Learning Objectives in Early Childhood Education
Crafting Effective Learning Objectives for Early Childhood Education
by Dewi Griffith Ph.D
What are Learning Objectives?
Learning Objectives are short, concise statements that clearly explain what a child is intended to know, understand and be able to do by the end of a unit or lesson. They spell out for the child, the teacher and other stakeholders exactly what is intended to provide a blueprint for the discussions for the unit of work.
Why Learning Objectives Are Important
Learning Objectives are short, specific statements of what children will know, understand and be able to do by the end of each unit or lesson of instruction. Essentially, they help to lay out what the learning journey will cover, and what will be mastered by the end of it.
Why Learning Objectives Are Important
For Teachers: Learning objectives are statements of observable results that help guide teachers’ planning and instruction. They help teachers identify what is important so that both students and teachers know what is to be learned.
Clear Expectations: They have clear expectations for students, communicating these, and expressing belief in the students’ abilities to achieve them.
Assessment and Evaluation: Unpacking student learning into learning objectives is helpful for assessment and evaluation because: the teacher can tell whether students also achieved these learning objectives.
Motivation/Engagement: if students know what they are aiming for, it often motivates them and leads to increased engagement with their learning.
Consistency and Coherence: Learning objectives help to ensure consistency and coherence in teaching and learning across classes and grade levels.
How to Use Learning Objectives
To effectively use learning objectives in early childhood education, educators should:
Resource Limitations: Lack of resources to facilitate learning such as curriculum materials and technology can impact the attainment of learning targets.
Diverse Needs: Meeting a diverse range of Developmental and Educational needs can be difficult to Design and Implement.
Parental Involvement: This is crucial, but can be challenging, especially with parents whose involvement varies from community to community.
Assessment and Feedback: Assessing students’ work and feeding back to them requires time and care.
What Makes Learning Objectives Different by Place, Culture, and Demography
What Makes Learning Objectives Different by Place, Culture, and Demography
Setting: The physical location impacts many issues, including the learning environment, the number and kinds of resources available, and the specific needs of the students (at a rural school compared with an urban school etc).
Culture: Cultural norms may affect educational aims and approaches; learning goals may need to be infused with culturally relevant content and context to interest students.
Demography: The differences in socioeconomic status, students’ multilingualism and their home backgrounds can contribute to how learning objectives are set and met.
Teachers need to have a sense of these differences to set learning objectives and ensure that they are appropriate, as well as achievable, for all students.
Challenges in Implementing Learning Objectives
Resource Limitations:
Lack of resources to facilitate learning such as curriculum materials and technology can impact the attainment of learning targets.
Diverse Needs: Meeting a diverse range of Developmental and Educational needs can be difficult to Design and Implement.
Parental Involvement: This is crucial, but can be challenging, especially with parents whose involvement varies from community to community.
Assessment and Feedback: Assessing students’ work and feeding back to them requires time and care.
References and Further Reading
Check out the following sources for more information on Scope and Sequence in early childhood education:
Scope and Sequence helps teachers to take that best-laid plan, expanding it into a thoughtful, balanced, age-appropriate and engaging experience for our learners as a whole child.
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