Discuss the Relationship between Aims, Objectives and Other Educational Processes.
Aims of education are a means to attain goals of life while objectives are a means to attain the aims of education. The day-to-day activities, processes and events lead to attainment of specific objectives. These specific objectives form the basis of attaining long-term goals. For example, suppose the teacher taught the economic policy of privatization and then conducted a debate on whether privatization is desirable or not.
The learners, who think critically, come forward and give their views today and every time such opportunities are offered, their aim of education to develop critical thinking and communication skills is achieved. When children from different caste, region and religion sit in one class and behave as one group, it leads to development of respect for diversification.
This opinion that there is need for specificity in objectives led to shift from nouns to action verbs. Instead of saying student will have knowledge, understanding, appreciation etc. we say that learner will be able to define, give meaning, identify, distinguish between, compare, establish relationships etc.
The relation between aims and objectives can be explained with the help of following diagram:
Objectives of education are classified into two:
- Enabling objectives, and
- Terminal objectives.
This classification is based on time frarne within which they can be realized and their organic linkages with education processes. The terminal for one process is actually the enabling for the process as education is a life-time process. Objectives are realized in the form of learning.
It is also possible that objectives are not determined, but are judged after the teaching-learning process. Examples of such methods are play way methods, Heuristic methods of teaching, Suchman’s Enquiry Training Model of teaching.
When we evaluate the success of any teaching-learning process, it is done highly with reference to objectives. However, children learn many things out of the classroom, in co-curricular activities and in informal set up. Their evaluation is difficult as objectives are not predetermined. Sometimes qualitative approaches prove better in evaluation process rather than well defined behavioural goals. In nutshell, we can say that objectives are of great value in measuring, interpreting, judging and evaluating the accountability and success of school policies and classroom processes.
