1.
RP2 Teaching Constructs:
Learning Aims, Objectives and
Outcomes

2.
In this presentation...
Definitions: Aims, Objectives and
Outcomes
Creating effective objectives and
outcomes.
Learning objectives and outcomes in the
classroom environment.

3.
Definitions: Aims,
Objectives and
Outcomes

4.
“What are we doing today?”
• All lessons need learning objectives.
• Make it clear what you expect pupils to know and understand by the end of the
lesson.
• It is expected that pupils know what the learning objectives are, and can refer back
to these objectives during and after the lesson.
• A significant feature of assessment for learning is the sharing with pupils of both
the learning objectives and the expected learning outcomes in a clear and explicit
way.
• The teacher makes it clear that the learning objective is what the pupils are
intended to learn, and that the learning outcomes define how achievement can be
demonstrated by the pupils.
• Learning objectives are important for two reasons:
• They ensure that teachers are clear about the purpose of the lesson
• They provide a signpost against which progress can be checked.

5.
“Every lesson I have observed in the past 5 years has
objectives (or aims, or intentions, or outcomes, or
whatever) dutifully written up on the board and
copied into students’ books. Does this mean that
the learning objective has become mere white
noise; a meaningless routine enacted in thousands
of classrooms with very little impact on learning?
Well, sadly, yes; this is probably all too often the
case. The use of learning objectives has, all too
often, become a reflexive box ticking exercise with
little or no thought behind it.”
David Didau, The Learning Spy

6.
Definitions
Aims Objectives Outcomes
• Serve as broad
purposes or goals.
• Generally a statement
of the intentions of
the teacher or school
when designing or
running the course.
• They are not intended
to be statements of
what students will
learn or do, but rather
over-arching intentions
of the course.
• Objectives spring
directly from aims.
• Statements of the
specific things which
teachers and/or
learners intend to
achieve during the
lesson.
• The skills and
knowledge
which it is intended
that students should
be able to
demonstrate.
• The intention of
learning outcomes is to
give students more
idea of what is
expected of them.

7.
Learning Objectives

8.
Learning Outcomes

9.
Some research...
Harden suggests that learning outcomes (which underpin the ‘outcome
based education’ model) are essentially more ‘intuitive and user-friendly’
than objectives, that they are ‘broad statements… that recognise the
authentic interaction and integration...of knowledge, skills and attitudes
and the artificiality of separating these’ (2002, p. 151). We can think of
outcomes as ‘learner goals’.
Grant notes that ‘what is important is fitness for purpose, and the
main purposes of stating the intended learning achievements of the
curriculum are to:
• inform learners of what they should achieve
• inform teachers about what they should help learners to achieve
• form the basis of the assessment system, so that everyone knows
what will be assessed
(2007, p. 21).

10.
Constructive Alignment
Biggs (1996) – ‘constructive alignment’ occurs where objectives,
teaching methods and assessments are aimed at delivering the
same thing.
Learning materials, support and resources have to be constructed
to help the learner achieve the specified outcomes of the
learning episode.
As we have seen, it is also vital that there is alignment between the
learning outcomes or objectives at each level, so that learning
‘makes sense’ in terms of the individual learner’s journey.
Learning outcomes or objectives can be seen as the building blocks
of any learning programme or teaching/learning event, and also
as one of the keys that help all aspects of a programme link
together.

11.
Learning Objectives as AfL

12.
Learning Objectives as part of formative
assessment

13.
Creating effective
objectives and
outcomes?

14.
Bloom’s Taxonomy
Bloom’s model can be used to help write learning objectives or outcomes
where they are mapped on to the appropriate level, depending on what
learners are expected to achieve.
A common mistake in writing outcomes is that they are at the wrong level;
either expecting learners to be able to do something for which they are
not yet ready, or inappropriately linking them to particular teaching and
learning methods or assessments.
Bloom’s Taxonomy of Objectives in the Cognitive Domain (1956), which
describes how learning objectives related to cognitive development increase
in complexity as learners develop deeper understanding, start to apply this
knowledge, and ultimately synthesise and evaluate what they have learned.

