I have never been in a classroom teaching situation till now. It has been a difficult learning curve for me.
Thomas,
Keep a good attitude and look for ways to expand your professional expertise and you will do fine. We all have been where you are and one of the best tools we have as educators is time in the classroom. Bring to each class a passion for your field and enthusiasm for teaching and you will soon have a greatly expanded skill set.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
As stated "Goals and objectives are the foundation on which your teaching is built." As a basic freshman room instructor, I have the pleasure of creating the students "foundation" upon which they will continue to grow. If they know where they are going, they will get there. The proper goal setting and specific objections will clearly define the path the students will take to complete this course. Clear, well defined objectives also help the students to focus on small bites so they are able to learn easier and know exactly what is expected of them.
Many of the courses I teach are in the field of Homeland Security. This academic field is still immature, and even the fundamental concepts are subject to change on short notice. For example, the DHS Quadrennial Homeland Security Review, now under development, will require all activities, funding and priorities to be "Risk Based." This is a new concept, and few "experts" in the field know what it means. So every course and syllabus must be revised to explain and include this concept. Developing clear course Goals and Objectives that include this concept and perspective will keep the material current and applicable to student needs. On the other hand, checking course Goals and Objectives can tell you quickly if the material in the course is out of date.
If the goals and objectives are not clear it set not only the studnets up for failure, but also the instructor.
My goals & objectives are always a constant in my classroom however, I have "modified" my route of reaching them depending on my students
My goals & objectives are always a part of my class however reaching them may differ with my students at the time
Chenal,
Good approach for the students to get them engaged and focused on the content as well as helping them to become a part of the activities and application of content process.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
David,
Great way to stay current. Your field is one that seems to be changing at times overnight based upon some event or ruling. You systematic way of staying on top of polices and best practices is extremely valuable to your students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Judith,
So true. Without clear goals and objectives no body knows what is going on nor where the course is going.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Jayne,
Good way to maintain consistency in the delivery of your content.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Within the course goals and objectives, when a new semester starts, should lesson plans be adjusted to reflect the news classes background.
Donald,
I think this is important part of instructional planning. By adjusting your lesson plans to meet the current group of students you are customizing your delivery to make sure you are engaging your students in a way that maintains their interest and helps them move toward their career goals.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
One of the most important goals teachers should have in their classroom is making sure our students have a clear picture of what is expected of them in our classroom. I have struggled for many years as a teacher making sure my students are set up for success by understanding what was expected of them from me as their instructor. I feel that I am in a place in my teaching where I am intentional in communicating exactly what I want my students to understand about the course or an assignment. Developing clear goals gives my students success that they can take beyond my classroom setting.
Katina,
Thank you for making this important point. We educators need to be clear and concise in communicating our expectations. By doing so we will set the students at ease in relation to understanding what is going to occur in the class and what the workload is going to be for student success.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
It is important to have clear goals and objectives for your course to clearly define what students will achieve by the end of the course and help outline how students will get there. Expanding upon this idea, the objectives are important because everything else that occurs in the course will be derived from the objectives. This includes any teaching strategies / activities, assignments, and assessments. Ensuring that you produce specific and measurable objectives following the ABCD method is key, as well as, making sure they are student-centered objectives. The effort in creating learning objectives may not be visible in the beginning; however, constantly communicating them to students will help their ability to meet the objectives.
Glenn,
Right you are about the important of having a comprehensive plan set for your course. You have hit upon all of the key components of instructional planning and delivery. This way your students will know what the expectations are and when they have met them.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Clear goals and objectives are important for both teacher and student.
They help focus the teacher as to what is really important for the students to learn. They focus the content that will be included on assignments and assessments.
They focus the students' attention on where they should focus their energy when taking notes and studying. Clear goals and objectives put students' minds at ease because they know what they will be tested on.
Overall, clear goals and objectives make the course focused and efficient.
Chad,
Well said and such an important part of the instructional planning process. Without clear goals and objectives there is no direction toward which the students will move.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Clear goals and objectives not only tell the student what the expectations of the course are but it helps to guide the instructor and keep him on track.
