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Objectives in the Instructional Triangle


By Beth Sheppard

When you step back to look at the big picture, how do you see the classes that you teach? What
do you consider when you make plans or changes to a course? There are three key components
in any class. They interact with each other, and need to be closely aligned. Take a look at this
graphic from the Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence at Carnegie Mellon University.

Let’s define each of these three terms:


1. Learning Objectives: It’s important to have a
clear idea of what students should learn in a
course. The specific knowledge or skills to be
gained can be expressed as learning
objectives, and these can guide all other
decisions about the course. We will discuss
learning objectives in more detail below.
2. Assessments: This component includes all
types of tests, as well as other evaluations of
language skill such as essays, presentations,
portfolios, peer review, and self-assessments.
Assessments help the teacher, students, and
other stakeholders (such as parents, citizens,
or future employers) discover the degree to
which students have achieved the learning
objectives.
3. Instructional Activities: Everything the teacher does or asks students to do can be
considered an instructional activity. Lectures, discussions, group projects, homework, and
other activities help students develop their skills to meet the objectives and succeed in the
assessments.

You can probably see how important alignment between these components will be. Instructional
activities help determine what students practice and learn, so they should match the course
objectives. Assessments are used to discover whether students have learned what they need to
learn, so they will be useless if they don’t match the learning objectives. And if assessments
aren’t aligned with instructional activities, they will be unfair to students.

You may not have control over all three components of the instructional triangle. In many
contexts, teachers are expected to work with learning objectives and final assessments provided
by an education ministry or other organization. However, teachers do have some degree of
control, perhaps finding time for one additional objective they find important, or designing smaller
assessments to help their students learn, or choosing their instructional activities with careful
reference to student needs as expressed by learning objectives and final assessments.

Let’s discuss learning objectives in more detail, since they are a good foundation on which to plan
activities and assessments.

Goals vs Objectives
In everyday speech, goals and objectives mean almost the same thing. However, in many
discussions of learning objectives, and for the purposes of our discussions, goals are more broad
and objectives are more specific. A goal is something you hope your students will know or do,

Advanced Certification in English Language Teaching (ACE) Course 2
Copyright 2016 University of Oregon. All rights reserved.
Week 1 required reading by Beth Sheppard
2

such as “improve comprehensibility in impromptu speech.” For each goal, you might have several
specific objectives, which can be parts of the goal, or steps along the way to the goal. For
example, one objective might be: “Students will be able to produce distinguishable /p/ and /b/
sounds more than 50% of the time.” Another might be: “Students will use appropriate strategies
(circumlocution, filled pauses, effective requests
for help) to handle lapses in fluency.” Notice that
these two objectives are very different, yet they
both can help students achieve the goal. This is
why our assessments and activities must be
based on specific objectives, rather than just
vague goals. Take a look at this graphic from
Kathleen Graves (2000).

Thinking about your goals for students can be a helpful process. In fact, your first attempt at
thinking about course objectives may result in fairly general goals. You need to know your goals
in order to think even more specifically about what students need to do to meet those goals.

Characteristics of useful objectives


Since learning objectives guide decisions about activities and assessments, it’s essential that
they be clear, observable, and realistic. Let’s talk a little more about the key factors and pitfalls of
each of these characteristics.
• Objectives should be clear: Unclear learning objectives might be interpreted differently by
different stakeholders. If objectives include complete and specific information about the
knowledge or skills learners should acquire, misunderstandings can be reduced. Objectives
also need to be carefully edited for clarity of expression.
• Objectives should be observable: In order for learning objectives to guide assessment, they
must refer to student behaviors that we can see and assess. Often, our goals may be for
students to learn or understand something. But can we actually know whether they
understand? Not really. We can infer that they understand something if they are able to
describe it, or able to use it appropriately, or otherwise demonstrate understanding.
Objectives should focus on students behaviors that we can actually see and assess, rather
than on internal states that we may hope they achieve.
• Objectives should be realistic: Learning objectives must be achievable. This doesn’t mean
that every student achieves all of them every time, but it does mean that they need to
represent reasonable expectations for student learning. To make sure your objectives are
achievable, consider the time frame, the students’ starting language proficiency (before the
class), and the resources you have for teaching. Past experiences will help you zero in on
objectives that are not too hard or too easy to achieve.

It is often suggested that learning objectives should be written using one of two frameworks to
make sure they are clear, observable, and realistic. Neither is better or worse than the other,
although you may find that one or the other is a good fit for your own thinking.

Framework 1: SMART Objectives


Different sources sometimes include slightly different words for each of the five letters of
“SMART,” but these are the most commonly cited:
• Specific - Objectives state exactly what knowledge/skill students will demonstrate, who the
students are, and often also how they will demonstrate their knowledge/skill.


Advanced Certification in English Language Teaching (ACE) Course 2
Copyright 2016 University of Oregon. All rights reserved.
Week 1 required reading by Beth Sheppard
3

• Measurable - Objectives refer to behaviors that can be directly observed and measured
(e.g. “explain” rather than “know”). It’s also important to state the degree of knowledge or
skill that will constitute success.
• Achievable - It is realistic to expect that many students can achieve the objective in the
available time, with the available resources.
• Relevant - Objectives are clearly related to goals, and can help students meet their actual
needs for target language ability.
• Time bound - Objectives state a time when students demonstrate the knowledge or skill.

Framework 2: ABCD Objectives


Rather than define the characteristics of good objectives as adjectives, the ABCD model focuses
on four parts that good objectives must include. The difference is subtle, and you can use
whichever framework you prefer. ABCD refers to:
• Audience - Who are the learners?
• Behavior - What will learners be able to do? This must be observable and measureable.
• Condition - Under what conditions will learners be able to do the behavior? Will they have
some resources or support? The timing can also be included here.
• Degree - How well will learners be able to do the behavior? This helps clarify the
expectations and can be a tool for making the objective realistic.

Here is an example objective:


By the end of Week 1, course participants will be able to clearly and succinctly explain the
difference between goals and objectives.

This objective is:


Specific: It’s clearly stated what the course participants will be able to do.
Measureable: The action (“explain”) can be observed and assessed.
Achievable: Course participants can achieve the goal by reading the text and asking
questions as needed in the discussion
Relevant: It supports a wider goal that course participants will be able to effectively use
objectives to support instruction
Time-bound: It states when the objective should be met.

Here we have highlighted the ABCD parts of the objective:


By the end of Week 1 (C), course participants (A) will be able to clearly and succinctly (D)
explain the difference between goals and objectives (B).

Setting effective objectives helps guide your course. Objectives should be written explicitly and
frequently referred to. When you plan assessments and instructional activities, you should check
the objectives to make sure you maintain alignment. This will help make your courses more fair
and effective for students, and other stakeholders too.

References:
• Eberly Center: https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/designteach/design/learningobjectives.html
• Graves, K. (2000). Designing Language; Courses: A Guide for Teachers. Boston: Heinle &
Heinle. 2000. Pp 75-79; 260.


Advanced Certification in English Language Teaching (ACE) Course 2
Copyright 2016 University of Oregon. All rights reserved.
Week 1 required reading by Beth Sheppard

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