Although many teachers spend a large amount of time planning for class prior to each lesson, sometimes they still find the class flow went into an absolutely different path. Of course, teachers know which activities they should use to help children learn, but how can they ensure that each and every child knows what’s important to gain from that lesson? Next time, before jumping into layering activities, let's set out clear class objectives, then every activity should align with these.
Lesson objectives should be more than a check sheet item for teachers to satisfy administrators.
The objectives are intended results of instruction which should be clear, specific, observable, achievable, and measurable.
So, to help you specify your objectives for student learning, ask questions such as:
What is the topic of the lesson?
What do I want students to learn?
What do I want them to take away from this particular lesson?
What do I want them to understand and be able to do at the end of class?
From the answers above, teachers can narrow it down into specific objectives for each lesson. Heinrich et. al (1996) have outlined the ABCDs method, a useful technique to write a lesson objective. This ABCDs method can be individualized to accommodate every teacher’s needs, whether you are struggling with getting students engaged in a Math class or you want to assess their poem writing skills.
Some examples include:
Indeed, helping students learn effectively is why we do our jobs, which can substantially improve once we learn to write useful objectives. Many students agree that knowing these objectives before class activities help them take away the most meaningful lessons. When they know the goals, students often try their best to achieve them!
Hopefully through these guidelines teachers will find it less difficult to come up with lesson objectives for their own lessons.