students.
When written in behavioral terms, an
objective will include three components:
• student behavior,
• conditions of performance, and
• performance criteria.
Writing Behavioral Objectives
Three Parts of a Behavioral Objective
Student
Behavior
skill or knowledge to
be gained (e.g., two
digit numbers,
vocabulary words)
Writing Behavioral Objectives
Three Parts of a Behavioral Objective
Student
Behavior
and
Writing Behavioral Objectives
Three Parts of a Behavioral Objective
Student
Behavior
the action or skill the
student is able TO DO
(e.g., define, count, label,
categorize, analyze,
design, evaluate, add,
multiply, etc.)
Writing Behavioral Objectives
Three Parts of a Behavioral Objective
Student
Behavior
• Students will add twodigit numbers
• Students will define the
vocabulary words
identified in bold print in
the first story.
Writing Behavioral Objectives
Three Parts of a Behavioral Objective
Conditions of
Performance
Under what
circumstances or context
will the behavior be
performed
Writing Behavioral Objectives
Three Parts of a Behavioral Objective
Conditions of
Performance
• In an oral presentation
• Without the use of notes
Writing Behavioral Objectives
Three Parts of a Behavioral Objective
Performance
Criteria
How well is the behavior
is to done
Compared to what
standard
Writing Behavioral Objectives
Three Parts of a Behavioral Objective
Performance
Criteria
• 80 out of 100
• containing four of the
six components
discussed in class
Writing Behavioral Objectives
Three Parts of a Behavioral Objective
In an oral presentation,
the student will paraphrase Dr.
Martin Luther Kings's I Have a
Dream address,
mentioning at least 3 of the 5
major points discussed in class.
Writing Behavioral Objectives
When developing the behavioral objective
it is best to write the student behavior
first, then the condition statement and
finally the criteria.
In an oral presentation,
the student will paraphrase Dr.
Martin Luther Kings's I Have a
Dream address,
mentioning at least 3 of the 5
major points discussed in class.
Writing Behavioral Objectives
Write a behavioral objective for each of
the following statements:
• The students will grasp the
significance of civic responsibility.
• The student will learn the parts
of speech.
• The teacher will cover
multiplication facts.
Writing Behavioral Objectives
Are these properly written behavioral
objectives?
• Given ten rocks, the student will
label them as igneous,
metamorphic, or sedimentary
rocks.
• The student will located 12
major bones on the diagram of a
skeleton.
Writing Behavioral Objectives
Are these properly written behavioral
objectives?
• Given five sentences, the student
will correctly classify four of
them.
• Given three 7-word sentences, the
student will correctly identify the
parts of speech for 18 of the words.