WRITING LEARNING OUTCOME FOR LESSON PLAN OR LESSON DESIGNING

 WRITING LEARNING OUTCOME FOR LESSON PLAN OR LESSON DESIGNING

Introduction

 Neglecting writing or knowing clear and measurable learning outcomes in Indian schools leads to the qualitative degeneration of the teaching-learning process. This neglect can lead to confusion, ambiguity, and inefficiency in teaching and learning, which are detrimental to the educational process. Learning outcomes, on the other hand, provide a roadmap for all stakeholders, outlining the specific knowledge, skills, and competencies students are expected to attain by the end of a course or educational program. In this article, we will delve into the importance of writing learning outcomes and their benefits to educators and students. We will also address the reasons behind their neglect in Indian schools. By understanding the significance of learning outcomes and their impact on education, we can begin to bridge the gap and prioritise their implementation in Indian education systems.

What are learning outcomes?

Learning outcomes are measurable statements that specify what learners should know or perform due to a learning activity. For instance, in the Indian context, a learning outcome for the Science class could be: 'Students will be able to write the equation of photosynthesis '. They are usually expressed as knowledge, skills, or attitudes using action verbs.

From where will it come?

Learning outcomes should be framed after the whole class's needs assessment so that the issue of inclusiveness can also be addressed.

Desired level of knowledge, skills, or attitude - current level of knowledge, skill or attitude or Need

When I am writing

Target the learner's behaviour that is to be changed

LOs should set out as guidelines for content, instruction, and evaluation

Identify specifically what should be learned or unlearned.

Convey to learners exactly what is expected from them

What specific skills or strategies do they need?

Visualizing the context of learning is a crucial step that educators should not overlook. It helps us understand the environment in which the learning outcomes will be achieved, making the learning process more effective. This reiteration can help the audience feel the necessity of this step.

 

 Characteristics of good learning outcomes?

The desired action by the learners must be observable to all.

The desired action by the learners must be measurable to all.

The learners must do the desired action in daily life and classroom situations.

When writing a learning outcome, the ultimate test is whether or not the participant's actions can be assessed. Ask these questions after writing the learning outcomes.

Who will perform?     What will be performed?         What is the result?

If it can answer these questions, your LO satisfies the criteria of a specific and accurate LO for the content to be taught in the classroom.

What is the importance of action verbs?

As the learner's performance should be observable and measurable, the verb chosen for each learning outcome should be an action verb. Action verbs are crucial as they result in apparent behaviour that anyone can observe and measure. For example, instead of using the verb 'understand ', which is not observable, you could use 'explain ', which is an action that can be observed and measured.

Here is a list of action verbs from all three domains of Bloom’s Taxonomy for reference. These verbs are valuable tools for stating specific learning objectives. They help make learning outcomes more specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART).

Certain verbs are very subjective, leading to different interpretations by different people. Since such verbs are not observable and measurable, they should be avoided in the list of learning outcomes.

These verbs should be avoided: know, become aware of, appreciate, learn, understand, become familiar with.

What are the Action Verbs can we use:

Action Verbs for stating specific learning objectives in the Cognitive, Affective and Psychomotor domains 

 

Cognitive Domain
Objective	Action Verbs for LO
1)      Knowledge	Defines, describes, and identifies, labels, lists, matches, names, outlines, reproduces, selects, states
2)      Comprehension	Converts, defends, distinguishes, estimates, explains, extends, generalises, gives examples, infers, paraphrases, predicts, rewrites, summarises.
3)      Application	Changes, computes, demonstrates, discovers, manipulates, modifies, operates, predicts, prepares, produces, relates, shows, solves, uses.
4)      Analysis	Breaks down, diagrams, differentiates, discriminates, distinguishes, illustrates, infers, outlines, points out, relates, selects, separates, sub-divides.
5)      Synthesis	Categories, combines, compiles, composes, creates, devises, designs, explains, generates, modifies, organises, plans, rearranges, reconstructs, relates, reorganises, revises, rewrites, summarises, tells, writes.
6)      Evaluation	Appraises, compares, concludes, contrasts, criticises, describes, discriminates, explains, justifies, interprets, relates, summarises, supports.
Affective Domain
Attitude (Affective)	Describes, Identifies, selects, discusses, practices, differentiates, follows, justifies, shares, combines, generalises, integrates, organises, processes, Explains
Psychomotor domain
Skill (Psychomotor)	Draws, demonstrates, constructs, assembles, dissects, isolates, separates, selects, shows, alters, reorganises, combines, designs, builds, calibrates, displays, manipulates,

 

Action Verbs for stating specific learning objectives in the Cognitive domain (Revised)

1)      Remembering	Recalling information- listing, describing, retrieving, naming, finding, stating,
2)      Understanding	Explaining ideas or concepts- interpreting, summarising,  paraphrasing, explaining,
3)      Applying	Using knowledge in another familiar situation – implementing, carrying out
4)      Analysing	Disintegrate information into fragments to explore understanding and relationships- comparing, organising, deconstructing, interrogating, finding.
5)      Evaluating	Justifying a decision or course of action-checking, hypothesising, critiquing, experimenting, judging
6)      Creating	We generate new ideas, products, or ways of viewing things—by designing, constructing, planning, and producing.

 

In conclusion, writing learning outcomes is vital in lesson design as it helps clarify the content's purpose and goals. By articulating clear and measurable outcomes, teachers can better assess student progress and accommodate their teaching methods for an inclusive classroom. By carefully crafting learning outcomes, teachers can create a more focused and practical learning experience for their students.