What are the goals and objectives of teaching science?

Science teachers need to develop goals and objectives for their science classes. Goals are measurable outcomes and objectives are the steps that are taken to reach those outcomes. It is important for science teachers to understand the difference between these two things, as well as know how to create goal and objective sets.

Tips for Setting Appropriate Goals for Science Teachers

The first set of goals that science teachers will need to set will be based on what their state department of education requires for science curriculum and proficiency development. Usually there will be specific skills that students will need to develop and test scores that students will need to achieve. Teachers can print out the standards for science curriculum and education and use these standards for their first grouping of goals.

The next set of goals that will need to be developed will be based on the preferences of the classroom science teacher. These goals will relate to what the science teacher wants to achieve. They can relate to their teaching skills or they can relate to student performance.

The final set of goals that can be set by teachers will relate to individual students or groups of students. For example, an AP science teacher may set a goal to have 95 percent of their class pass the AP exam in science. They can also focus on individual students that have special educational needs. These goals will focus on the achievement of student goals, such as to improve science skill proficiency by a certain degree or to improve their science grade by one full letter.

Science Teaching Objectives

After goals have been set the next step is to set objectives that will enable the teacher and students to meet the established goals. Each goal will have its own set of objective. It is a good idea to number each objective and to set a timeline for each one.

Objectives that are related to goals set by state educational standards need to be carefully constructed. It is important to focus on small steps that will bring the student or teacher towards meeting their goal. For example, a state standards goal for annual improvements to standardized testing scores in science can be met by creating objectives like (1) practice test taking skills, (2) provide students with study guides related to concepts that will be on the test and (3) focusing lesson plans on interactive learning activities.

When setting objectives for teacher inspired goals the objectives can be more creative. For example, a teacher may have a goal to improve student problem solving skills. The objectives for meeting this goal can include utilizing a fuel cell car experiments science kit to teach students how to develop a science fair project, they can include field trips to local laboratories and they can include participation in science competitions. Teachers are not limited to traditional methodologies of teaching. It is a good idea to explore more innovative approaches as well.

Conclusion

Creating goals and objectives is a part of the job for science teachers. However, if teachers do not follow through with these planning tools the process is wasted. To make goal setting easier to manage it needs to be an integrated part of a teacher's day.