How do I write cognitive, affective and psychomotor learning objectives?
Answer
What is a learning objective?
A learning objective states what a student will learn by the end of a lesson or module. It should include a measurable verb from the designated domain cognitive, affective, or psychomotor) and focus on the student.
What should I keep in mind when writing a learning objective?
A learning objective is not a list of what will be covered during a lesson. If the lesson is one to two hours, you will want to write at least three learning objectives. Three or more hours should have at least three to five objectives.
What do you mean by domain?
Learning can be divided into three domains:
- Cognitive: This is the most commonly used domain. It deals with the intellectual side of learning.
- Affective: This domain includes objectives relating to interest, attitude, and values relating to learning the information.
- Psychomotor: This domain focuses on motor skills and actions that require physical coordination.
What verbs should I use for each domain?
| Cognitive | Affective | Psychomotor |
|
Remembering
Understanding
Applying
Analyzing
Evaluating
Creating
|
Receiving (listening and being attentive)
Responding (active participation)
Valuing (value attached to a subject)
Organization (beginning to build consistent value system)
Characterization (value system controls behavior)
|
Imitation (learner imitates an action after a visual demonstration)
Manipulation (performance of an action with written/verbal instructions)
Precision
Articulation (display of coordination of a series of related acts)
Naturalization (high level of proficiency)
|
References
Kretchmar, J. (2019). Affective domain. Salem Press Encyclopedia.
Indiana University Bloomington. (n.d.). Learning taxonomy: Krathwohl's affective domain. https://global.indiana.edu/documents/Learning-Taxonomy-Affective.pdf
National Association of School Psychologists. (2016). Tips for writing effective learning objectives. Communique, 44(7), 23.
University of Washington. (n.d.). Cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains grading. http://courses.washington.edu/pharm439/Bloomstax.htm
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