Kinsella’s Approach to Writing Language and Content Objectives
writing clear, specific, and measurable language and content objectives is an essential part of lesson planning and effective instruction according to author and educator Stephanie Kinsella. In her book “The Art of Planning in Curriculum and Instruction” as well as in other works, Kinsella outlines a strategic approach to writing objectives that ensures students understand exactly what is expected of them to learn as well as how their learning will be assessed. By taking the time to write rigorous yet achievable objectives, teachers can gain clarity on the goals of their lessons as well as effectively communicate learning targets to students.
The key principles of Kinsella’s approach include making objectives student-centered, specific and measurable, aligned to standards, and organized in a hierarchy. Specifically, she advocates for objectives to be written from the perspective of what students will be able to do, not just content they will be exposed to. Objectives should clearly state an observable action or behavior students will demonstrate as evidence of learning, not something vague like “understand” or “know.” And the performance criteria should be specific enough that both teacher and student understand exactly how mastery will be demonstrated or assessed.
For example, rather than the objective being “Students will understand cell structures and functions,” a more rigorous and measurable version through Kinsella’s lens would be “Students will be able to identify the parts of plant and animal cells and explain the function of each part by labeling a diagram with 85% accuracy.” This objective clearly defines the learning target as identifying and explaining specific cell structures, quantifies the level of proficiency expected as 85% accuracy, and indicates labeling a diagram as the assessment method. Both student and teacher are clear on exactly what is expected for the student to show they have met the objective.
In addition to being student-centered and specific, Kinsella emphasizes objectives must be aligned to state or national standards to ensure coverage of required content. Teaching to clear objectives tied to established standards helps guarantee all essential learning is addressed over the course of a unit or school year. Kinsella also stresses the importance of hierarchical organization of objectives, with broader overarching objectives broken down into specific supporting objectives that build toward the larger goal.
For example, a year-long overarching objective in an 8th grade science class following Kinsella’s model might be: “Students will be able to use the scientific method to conduct experiments, analyze data, draw conclusions, and communicate findings.” Individual units would then have subordinate objectives that support this overarching aim, such as “Students will be able to form a hypothesis, identify variables, and develop an experimental design,” or “Students will be able to analyze graphical data, identify trends and relationships, and draw evidence-based conclusions.” Each lesson would further break down how it specifically builds toward meeting one of the unit objectives.
This aligned, hierarchical organization of objectives helps both teachers and students see how each specific learning activity connects to broader learning goals. It keeps instruction focused and provides built-in formative assessment checkpoints to evaluate progress toward objectives. Kinsella stresses it also fosters more independent, self-directed learning for students as they can recognize how discrete skills connect to larger concepts.
In addition to providing structure and clarity, Kinsella’s model also emphasizes communicating objectives to students in a developmentally-appropriate manner. Rather than keeping objectives secret or springing an assessment unexpectedly, sharing clear learning targets up front engages students and gives them agency and ownership over their learning. Kinsella advocates for co-constructing objectives with students when possible and having them restate goals in their own words. Displaying objectives prominently, referring to them throughout lessons, and allowing students to self-assess progress fosters comprehension and buy-in.
Overall, Kinsella’s evidence-based approach to writing language and content objectives aligns with research on best practices in instructional design. By taking the time to write objectives that are rigorous yet achievable, specific and measurable, standards-aligned, and hierarchically organized, teachers can gain clarity on desired outcomes and effectively engage students. Communicating clear expectations up front fosters independence, motivation, and success for all learners according to Kinsella’s model. Following her systematic principles helps ensure each lesson contributes value by advancing students precisely toward established learning targets. Precise, well-planned objectives are the building blocks of effective instruction that yields meaningful results.