5 Aspects of Effective Student Goal-Setting

Goal-setting is both a way to empower students (when we set goals for them) and for them to demonstrate ownership (when they set and track their own goals). When students set goals, they also view scaffolding as a series of steps to help them achieve their goals. There are five aspects to effective goals. 

Growth-Driven

First, effective goals are growth-driven. In other words, they are focused on progress. For example, a growth-driven goal for a secondary student struggling with study skills might be: To increase my understanding of content, demonstrated by a higher grade on my report card, by taking notes in class, annotating the notes and reviewing them daily. Although there are specific steps to achieve the goal that are included, notice there is an emphasis on increasing understanding. Students need to see that progress is what is important, in addition to achieving certain benchmarks. 

Offer Structure

Goals should also offer structure to students. Notice in the prior goal that the increased understanding will come from taking notes in class, annotating the notes and reviewing them daily. Those are three detailed actions that are shown to increase comprehension. The structure also includes a time frame—these are actions to take daily. Finally, there is a guideline for success—demonstrated by a higher grade on the report card. 

Attainable

Goals should also be attainable. One of my students wanted to set a goal that he would earn an A in all his classes. Prior to this, he had a D average. Although I wanted to have high expectations, I didn’t want to set him up for failure. We agreed that the focus would be to improve his grade at least one letter grade in reading/language arts and in math, and that we would make similar goals for the other subjects during the next grading period. He reluctantly agreed, and he also agreed to concentrate additional effort in those two subjects. We also discussed exactly what he needed to do to achieve a higher grade, and I built in additional support (including learning packets he could work on at home) for him. The result? At the end of the grading period, he earned a B in math and a C in reading/language arts. He was very proud, and his confidence soared. Over the year, he continued to work in all subjects, and ended the year with a B average. 

Learning-Oriented

Larry Ferlazzo, in Self-Driven Learning: Teaching Strategies for Student Motivation (2013), points out there are two types of goals. Sometimes we set performance goals, such as “I’ll make an A”; alternatively we set learning goals like “I’ll read more challenging books.” Although both are acceptable, learning goals provide more authenticity for students. Performance goals can actually narrow a student’s focus and can impede progress when there is not a direct relationship between the goal and the outcome. For example, if my goal is to make an A and I study hard and only make a B, it can undermine my self-confidence.

Learning goals are far more effective. They provide opportunities for students to find creative ways to meet their goals, use problem-solving strategies, and focus on overall improvement rather than a single point in time.

Specific

Finally, goals must be specific. Sometimes, in our zeal to write goals that are attainable, we make them too broad. For example, I will do better in class may be a worthy goal, but how is it measured? What does it mean? Better in terms of behavior? Grades? We need to go back to some of our earlier examples and reframe it as: During the next two weeks, I will improve my behavior by staying in my seat and not interrupting my teacher when she is talking. I will improve my learning by completing my work on time, asking my teacher for help when I need it, finishing my homework, and staying after school for help on Thursdays.

Goal-Setting Activities

I like using vision letters, folders and posters to help struggling students describe their goals. In a vision letter, students imagine it is the end of the school year (or grading period) and,  as they look backward, they discover being in x grade was their best year ever. They write a letter to a friend describing what made being in that grade so great, and by doing so, they define their vision for a good year.

In this sample, a ninth-grader wrote her letter for the second semester in Algebra 1. Shakierra was a student who struggled in math first semester, but you can tell from the letter that she wanted to improve. 

After reading the letter, the teacher met with Shakierra. They agreed to take several steps to help her improve. The teacher moved Shakierra to the front of the room to help her avoid looking at boys in class. Shakierra agreed to have her sister or cousin sign off on her homework. By the end of the semester, Shakierra earned a B in class. 

You can adapt this with folders and posters. In these cases, students cut out or draw pictures or words and paste them on the poster to showcase their vision. If you choose to use a folder, you can use the panels to divide the year into four time periods, setting a vision for smaller intervals.

Another goal-setting activity is to use the Pizza Wheel. Students write different categories around the wheel such as homework, reading, math, friends, etc. then write their goals for each area. You can revisit the goals periodically. 

Building Relationships 

Building relationships is another critical social skill. Students respond more positively to scaffolding when you have a positive relationship with them. Tom Roderick, executive director of Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility and author of A School of Our Own: Parents, Power, and Community at the East Harlem Block Schools, describes several community-building activities to foster a culture of respect.

A Final Note

Helping students set goals is an important part of learning and tracking progress. Provide opportunities for students to create their own goals, but also teach them how to set goals for the most impact.