Educational Aims, Goals

and Objectives
 Outline
• Introduction
1. Terminological Issues
• Aims
• Goals
• Objectives
2. Formulating Instructional Objectives
Blooms’ Taxonomy of Educational Objectives
3. Smart Objectives
Conclusion
Bibliography
 Aims
• General statements that provide a sense of direction and serve as guiding
principles for educational policy;
• Aims are the translations of the general philosophy and needs of the
country;
• Aims are designed at the national/state level by policy making groups;
• Aims can be based on the constitution of the country;
 Ornstein (1990, p. 84)

«We use the term Aims to refer to broad statments about the intent of
education. They are value-laden statments, written by panels, commissions, or
policy-making groups, that express a philosophy of education and concepts of
the social role of schools and the needs of schools and youth. In short, they
are broad guides for translating the needs of society into educational policy»
 Ennaji (1994, p. 158)

• « Educational theorists distinguish three types of ELT aims: the goverment’s

aims, the educational administrators’ aims, and the teachers’ aims. The first
type is termed ends, the second goals and the third objectives »
 Examples of aims
• To prepare students for democratic citizenship;
• To develop a moral character and personal descipline;
• To strenghten ethical and spiritual values;
• To teach the rights and duties of citizenship;
• To encourage creative and critical thinking.
 Goals
• Derived from aims;
• Aims become goals when they become more specific and refer to a particular
school or school system and to a specific subject area of the curriculum;
• Goals translate aims into statements that will describe what schools are
expected to accomplish;
• Goals are more specific and definite than aims, but they are still
nonbehavioral and therefore nonobservable and non-measureable.
 Wilson (2005, p. 46)

• « Goals are the statements of educational intention which are more specific
than aims but less specific than objectives »
 Examples of Goals
• The development of reading skills;
• The appreciation of arts;
• The understanding of scientific and mathematical concepts.
 Objectives
Philosophy ----Aims--- Goals -----Objectives
• Objectives are stated in observable and measurable terms (outcomes,
proficiencies or competences);
• Objectives are behavioral in nature and more precise than goals;
• Objectives state what students should know at the end of the course and
what is expected from them;
 Examples of Objectives
• To identify the main idea of the author;
• To be able to express advice, apology, complaint, etc.;
• To be able to locate the topic sentence and the supporting details;
• To be aware of the differences between the present simple and present
perfect.
 Why use learning objectives?
(Gronlund, 2000)

• To provide a focus for instruction;

• To provide guidelines for learning;
• To provide targets for assessment;
• To communicate expectations to learners;
• To convey instructional intent to others;
• To provide for evaluation of instruction.
 Types of Educational Objectives
(Orenstein, 1990)
• Program Objectives:
• Address subjects at particular grade levels
• Course Objectives:
• Relate to particular courses within grade levels
• Classroom Objectives:
• Divided into unit objectives and lesson plan objectives
 Bloom’s Taxonomy (1956)
• Cognitive Domain;
• Affective Domain;
• Psychomotor Domain;
 Cognitive Domain
• Bloom’s Taxonomy
• Knowledge;
• Comprehension;
• Application;
• Analysis;
• Synthesis;
• Evaluation;
 Affective Domain
• Krathwohl’s Taxonomy
• Receiving;
• Responding;
• Valuing;
• Organization;
• Characterization;
 Psycho-motor Domain
• Harrow’s Taxonomy
• Reflex Movements;
• Fundamental Movements;
• Perceptual Abilities;
• Physical Abilities;
• Skilled Movements;
• Nondiscursive Communication.
 Smart Objectives
• S--------- Specific;
• M---------Mesurable;
• A----------Achievable;
• R----------Result-based;
• T-----------Time-bound.
 Conclusion
• In sum, an objective is a specific, measurable and observable behviour of less
than a day’s duration. A goal is the outcome of successfully completed
objectives measured over a series of days. An aim is the product of a long
term endevour measured over a course of one or more years.
 Bibliography
• Anderson, L.W. and Krathwohl(Eds.) 2001 A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching and Assessing: A Revision of Bloom’s Taxonomy
of Educational Objectives.New York, Longman.
• Ennaji, M. & Sadiqi, F? (1994). Applications of Modern Linguistics. Afrique Orient.
• Grunlund, N. (1990). Mesurement and Evaluation in Teaching. New York: MacGraw-Hill.
• Orenstien, A. (1990). Strategies for Effective Teaching. Loyla University of Chicago.