15.
Bloom’s ‘domains’
Cognitive
• Knowledge
• Intellectual skills
Psychomotor
• Physical skills
• Imitation, manipulation, precision, articulation, naturalisation
Affective
• Feelings and attitudes
• Receiving, responding, valuing, organising, characterising

16.
Differentiating Learning Outcomes
• Not all pupils will be able to access the
knowledge/skills/understanding you are trying to impart in your
lessons to the same level and at the same rate.
• Lesson objectives and outcomes need to be differentiated.
Possibilities Hazards
• Even if pupils can only tackle some
of the work, they will at least have
covered the ‘must learn’ content
• More able pupils who work at a
faster pace have a constant supply
of useful – if not essential –
material to work on
• Informing students that only
‘some’ of them will get around to
the hard bit is a recipe for low
expectations and thus to be
avoided.

17.
Differentiating Learning Outcomes
Must
Should
Could
All Most Some

18.
James Michie on ‘All-Most-Some’
• The box provided (on my school’s lesson planning sheet) for entering learning
objectives is broken down into the following sections: ‘All, Most, Some’. I know this
has been set out this way as it is something that Ofsted like to see. However, I am
not convinced by it, having never seen the research behind it. I have seen lesson plans
dutifully filled in, explaining how different sets of students will learn different skills.
All students will be able to describe…
Most students will be able to analyse…
Some students will be able to evaluate…
• Last time I checked, every single one of my students was capable of learning to do all
of those skills, if taught the right way. Last time I checked some students found
evaluating easier than analysing. Whichever taxonomy you prescribe to (Bloom’s /
SOLO), the skills listed do not exist within a hierarchy or on a continuum. They are
not linear. Learning is messy. Based on my experiences over the last nine years,
learners will acquire different skills at varying rates in varying orders of preference,
based on a diverse range of factors.
• None of this is to say that I don’t believe in differentiation. I do. In my mind,
differentiation is not about learning objectives or outcomes, it is about teaching and
learning. Differentiation takes place during the lesson. It is present in the way I
formulate groups for discussion and projects. It is present in who I choose to spend
my time with during a lesson and what I do with them. It is in how I deploy my learning
assistant. It is about focussed differentiation; targeted support; the development of
independent learning skills.

19.
What makes a good learning
outcome?
Written in the future tense
Clearly indicates the nature and/or level of learning required
Achievable and accessible
Uses language that learners can easily understand
Relates to explicit statements of achievement
Contains verbs
Incorporates process as well as product
Avoids ambiguity or over-complexity

20.
Some pitfalls …and how to avoid them
Trying to achieve too much in one session Plan the session carefully, and allow time for discussion, activities and reflection
Trying to cover too many learning outcomes
Stick to a small number of learning outcomes (fewer than five) and be as specific as you can in terms
of exactly what you are expecting the learners to be able to do at the end of the session
Learning outcomes not linked to the
programme or to learner needs (level, etc.)
Make sure you know and understand the programme outcomes, the assessments the learners are
working towards and the expectations of you, particularly the outcomes and assessments that relate
specifically to your session(s)
Include informal and formal activities that help you understand and identify the needs of the
learners
Learning outcomes defined at the wrong level
(re Bloom)
Think carefully about exactly what you are expecting the learners to be able to do, think about their
‘learning journey’: their prior learning and the stage they have reached
Learning outcomes in the wrong domain (re
Bloom: cognitive, psychomotor, affective)
Map the learning outcomes on to the domains, split objectives that cover more than one domain and
design the teaching to enable learners to achieve all the outcomes. If you are assuming that learners
have the underpinning knowledge or earlier practice to carry out a complex skill, check it out, or
break the skill down into sub-objectives
Learning outcomes not specific enough, don’t
define exactly what you want them to be able
to do
Practise writing them and think about how you might assess the objective
Learning outcomes not linked to teaching and
learning methods
Select the teaching and learning methods that help learners achieve the outcome (level, domain), e.g.
if skills, need demonstration, practice (simulation – real), possibly broken down into steps, build in
feedback, not just reading about it or watching a video
Learning outcomes not linked to assessment
Always link the learning outcomes to an assessment (formative or summative), i.e. how will you and
the learner know that they have achieved the outcome satisfactorily? Make sure the assessment
assesses the right domain.
Learning outcomes not practical or feasible
Often there are too many learning outcomes specified to be covered in the time available or with the
number or stage of learners. Check out equipment, rooms, other resources and facilities.
Learning outcomes not linked to evaluation,
little capacity to review and change
Think about making the links between learning outcomes, teaching and learning methods, assessment
and evaluation transparent so that you can refresh the curriculum. Don’t assume that the learning
outcomes are set in stone. Update them.

