120 hr. TEFL Course Module 8-Lesson Planning (Pt.4 Types of Objectives)

Module 8: Lesson planning

Types of objectives

There are a few different types of objectives that you can frame your lesson plans around, so let’s review each kind.

Cognitive objectives: Cognitive objectives refer to students enriching their knowledge, demonstrating their knowledge, and practicing skills related to the knowledge they are enriching. In cognitive objectives, students are expected to comprehend, apply, and synthesize their knowledge.

Psychomotor objectives: Psychomotor objectives are less common in a mainstream classroom, as they apply to dexterity and physical coordination. These types of objectives are more common in early education and education for students who struggle with coordination and dexterity (disabled students or students who have suffered an injury).

Attitudinal objectives: These objectives are rare as lesson objectives and more purposeful when used as classroom objectives. Attitudinal objectives require students to behave in a certain way, which is more likely a concern for the classroom all year rather than a concern for a specific lesson.