What are aims goals and objectives in teaching

 Aims ,Goals And Objectives: teaching is a practical activity and like any practical açtivity it must have some aim or set of aims. Aim provides purpose to teaching ,this is the kind of definition which allows us to talk about success or failure ,quality ,improvement etc. If sailing has no aim, then one might successfully sink. In the same way a clear conception of aims of education are necessary both for understanding of the enterprise and for assessing or designing any research on it. If we do not know the aim of education ,how can we assess whether any person has been successfully education, whether the way we are educating the children is effective and whether this is appropriate research or not .Quin (1989 p. 38) defines as :. Aims: To intend ,to determine a course ,purpose, intention, plan.    Goal:. The end towards which effort is directed. A condition or state to be brought about through a course of action.      Objective:.   Something towards which effort is directed ,goal or object, boundary, limit,.       Aims refer to general statements that describe expected life outcomes based on some value scheme borrowed from philosophy consciously and unconsciously .They are not directly related with school. Aims are starting point and provide overall direction and guidance to education. They provide direction to policy makers at different levels national, provincial and local. Curriculum     goals refer to school outcomes as a whole ,they are removed for immediate classroom assessment. So they lie in between middle of the aims- objectives and represent different aspects or major constituents of aim. So goals are derived from aims. An aim indicates the direction while a goal points the actual destination. Several goals may be derived from an aim.          Leonard and Utz (1974,p.88) mentioned that goals serve two main purpose.     1. They help us to put concepts in writing and indicate what the learners must know at the end of a course  (terminal goals) .  2.   They help the teacher and other concerned to bridge the gap between and aim at a specific objective.  Grounlund (1978) believes that objectives should be stated first in general terms ( understand ,appreciate etc) .the teacher should clarify the meaning of this objective by listening a few sample behaviours that would be acceptable as evidence that the student has reached the objective. Thus Grounlunds ,system is often used for writing objectives.     So aims are intention, the most broader concept ,while goal is end,some what narrow, and objective is time limited end. Certain philosophers have exercised to make distinction between objectives ,goals, purposes and aims ,not to mention differentiating between,for example the aim conceived for target of the enterprise and the aim conceived of as the endeavour.            

All educational programmes are based on aims, goals and objectives . Romiszowski (1981) refers to aims,goals and purpose as a general statement of intent, stated in in- put terms - for example ,to teach History ,to spread the gospel or in process terms- for example ,to solve mathematical problems. The statements are not stated in a systematic way.  However, Davies (1976) makes a distinction between aims and goals. He states that aims carry a greater probability that they will not be achieved, and there is almost an implicit feeling about them that they will somehow be very difficult to implement , Likewise ,the term  "aims" is used to signify a statement providing direction to the educational enterprise at a level of specificity and detail which is intermediate between the limits indicated by the goals.   The "goals" as being general objectives express an observable strategy, that  represent an attempt to operationalist the thinking represented by aim, to make it more practical and less theoretical  ( Davies 1976) ; that is "goals" are inferred descriptions or hypotheses. However ,in clear terms the "goals" signifies overall general  "goals " that are designed to provide a global direction to educational enterprise as a whole " Goals" are usually stated in broad comprehensive terms. An objective is more specific and describes definite activities .It provides both the teacher and the student with a great deal of concrete help and direction.   Moreover ,objectives have the following advantages in systematic instructional planning and hence we need objectives ,because;.   (a) .  Objectives form the framework for any instructional program built on a competency base, where student mastery of learning is the hoped for outcome.    (b) .  Objectives inform students what will be required of them .by knowing what to expect, students can better prepare their work.   (c) .  It helps the planning team to think in specific terms, and to organize and sequence the subject matter. (d) .  Objectives indicate the type and extent of activities that are required for successfully carrying out the learning.