Goal Setting 101

1. Goal Setting101 Presented by Myssi Turner

2. Goals for Today You will be able to… • understand the importance of setting goals • write and teach students to use SMART goals • use a variety of goal setting in the classroom (weekly testing, MAP, KCCT) • celebrate the successes

3. Why Set Goals? • Goals focus us on a specific target. • Without goals, we tend to become scattered in thoughts and actions. • Goals direct our minds on achievement. • Goal setting improves everyday actions and decision making. • Goal setting provides us with a sense of purpose and develops our skills.

4. “What STUDENTS think about and do with assessment results is as important as what adults think about and do with them…” Rick Stiggins

5. Why should I teach goal setting? Research on Goal Setting Ronald Taylor (1964) compared the goals of underachievers and achievers. He found that underachievers either had no particular goals, or if they did, aimed impossibly high. Achievers, by comparison, set realistic, attainable goals that were related to their school work. Robert Wood and Edwin Locke (1987) found a significant relationship between goals and self-efficacy: Students with a stronger sense of efficacy also set higher, but reachable, goals.  Wood and Locke also pointed out that more challenging goals usually prompt higher achievement. Challenge, of course, is in the eye of the beholder. Goals the teacher considers challenging may be seen as too stiff by some students, and laughably easy by others. The challenge for the teacher, then, is to assist students in setting reasonable goals for themselves. Albert Bandura and Dale Schunk (1981) showed that when elementary students are taught to carve up large, distant goals into smaller subgoals, several useful outcomes follow:  They make faster progress in learning skills or content, they learn an important self-regulation skill, and they improve their self-efficacy and interest in the task. In every class, there may be some students who already are skillful at goal-setting. On their own, gifted students– especially gifted girls– make frequent use of goal-setting and planning strategies. But all students will profit from careful thought about their achievement goals. Dale Schunk’s (1985) study of sixth grade learning disabled mathematics students showed that the best learning occurred not just when the students focused on short-term goals, but when they also had a say in goal-setting. Students showed more growth in self-efficacy and math skills when they participated in goal-setting. Specific goals are far more effective motivators than general ones, such as “Do your best.” When a student goal contains a clear performance standard, it cuts out a lot of guesswork about where to aim. Learning and self-efficacy are enhanced by specific goals, because it is easier for both teacher and student to gauge progress. Increases motivation, increases achievment, increases confidence!

6. Begin with the end in mind! From the smallest personal beginnings to the largest human triumphs, why are we here if not to dream? Dreams and goals shape children’s lives and motivate them to learn. Teachers play a critical role in helping young people discover who they are and encouraging their dreams and goals. Dreams are important for all ages! Dreams encompass goals. They give your life purpose, direction, and meaning. They shape your life choices, help you build toward the future, and give you a sense of control and hope. Dreamers are the ones who have the courage and creativity to see beyond “What is” to “What can be” to make a difference in their own life and the lives of others.

7. Think, Pair, Share • Think about your childhood. What did you dream of becoming? • If you are not what you thought you would be, what stopped you? • With your neighbor discuss what your dream was and what kept you from that dream. “The difference between a dream and a goal is ACTION!”

8. To set a positive tone for the school year and help young people develop important skills, it’s valuable to encourage students to think about their future and set goals they can work toward. Michael Jordan Story http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/michael-jordan-top-40-moments/bc3dd7de9d80967eb215bc3dd7de9d80967eb215-165629788895?q=michael%20jordan%20on%20youtube&FORM=VIRE1

9. Begin with the end in mind! • After getting to know your class data, what subject or sub area of a subject could use growth? • Set a goal for that area. Goals have to be SMART for you and for your students.

10. SMART GOALS • S: specific- The goal should identify a specific action or event that will take place. • M: measurable-The goal and its benefits should be quantifiable. • A: achievable-The goal should be attainable given available resources. • R: realistic-The goal should require you to stretch some, but allow the likelihood of success. • T: timely-The goal should state the time period in which it will be accomplished.

