This week was great for me. First of all I learned a lot about writing objective by studying the "ABCD learning objectives framework". Summing up it is as follows:
The A.B.C.D. methodThe ABCD method of writing objectives is an excellent starting point for writing objectives (Heinich, et al., 1996). In this system, "A" is for audience, "B" is for behavior, "C" for conditions and "D" for degree of mastery needed.
- Audience (A) – Who? Who are your learners?
- Behavior (B) – What? What do you expect them to be able to do? This should be an overt, observable behavior, even if the actual behavior is covert or mental in nature. If you can't see it, hear it, touch it, taste it, or smell it, you can't be sure your audience really learned it.
- Condition (C) – How? Under what circumstances or context will the learning occur? What will the student be given or already be expected to know to accomplish the learning?
Source: http://ets.tlt.psu.edu/learningdesign/objectives/writingobjectives/
- Degree (D) – How much? How much will be accomplished, how well will the behavior need to be performed, and to what level? Do you want total mastery (100%), do you want them to respond correctly 80% of the time, etc. A common (and totally non-scientific) setting is 80% of the time.
Following this framework for sure will help students to learn more because, they can see better what they are expected to accomplish and how. Besides, the conditions students have to accomplish the learning are strongly related to how much they accomplish. If they do not understand this, how can they have the adequate behavior and so, learn? Learning has a lot to do with how the teacher sets the objectives of the activity with the students. The better it is done, the more students learn. For sure I will change the way I give instructions and set objectives in class.
The second thing I was surprised and grateful to learn about is related to effective searching. How naive I was! I used to think that Google was the best search engine of all! Well, although it is the most famous, it is not the best in all situations. There are a lot of search engines and using them well depends on our needs. For example, if you need a dictionary, search:
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Well, in all this process my course colleagues and my orientator, Donna, were very friendly and supportive. Hope we keep learning a lot together!
See you next week!
Ju
Brazil
Hello Ju,
ReplyDeleteAfter our little discussion on Nicenet, it's great to see and read your blog. I really like what you wrote here. Your thoughts are very well-balanced and the blog's given me food for thought, which is great. Next, I cannot but agree that giving instructions, learning and achieving outcomes are inherently intertwined. If teachers give clear, precise and observable instructions, learners know exactly what to do and how. On the other hand, setting vague, unattainable and complex objectives might result in learners’ apathy, low motivation etc. And there’s nothing worse than losing the learners’ interest or having to explain what they need to do over and over again. So, let's plan well and enjoy the success of our lessons.
Best,
Alenka
Good to see you here Alenka! I learned a lot with our little discussion, thanks for the comments and questions. And...as you said, let's plan well and enjoy the success of our lessons!
DeleteKisses
Ju
Brazil
Hi Ju
ReplyDeleteI also like the reflection on your blog, I think is very complete, I agree with the fact that establishing clear objectives will help our students meet their learning goals, and at the same time, reduce time waste.
Greetings Ju
Victor
Mexico
Hi Victor,
DeleteThanks for your visit! Well, students have just a short time to study...let's maximize their experiences in our classes by writing clear instructions!
Ju
Brazil