What's an Objective Anyway?

Teacher trainers (and thus teacher trainees) can often be confused by the array of terminology used for describing goals and objectives in classroom/program planning. With the popularity of learner-centered and task-based learning, is it possible or even necessary to specify objectives when holistic "communicative competence" is the target of instruction? This article acknowledges the controversy among various language experts with regard to the definition and value of objectives. It also confirms the important role that various types of objectives can play in the second language classroom.