An Update to Student Goal Setting

One of the most popular posts on my blog has been the post about Goal Setting in the Classroom.  I saw this idea last year on Twitter and knew right away that I wanted to incorporate it into my classroom. I created this chart and we used it for the second half of the year.  I was able to see not only the value of goal setting, but the value of having the goals front and center in the classroom. Students were aware of their goals on a weekly basis and were easily reminded of them when they were up and about in the classroom, in line to leave the classroom, or reminded of their goal by a friend(or a teacher)! 

This year, I have also incorporated an ACADEMIC and a BEHAVIOR goal for the students. The students need to create an academic goal and a behavior goal each Monday. They write an A- for Academic and a B- for Behavior. Pretty straight forward! :-) 

We try to focus on writing the goals in SMART goal format, but as you can see, that is a work in progress. Some weeks we do better than others. We will often sometimes share out our goals during morning meeting or "chat" with a friend about our goals and if we met our goals the previous week. Another way to help make them accountable! 

 We have also started a new reflection sheet for our data binders. We started by taking photos of our post-it notes and putting them in an album on our iPads, but I wanted them to have a reflection component. I found this great form and they fill it out each week. They write in their goals and how they will attempt to reach them. The following Monday, they reflect on if they met their goals and any strategies that helped them meet or not meet their goals. 

Here is a link to the site where I found the great weekly goal setting sheet. The parents have loved the weekly goal setting as well and will often encourage their child to perhaps set a goal in an area in which they are struggling. For example, maybe a child is having trouble remembering to finish their online math homework...they will suggest putting that as an academic goal for the week. Or maybe a child is struggling with bringing home their homework each night...that may be a suggestion. 

After using this system for the last 9 months, I highly recommend it as a way to keep your students accountable and encouraging a growth mindset inside of the classroom.