Goal Setting

Have you ever sat down with your students and talked about what their goals are...short term and long term?  "Adolescents who set reasonable goal levels of performance and reach that level feel proud and satisfied internally and become less dependent on parents, teachers, and bosses to give them rewards" (Dolgin, 2011).


Three times a year, my students take a formative assessment for math and reading.  They take it in the Fall, Winter, and Spring.   Each time that they take the test, they should see an increase in their score.  My job, as a teacher, is to sit down with the student after they take the test and discuss what a reasonable score for the next test session would be.  I do not tell the student what they need to score.  Rather, we have a conversation about what would be an obtainable goal and what they need to do to get there.  When my students meet or exceed their goals, they feel accomplished.  They feel satisfied internally, rather than needing external praise.  "A school is more likely to have an atmosphere of learning if students believe that they are responsible for their own learning rather than that they are being held responsible for it" (Dolgin, 2011).


It is truly inspirational to see self-motivated students in a classroom!  I promise...it is worth it to have goal setting conversations with your students!