ABSTRACT
Setting important goals and stating them clearly helps both teachers and students to “know better what to do and how to do it.” Stating objectives behaviorally focuses attention on the student actions. Behaviorally stated goals not only let students know what is expected, they let to see progress or difficulties that need to be addressed before an important test. Repeated practice on sample tests takes time away from the goals for which the tests were created. State goals are usually presented in layers, with general objectives first. The more behaviorally-stated objectives are found under names like “content standards,” “learning standards,” “performance indicators,” or “student learning expectations.” Writing good behavioral objectives for important goals such as “critical thinking,” “creating,” or “showing ingenuity” is more difficult than writing objectives for simple skills like “defining terms.” Educators have proposed “domains” to encourage teachers to include more complex behaviors in what they teach.