21.
Learning vs. Doing
A common pitfall in the sharing of learning
objectives is to identify what pupils are going
to do in the lesson, rather than what they are
going to learn.
Learning
1 to know how to evaluate a
product against a design
specification;
Doing
2 to create a Christmas decoration
for a front door;

22.
Pre-determined Reactivevs.
Oriented around the
requirements of the
course, scheme of
work or assessment
criteria
Based on errors or
areas requiring
improvement
identified during an
ongoing marking
process
To be able to explore
the tone of a poem
using literary
techniques
To be able to use
simple and complex
sentences
appropriately

23.
Clarke: From Product to Process
Clarke explores the value of learning objectives in significant
detail. She discusses the ‘taught specifics’ inherent within
learning objectives arguing that teachers need to “move
away from “PRODUCT” oriented success criteria to
“PROCESS” oriented success criteria” (2005, 30-31).

24.
Key
Considerations
What do they
know already?
Where have
they come from,
and what next?
What do the
learners want
from your
teaching?
How can I
incorporate
flexibility to
cope with
emergent
needs?

25.
Be precise!
Vague outcome More precise outcome
By the end of this course,
students will have added to their
understanding of the complete
research process.
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
• describe the research process in social interventions
• evaluate critically the quality of research by others
• formulate research questions designed to test, refine, and build
theories
• identify and demonstrate facility in research designs and data
collection strategies that are most appropriate to a particular
research project
• formulate a complete and logical plan for data analysis that will
adequately answer the research questions and probe alternative
explanations
• interpret research findings and draw appropriate conclusions
By the end of this course,
students will have a deeper
appreciation of literature and
literary movements in general.
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
• identify and describe the major literary movements of the 20th
century
• perform close readings of literary texts
• evaluate a literary work based on selected and articulated standards

26.
‘Outcome-based’ Approach:
Criticisms
We can only articulate intended
learning outcomes. students may take
a different approach to a topic,
leading to unintended – but
worthwhile – learning outcomes.
Outcomes can stifle creativity. This
can be so when outcomes are either
too narrowly framed, or when they
are seen as the only possible
outcomes from the learning process.
The use of outcomes can lead to
spoon-feeding, and students can come
to see that all they need achieve can
be contained within the outcomes.

27.
An educational ‘straight-jacket’?
When planning a session or programme, paying attention to how the
objectives or outcomes will be achieved (through appropriate
teaching and learning methods), assessed and evaluated requires
active and overt consideration of the educational process: the
interaction of teachers, students and knowledge.
Stenhouse (1975) thought of an objective-led curriculum as an
educational ‘straightjacket’, proposing a shift to a process-
driven model in which the facilitation of learning is the central
concern, and outcomes become unpredictable.
Hussey and Smith (2008) call this the ‘corridor of tolerance’,
allowing space for learning outcomes to emerge through the
learning process.

28.
To summarise:
DO have a learning objective clear in your mind before you
plan your lesson
DO feel free to share it with students in as creative and
interesting a way as you’re capable of
DO have success criteria against which progress can be
measured
DO refer back to your learning objective at various points in
the lesson and get students to explain how far they’ve met
it.
DON’T just get students to copy them down in their books
and tick them at the end of the lesson.

