UNPACKING GOAL SETTING
Goal determination starts with students examining their present level of performance and deciding how they would like to be performing at goal completion. This information gathering establishes criteria and standards against which students can determine performance. Ultimately, the goal will encompass the present performance level; the change direction that addresses behavior that will increase, decrease, or be maintained; and the expected level of performance at goal attainment.
When wording the goal, be positive.
For example, if students turn in assignments after the due date, they might have the goal of “I will complete homework before the due date” instead of “I will quit turning in homework late.” Also, use verbs that show commitment when wording a goal. “I will” shows a more can-do attitude with the likelihood of success than “I would like to.”
Write it down.
Putting the goal in writing makes it more real and formalizes the intent.
Effective goals designate a specific result.
They can’t be too broad or vague such as “I want to be better at ____.” They are declarations of intention and are not wish list items (“I wish I could be on the honor roll”). They have to be realistic but also challenging enough to encourage performance effort. If too easy or too hard, motivation and commitment can be impaired. Sometimes it’s a good idea to have students rate the goal importance on a scale of 0 to 100 (0=not important to 100=very important). If the rating doesn’t seem high enough, they can refine the goal to increase significance. A similar rating might be done on student confidence in obtaining the goal.
Specific goals must also be measurable.
They designate “how much” needs to change and need precise amounts, dates, and other data to measure success. “I will write at least two paragraphs each day in my daily journal” is more measurable than “I will write more in my daily journal.” Many goals also will have to include “when” the goal will be reached.
Use SMART Goals.
Introduced decades ago, the SMART goal concept has evolved to usually stand for creating goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Results-oriented, and Timely. Supported by goal theory (Locke, 1996), the acronym SMART is a mnemonic, which is useful in goal setting.