Describing a target group in general was not difficult. However, when I tried to apply the ABCD framework to make the description more objective, it was not so easy. The traditional post-soviet education system is known for extremely broad and unfeasible goals and very fuzzy objectives. We had to move to objectives which would be feasible, measurable, realistic and tangible.
In teacher training workshops we helped teachers to formulate specific objectives. However, even experienced teachers have difficulty in writing objectives that meet the above mentioned requirements. The main idea for writing a good objective is thinking ahead for the ways it may be accomplished and measured. There should be a way to measure students’ performance through something you can see, hear or read. When writing objectives we should avoid verbs like ‘understand’, ‘think’, ‘memorize’, and ‘remember’ – they do not provide a possibility to measure and assess.
One of the approaches to formulating an objective is SWBAT, ‘Students will be able to…’ followed by a performance verb like ‘draw’, ‘recite’, ‘dramatize’, ‘use a structure in dialogue’, ‘make a table’, ‘write’, ‘make a poster presentation’, etc. (Onushco, 2002) For example, you may write an objective in the following way: “Students will be able to use the Present Continuous tense in describing an action”. That is why I liked the lists of verbs to be used for writing objectives from “Classifying Objectives” and “How to Write Clear Objectives” articles. They make it clear what is expected from students and are easily assessed.
As for the reference mentioned, it is just one of the sources describing SWBAT, I am not aware of the original author.
References:
1. Onushco Michael, Jr. 2002. Teaching English Communicatively: Practical Ideas and Suggestions. Bishkek: Institute of World Languages.
In teacher training workshops we helped teachers to formulate specific objectives. However, even experienced teachers have difficulty in writing objectives that meet the above mentioned requirements. The main idea for writing a good objective is thinking ahead for the ways it may be accomplished and measured. There should be a way to measure students’ performance through something you can see, hear or read. When writing objectives we should avoid verbs like ‘understand’, ‘think’, ‘memorize’, and ‘remember’ – they do not provide a possibility to measure and assess.
One of the approaches to formulating an objective is SWBAT, ‘Students will be able to…’ followed by a performance verb like ‘draw’, ‘recite’, ‘dramatize’, ‘use a structure in dialogue’, ‘make a table’, ‘write’, ‘make a poster presentation’, etc. (Onushco, 2002) For example, you may write an objective in the following way: “Students will be able to use the Present Continuous tense in describing an action”. That is why I liked the lists of verbs to be used for writing objectives from “Classifying Objectives” and “How to Write Clear Objectives” articles. They make it clear what is expected from students and are easily assessed.
As for the reference mentioned, it is just one of the sources describing SWBAT, I am not aware of the original author.
References:
1. Onushco Michael, Jr. 2002. Teaching English Communicatively: Practical Ideas and Suggestions. Bishkek: Institute of World Languages.
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