Module 18 As a Proficient Teacher, planning our lesson needs careful thinking particularly in addressing

the key question “What should the students know and realistically be able to do by the end of
SET ACHIEVABLE AND APPROPRIATE LEARNING the class, an assignment, an activity or a quarter?”
OUTCOMES THAT ALIGNED WITH LEARNING
COMPETENCIES The difference between learning outcomes and learning competencies is that the former focus
on the application and integration of the content knowledge from the perspective of the
learners. They can more explicitly and directly address expectations for student learning.

Instead of focusing on coverage of material, learning outcomes articulate how students will
be able to employ the material, both in the context of the class and more broadly (University
of Toronto, n.d). Learning outcomes include products or performance targets our learners
need to demonstrate by the end of a particular assignment, class or any learning activity.
With this in mind, we need to ask ourselves questions like “How do we plan our lesson?”
“How do we make these learning competencies come alive in our learners’ behavior?” In setting learning outcomes, we should think of active verbs that would demonstrate our
learners’ knowledge and understanding in terms of specific actions. With this, it is helpful to
The challenge then for us teachers, is to consider learning outcomes as part of our review the different cognitive skills as listed in Bloom’s/Anderson Krathwohl’s Taxonomy.
instructional planning because they describe how our learners utilize the knowledge they have
acquired. Taxonomies of Cognitive Domain

ACHIEVABLE LEARNING OUTCOME is a set within the range of abilities of the

learners (Academic Programmes Quality Resources Unit, University of Malta, 2009)
APPROPRIATE LEARNING OUTCOME is targetting relevant skills, knowledge, and
attitudes.
ALIGNMENT WITH THE COMPETENCY is the congruence of the learning outcomes to
the level of knowledge, skills, and attitudes described in the competency.
LEARNING COMPETENCIES These refer to the knowledge, understandings, skills and
attitudes the students need to demonstrate. There are particular learning competencies set for
every lesson/learning activity. (Department of Education, 2015)
 Compute the measures of central tendency (mean, median, mode)
(BEHAVIOR)
in a simple survey
(CONDITION)
accurately.
(CRITERIA)

Since the key verb- illustrates in the learning competency operates at the application level,
Teacher Shiela crafts a learning outcome that will enable her learners to use the knowledge in
a concrete situation. Here, the learning outcome and the learning competency are aligned
since both operate at the same cognitive level.
As you notice, the learning outcome contains three parts.
Since learning outcomes are built from the content and performance content standards, we
have to observe these principles: 1. BEHAVIOR: an action verb to describe what students will be able to do as a result of a
learning activity
1. They should be achievable. 2. CONDITION: an environment or situation in which the students will perform the behavior
They should be set within the range of abilities of the learners (Academic or the tools/information they will be given when they demonstrate their learning
Programmes Quality & Resources Unit, University of Malta, 2009) 3. CRITERIA: are limits or range of successful learning, i.e., addressing the question of how
2. They should be appropriate. well the learner has to perform for one to be able to say that the LO has been achieved.
They should be targeting relevant skills, knowledge, and attitudes. Source: Academic Programmes Quality & Resources Unit, University of Malta (2009).
3. They should be aligned with the learning competencies.
They should be in congruence with the learning competencies set for the learning 3. Plan a learning activity that will reinforce the teaching based on the set outcome.
area and level. Performance Task:
1. Conduct a simple survey among your twenty classmates on the question: How do
PRACTICE NO. 1: you spend your leisure time?
‘Teacher Shiela is a Junior High School Math Teacher for Grade 7 students. She will teach 2. Present these data in a frequency distribution.
the competency Illustrates the measures of central tendency (mean, median, and mode) of a 3. Compute for the mean, median and mode.
statistical data M7SP-IVf-1. During her lesson planning, she asks herself, “How would I 4. Interpret these measures of central tendency.
want my students to use the knowledge about measures of central tendency? Believing that it
is not enough to have her students solve problems in the textbook, she thinks of allowing her Teacher Shiela thinks of a performance task that will develop the learning outcome.
students to work in appropriate performance task.’
Here, the teacher sets the learning outcomes by deconstructing the competency.
HOW TO DO IT In deconstructing or unpacking the competency, the teacher should:
1. Identify whether the competency describes knowledge, reasoning, skills, or product
1. Identify the cognitive level of the competency. learning target.
Illustrates the measures of central tendency (mean, median, and mode) of a 2. Consider the knowledge, reasoning, and/or skills prerequisite to the competency.
statistical data M7SP-IVf-1. These questions can be used as guide:
Teacher Shiela analyzes the learning competency by looking at its key verb. The a. What does a learner need to know and understand to attain mastery on this
verb illustrates works at the application level of cognitive domain. competency?
b. What patterns of reasoning, if any, are required to attain mastery of this
2. Think about what the learners should be able to know or demonstrate after the competency?
instruction. c. On what specific performance skills, if any, must learner attain proficiency
Learning Outcome (LO): to attain mastery of this competency?
 d. What products, if any, would learners be proficient in creating if they have 2. Responding: reacting to a stimulus, e.g., participating in a discussion
mastered this competency? 3. Valuing: attaching value to an object, phenomenon, behavior or principle, e.g.,
demonstrate appreciation of good teamwork
While setting the learning outcomes, we, as teachers need to consider and answer these key 4. Organization: organizing different values into the beginning of an internally
questions. consistent value system, e.g., adopt a systematic approach to problem solving
5. Characterizing: internalizing a value system & behaving accordingly in a pervasive,
consistent & predictable manner, e.g. ,display self-reliance, work independently &
diligently, act ethically. For each level, here are sample action verbs that you can use to
set the learning outcome.

