Restating an instructional objective
in their own words helps students
have attained the target objective but
may still be challenged by the more
complex objective.
translate it into specific actions.
objective into specific actions.
Writing objectives at multiple levels.
A common convention is to present
students with a single objective for a
lesson or set of lessons. For example, a
social studies teacher might write the
following instructional objective for a
unit on Napoleon: “Students will be
able to create a time line that depicts
Napoleon’s rise and fall.” This would
be the target objective. However, the
teacher could, in addition, write two
other objectives, one that’s simpler and
one that’s more complex. A simpler
objective might be, “Students will recall
accurate information about the rise and
fall of Napoleon, such as his nationality
at birth, how well he spoke French, his
first significant military position, and
his imprisonment and exile.” A more
complex objective is, “Students will
compare and contrast the rise and fall
of Napoleon with that of other military
leaders.”
These three types of objectives
provide students with a scaffold for
different levels of understanding.
Instead of perceiving attainment of a
target instructional objective as an all-
or-nothing proposition, students can
observe their progress over time. In the
beginning of the unit, some students
may have difficulty with the target
objective but may be able to experience
success with the simpler objective. At
the end of the unit, many students may
Straightforward but Not Simple
Even seemingly straightforward
classroom strategies like providing students with instructional objectives can
be executed more or less effectively. By
avoiding common pitfalls and implementing effective approaches, teachers
can more clearly communicate their
instructional objectives and promote
greater student understanding. EL
Robert J. Marzano is cofounder and
CEO of Marzano Research Laboratory
in Denver, Colorado. He is the author
of The Art and Science of Teaching
(ASCD, 2007) and coauthor, with Mark
W. Haystead, of Making Standards
Useful in the Classroom (ASCD, 2008).
To contact Marzano or participate in a
study regarding a specific instructional
strategy, visit www.marzanoresearch
.com.
