Teachers and students alike can benefit from incorporating goal setting in their regular routines, according to the Iowa State University NDT Resource Center. Students tend to reach higher academic standards when they participate in developing goals as they take ownership of the goal and the plans to achieve it. Teachers can keep students focused on written goals and can expect more effective cooperation from students involved in the goal setting.
Step 1
Ask for suggestions from students about possible goals the class may strive for. Explain that goals are not wishes, but specific measurable achievements. Take suggestions and write each idea on the board.
Step 2
Talk about the ideas and their value to the students. Lead discussions about the validity and importance of each idea. Allow the students to vote one goal toward which the entire class can work. According to the National Institute for Literacy, students are more apt to fulfill their goals when they are excited about and vested in the outcome.
Step 3
Outline a plan of action to achieve the one chosen goal. Write down all suggestions and then go over the possibilities and discuss the rationality of each step. Through a consensus process, define the steps that the class ends up with and write them on the board for everyone to copy. According to the Iowa State University NDT Resource Center, students are more likely to participate in the process when they have clear and objective goals.
Step 4
Set a date for completion of the goal. Include discussion of the class progress at regular intervals. Use the opportunity to teach young children how to use a calendar. Keep a calendar and mark off days passed and count the days to the goal date. For older students, teachers should provoke discussions about their progress and revisit the original goal to determine whether it is still realistic or needs some changes.
Step 5
Encourage students to set up personal goals and to utilize the same process you're using with the class. Students may share their goals and subsequent progress or maintain privacy and share about the experience at the end of a specified time frame.
Tips and Warnings
- Provide students with a prepared form that they can fill out to work on their personal goal strategies. Include space for the goal and places to write what is needed to achieve the goal, the time frame, and progress notes.
- Sometimes goals are not achieved. Teachers should use the opportunity to teach students how to deal with failure. According to Good Character, the experience still can provide a positive learning experience, especially when students did everything they could to achieve success. Ask them to write about where they think they went wrong and to talk about how they feel. Instruct students to write a short paper about what they learned from the goal-setting process.
Things You'll Need
- Chalk
- Blackboard
- Prepared goal setting forms
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