The Two-Aspect Objective
The Two-Aspect Objective
The most useful form
- Names the kind of behavior to be developed.
- Names the content or area of life where the behavior applies.
Why it works
- It lets a developer check that the desired behavior is applied to the right content.
- It is clear enough to guide both the selection of learning experiences and the planning of instruction.
The two aspects
- Behavioral aspect.
- Content aspect.
The first three ways each left something out. Teacher activities named no learner change. Topics named content but no behaviour. Behaviour patterns named a behaviour but no content. The fourth way fixes all of this by including both halves at once, and it is the form a developer should use.
The form that works
The most useful way of stating or wording an objective is to identify two things together:
- The kind of behaviour to be developed in the learner.
- The content, or area of life, in which that behaviour is to be applied.
With both present, an objective finally does its job. A developer can check that the desired behaviour is being applied to the right content, the content learners need to master and to use in life outside school as well as in the classroom. An objective that names only a behaviour, or only a content, leaves a teacher guessing; an objective that names both tells a teacher what to teach and what learners should be able to do with it.
The test is practical: if an objective seems clear and provides guidance for developing a teaching plan, it will turn out to include both the behaviour and the content. Clarity and the presence of both aspects go together.
Some worked examples show the form in action:
- To write clear and well-organized reports of science projects.
- To observe a butterfly, and draw and label its parts.
- To write a report of a geography project.
Each names a behaviour (write a report, observe and draw and label) and the content it applies to (science projects, a butterfly, a geography project). A teacher reading any of these knows both what skill to build and what content to build it on.
The behavioral aspect and the content aspect
The behavioral aspect is what the learner should do; the content aspect is what they do it with or to. An objective missing either one is not yet finished and cannot guide a curriculum.
It tells a teacher both what to teach and what learners should be able to do with it
By naming a behavior and the content it applies to, it lets a developer select learning experiences and plan instruction, and lets a teacher check the behavior is applied to the right content.
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