Goal Setting For the Win!

Goal Setting For the Win!
Goal setting is a very powerful teaching tool that should be used in every classroom across grade levels! Creating small, attainable goals helps students to achieve success and boost their self-confidence. Setting academic goals also helps students to know what to focus on, and motivates them to do so. Not all learners are intrinsically motivated, so doing goal setting with your students helps to instill that motivation and drive for success within themselves.

Goal setting can yield powerful results and success in the classroom- both for the students AND the teacher!

It’s extremely heartwarming to see the look on the kids faces and hear their excited conversations when they find out they have achieved a goal they set! In my classroom, I goal set with the kids prior to each SRI assessment, and prior to the district Math and ELA benchmarks.  It really is a powerful tool to help students focus on a specific skill, motivate them to learn, and helps them to feel accomplished when meeting their goals.  Those who don’t achieve their goals are generally further motivated to  work harder until they accomplish what they’d like to.  My school site additionally does goal setting with each student in grades 3-6 prior to SBAC testing as well (you can see an example of this below). It really does serve as a motivational tool and helps give them a purpose and something to really strive for. 

So how exactly can you implement goal setting? It’s easy! Here’s how you can get started:

     
1) Have frequent Growth Mindset conversations with your class.  Let me know that they CAN accomplish ANYTHING they set their mind to.  Let them know that you believe in them, and that you are here to help them accomplish their goals.  

2) Meet one-on-one with students prior to a test you would like to goal set for.  Show them their score on the last (similar) test, and then help them pick an attainable goal for the upcoming test.  Discuss specifically what they will need to do to achieve their goal, and what they might need from you to accomplish this goal.

3) Provide them with some sort of paper that records their previous score (see examples above), and then add their current goal as you are discussing with them.  This can simply be done on a sticky note that they can just stick right on their desk and have as a constant reminder.  Or you can have them complete a more in-depth template where they might record their thoughts, ideas, etc. as in the examples above.  Either way is equally as powerful as long as the right conversations are being had!  

Collaboratively Learning,

Megan Brown

megan.brown@omsd.net