Educational Goals Versus Specific Learning Objectives
Schooling and other organized instruction help students attain educational goals. One of the many ways to define educational goals is that they “are those human activities which contribute to the functioning of a society (including the functioning of an individual in society), and which can be acquired through learning” ( Gagné, Briggs, & Wager, 1988 , p. 39 ).
Educational goals are stated in broad terms. They give direction and purpose to planning overall educational activities. Examples of statements of broad educational goals appear in reports prepared by state departments of education, local school systems, and associations such as the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Association of American Geographers. Here is one example of an educational goal:
Example : Every student should acquire skills in using scientific measurement.
These types of broad goals are organized into subject-matter areas such as mathematics and history. The broad goals, as well as statements of subject-matter area and content-specific thinking processes, serve as a curriculum framework within which you and other educators can define specific learning objectives.