29.
Learning objectives
and outcomes in the
classroom
environment

30.
Example 1

31.
The Soldier’s Depression Feedback
Name: Date:
LO: To understand how Sassoon shows the
depression of the soldier in ‘Suicide in the
Trenches’.
Know the soldier’s
change in emotion.
Evaluate the effect
of the poem on the
reader.
Analyse the
metaphor used to
show this change in
emotion.
Success criteria:
• You have made a clear point (1 mark)
• You have backed it up with appropriate
evidence from the poem. (2 marks)
• You have explained how this evidence
demonstrates your point (3 marks)
• You have linked your answer to your own
knowledge of WW1 (4 marks)
WWW:
EBI:
Student Response: To improve my work I have...
Literacy:

32.
Example 2

33.
Our Learning Journey
A pictorial ‘learning journey’ provides
the ‘big picture’, and can be
interpreted by students.

34.
Learning Objective: To understand the key events in Sassoon’s
‘Suicide in the Trenches’.
To know what life
in the trenches was
like during WW1.
To analyse the key
events in Sassoon’s
poem.
To predict the
content of
Sassoon’s poem.
Steps to Success
The learning continuum is used to
break the ultimate learning
objective into distinct segments.

35.
To know what life in the trenches
was like during WW1.
Step to Success
LO: To understand the key
events in Sassoon’s ‘Suicide in
the Trenches’.
Activity
Using your own
knowledge and what
you have learnt,
think about what
soldiers in the
trenches might...
SEE
HEAR
TOUCH
SMELL
FEELThe main objective and outcome are
incorporated alongside activity
instructions to guide students.

36.
LO: To know what life in the trenches was like during WW1.
I can see...
•
•
•
I can hear...
•
•
•
I can touch...
•
•
•
I can feel...
•
•
•
I can smell...
•
•
•
Extension: How do you think soldiers in the trenches might have felt? Write
in full sentences e.g. They may have felt sad because they missed home.
•
•
•
Colour-coded learning objectives are
included on activity resources to
retain a sense of purpose.

37.
LO: To predict the content of Sassoon’s poem.
Siegfried Sassoon’s poem was called ‘SUICIDE IN THE TRENCHES’.
Predict what might happen
in Sassoon’s poem:
I think that...
I think this because...
Words I
might see in
the poem
are...
Colour-coded learning objectives are
included on activity resources to
retain a sense of purpose.

38.
LO: To analyse the key events in Sassoon’s poem.
Stanza Analysis Mark
I knew a simple soldier boy
Who grinned at life in empty joy,
Slept soundly through the lonesome dark,
And whistled early with the lark.
Q: How is the soldier feeling in this stanza? How do you know?
A:
In winter trenches, cowed and glum,
With crumps and lice and lack of rum,
He put a bullet through his brain.
No one spoke of him again.
Q: What happens to the soldier? Why does this happen?
A:
You smug-faced crowds with kindling eye
Who cheer when soldier lads march by,
Sneak home and pray you'll never know
The hell where youth and laughter go.
Extension Q: What does the poet think of the crowds?
A:
Colour-coded learning objectives are
included on activity resources to
retain a sense of purpose.

39.
Learning Objective: To understand the key events in Sassoon’s
‘Suicide in the Trenches’.
To know what life
in the trenches was
like during WW1.
To analyse the key
events in Sassoon’s
poem.
To predict the
content of
Sassoon’s poem.
Steps to Success
The learning continuum is referred to
throughout the lesson and during the plenary
session, and is discussed with students.

40.
Next time...
The learning journey is displayed at
the end of the lesson to guide
discussion about future learning.

41.
Example 3

42.
The Hunger Games: Dystopian fiction
Learning Objective
To explore the conventions of
dystopian fiction
investigate rules
A work of fiction describing an imaginary place
where life is extremely bad because of
deprivation or oppression or terror
The Learning Objective includes
active verbs related to Blooms, and
key terminology is defined.

43.
The Hunger Games: Dystopian fiction
Before... Today... Next...
1. To know the
difference between
utopian and dystopian
fiction
2. To understand the
conventions of
dystopian fiction
3. To create your own
dystopian society
You will be exploring
the context of The
Hunger Games,
referring to factors
that inspired the
author and the story
The learning objective is broken down into distinct segments to enable
students to track their progress, whilst the ‘before’ and ‘next’ sections
provide the ‘big picture’ or the ‘learning journey’.

44.
Learning Objective: To explore the conventions
of dystopian fiction
1. To know the
difference between
utopian and
dystopian fiction
3. To create your
own dystopian
society
2. To understand
the conventions of
dystopian fiction
Steps to Success
The learning continuum is used to
differentiate levels of progress
using Bloom’s verbs