In any instructional activity, we need to self-evaluate the learning outcomes that we have
crafted. Popenic and Milla (2015) present the features of effective learning outcomes:
1. Learning outcomes are clearly stated, in clear and unambiguous language.
Use active verbs that specifically describe the expected knowledge, skill,
understanding or attitudes the students need to demonstrate.
Avoid using the terms “know” or “understand”. Instead, find accurate verbs
to describe their learning.
2. They should clearly indicate what the students should learn.
Learning outcomes should accurately tell the content the students should
learn or demonstrate.
3. They provide a guide for the development of learning activities, teaching and
assessment. Learning outcome for psychomotor domain
Learning outcomes should establish systematic instructional planning linking As part of his instructional plan in PE for Grade 8 students, Teacher Mark tells his students to
teaching methodologies to assessment. prepare a daily physical activity program for the class- a learning outcome he sets in
4. They can be assessed effectively – you can envision assessment tasks able to culmination of his weekly instruction.
achieve this. For the psychomotor domain, Simpson (1972) specified seven levels (from lowest order
Learning outcomes should be measurable. processes to highest):
Learning outcome for affective domain 1. Perception: using sense organs to obtain cues about a motor activity, e.g., repeat o
ral instructions for performing an experiment
With this performance standard for Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao for Grade I, Naipakikita ang 2. Set: demonstrating readiness to take a particular action, e.g., explain the series of
kakayahan nang may tiwala sa sarili, Teacher sets learning outcomes that will enable her steps involved in a process
pupils to demonstrate their abilities and talents through different ways- singing, dancing, 3. Guided response: early stage of learning a performance skill including imitation and
reciting a poem, acting, etc. trial-and-error, e.g., follow directions
To set the outcome for the affective domain, you should consider Bloom’s levels of processes 4. Mechanism: later stage of learning a performance skill when it can be performed
(from lowest order to the highest). with proficiency,e.g., follow the same procedure smoothly and confidently
5. Complex overt response: skillful performance of a complex movement pattern, e.g.,
1. Receiving: attending to a stimulus, e.g., listening to instructions perform a routine procedure quickly
 6. Adaptation: skills that are so well-developed that the individual can modify them to
fit the situation, e.g., alter a routine procedure to deal with an unfamiliar problem
7. Origination: creating new movement patterns based on highly developed skills, e.g.,
develop a new procedure to deal with new situations

For each level, here are sample action verbs that you can use to set the learning outcome