Set Learning Goals
Goal setting is one of the most important steps in creating meaningful learning experiences for students. While most teachers recognize the importance of goal setting, often it becomes a secondary exercise as interruptions and outside of class distractions take priority in the battle for time. However, just because something seems undoable, doesn't mean it actually is undoable. It really is a matter of priorities. If we want students to rise to the level demanded by newer, more rigorous standards, they have to feel a part of that process, otherwise all you have are obstinate teenagers rebeling against yet one more adult mandate. I believe the goal setting process could reap rewards with students as we seek to elevate and personalize their educational experiences. Making connections to what students value and see as beneficial in their soon-to-be "real life" makes the standards come alive for them. The 12 Touchstones of Good Teaching reminds educators of this very fact: "students' sense of 'fate control'—that is, the extent to which they feel they have some control over their own destinies—has a stronger link to achievement than all school-level variables combined" (Goodwin & Hubbell, 2013).
Some resources for setting goals and learning targets for teachers and their students can be found at the following locations:
- Edutopia: SMART Goal Setting with Your Students by Maurice Elias
- Advancing Formative Assessment in the Classroom: Chapter 2, Leveling the Playing Field: Sharing Learning Targets and Criteria for Success by Connie M. Moss and Susan M. Brookhart