You’ve heard it. That groan that seems to echo off the walls. You’ve just told your class it’s time to set some goals and they don’t seem impressed. As teachers, we want our students to reach their full potential. We know that there are benefits to goal setting in the classroom. But what exactly are those benefits and how do we get our middle-schoolers on board?
1. Goal-Setting in the Classroom = A Clear Path to Success
Sometimes goals can seem insurmountable for our students. They know that they need to set them but they don’t actually know how to do it. That’s why it’s important to have a clear path to success. Read this post to find out how you can teach your students to set S.M.A.R.T. goals.
Because you are explicitly teaching and coaching them along the way, your students will know exactly what steps they need to do and in what order to achieve their goal.
Goal-setting in a classroom environment is the way to do this. When everyone is involved and working through the struggle together, you will get more buy-in.
2. Your Students Get to Take the Wheel
When students set their own goals and create an action plan they have taken an active role in their own learning and in their future success.
In order for them to commit to these goals, they need to see themselves in the driver’s seat. They need to be in control which means we can’t be the ones to tell them what their goals should be.
3. Time Management Becomes Attainable
We all know that our students can benefit from getting some help in the time management department. A lot of the time procrastination comes from not knowing what to do.
If our students know what they want to accomplish and they have steps to get there, they can organize their time at home and at school more effectively.
Most importantly, it helps them to do the next right thing because they actually know what that is! Yes, that’s a Frozen 2 reference. And yes, my kids have been watching a lot of Frozen these days.
4. Gives them a Reason to Celebrate!
Our students need to be able to recognize moments of success. Many times they don’t see those moments because they’re focused on the outcome. When they haven’t reached that desired outcome they can’t see all the progress they made along the way.
Setting goals and tracking them can help students actually notice those small moments of success. That’s what will keep them motivated and working towards the rest of their goal.
5. Boosts that Self-Confidence
When goal-setting becomes a habit in your classroom, you will start to see a real boost to self-confidence. Let me tell you a little bit about something I noticed in my classroom.
Weekly reflections are a big part of our classroom and as report card time was coming, I wanted to know what my students were proud of from Term 1 so I had them write about it. This was a struggle for a lot of them and I was shocked!
“But what if we aren’t proud of anything?” one girl asked. That’s when we had to stop and reflect. I actually had to pinpoint moments of success she had. This sparked a lot of discussion.
“If we can’t see the growth, then are we really learning? If we’re not learning, then what’s the point?”
That was the moment things changed in our class. The goals became less about what grade they wanted and more about the skills they wanted to learn. Self-confidence started to rise and their mindsets started to shift away from grades being such a big part of their identity.
Yes, it takes effort but like all things classroom management, the benefits are huge! (Read this post all about the best ways to set classroom expectations for more classroom management tips.)
If you’re looking for some help to get started with goal-setting in the classroom, check out this bundle! It has everything you need to make setting and reflecting on goals a regular part of your classroom community.
- Goal-Setting Writing Prompts will make it easy for you to get your students reflecting on the importance of setting and achieving their goals.
- Weekly Reflection Exit Tickets keep your students focused on their goals and provides them with opportunities to reflect on their learning each week.
- Monthly Reflections and Learning Skills are reflection sheets that allow you to see where your students’ strengths lie and areas where they need your assistance to improve. You will be able to keep track of their goals and if they are able to explain how they know they have met them or not.
- Student Name Tags are an excellent way to brighten up your students’ desks and keep their goals front and centre.
Get started with goal-setting and watch the transformation in your students!