11. Tips that can help you set effective goals… • Develop several goals. A list of five to seven items gives you several things to work on over a period of time. Pick the most important goal(s). • State goals as declarations of intention: “I will try out for three clubs.” • Attach a date to each goal. State what you intend to accomplish and by when. Short term and long term goals should be included. • Be specific. “To raise my grade” is too general; “to raise my grade by 10%” is better. • Share your goals with someone who cares if you reach them. Sharing your intentions with your parents, your best friend, or your teacher will help ensure success. • Write down your goals and put them where you will see them. The more often you read your list, the more results you get. • Review and revise your list. Goal setting improves with practice, so play around with it!

13. How to begin… Smaller can be betterWhen it comes to goal setting, smaller is better.  Help your students set small, achievable goals that can be accomplished quickly. As you work through a project or unit, you can help them set more difficult and larger, longer-term goals. During the initial phase of any project, short-term goals that ensure immediate success are essential. Young students, in particular, are not able to focus on long-term goals. One setback during a long series of successes with short-term goals is much easier to handle than a larger set-back with one long-term goal.  As  Michael Jordan's advice states, “Step by step, I can’t see any other way...”

14. What to do... • Ideas to get you started • Discuss what a goal is… accept their ideas and work toward a common understanding that a goal is • Print the Michael Jordan goal-setting basketball story and share it with your students. • Work with your students to set three goals each week. A form (My Accomplishment Plan) is provided for the student to use. These goals should be specific so that it is easy for the student to recognize progress toward them. The goals should also be attainable...within the student's reach with reasonable effort. At the end of each week, review the student's Accomplishment Plan for the week and assist the student in developing new goals for the next week. • Find trade books that deal with kids meeting their goals/dreams. Read and discuss what worked for them. • Tell students about your own goals and if or how you have reached them. • Have students ask their parents what goals they have or had and how they work to met them. • Step by step lesson plan ideas are included in your packet. 

15. My Accomplishment Plan (What I Want to Do Better This Week) Name: _____________________________________ Week: _____________________________________

23. MAP Data and Goal Setting • Begin the year off analyzing your incoming students’ MAP data to help you make SMART goals on the area that needs the most growth. • Conference with students and have students graph or record their Spring scores before they take this year’s Fall test. • Have students set SMART goals to raise that percentage or RIT score. www.nwea.org Teacher reports give you percentage and RIT scores.

34. Goal Setting for KCCT • After analyzing the results, I placed the number of Distinguished, Proficient, Apprentice, and Novice on a spreadsheet for each individual tested grade. • Next, I found some music that would get the students pumped up. • I danced into the room with the music and let the song finish before I began. This really got the kids curious. • I told them that we had reason to celebrate! Scores were in from the KCCT! • I placed their scores on the document camera and explained what they meant. • I asked if they thought they could do better than last year’s third graders, etc. • I told them that I had visited the number 1 school in the state and they had scored only 13 points higher than us! • I asked students who would like to be number one in the state and what we could do to become number 1. • I had students set a goal for our school: 128 #1 in the State! • I had students list things they could do to help our school become number 1. • I had their teachers pledge to do something fun if they reached their goal and we posted that in the classroom. • I passed out the goal sheet for them to pledge what they would do and posted them as a bulletin board for all the school to see. • From there, I introduced the data analysis folders to help them goal set for weekly tests. This can be used for MAP goal setting, too.

38. Students list action plans to help our school meet the goal. – Listen better in class – Sit in a different location in class – Take good classroom notes – Participate in classroom discussions – Ask more questions when I don’t understand – Learn how to preview chapters before reading them – Read chapters before doing my homework – Do my best every day with behavior – Write down my assignments correctly in my planner – Learn how to study for tests – Ask someone to help me study – Hand in homework on time

39. Hallway bulletin board

41. Data Folders • Each student gets a manila folder with data analysis sheets and goal setting sheets stapled inside. • We wrote our learning targets on the outside of the folder. “I can analyze and reflect on my scores.” “I can set goals to improve my scores.” Model and explain how to use folders. • Students use their data folders to keep all scores graphed inside. This helps with visualizing how their pattern of scores look and makes them reflect on their scores. “I didn’t study for this test so my graph is thirty points lower!” • It also helps with parents during conferences. After the whole group introduction of how to use data folders and practicing together, students can do this independently at a center or as an anchor activity. Show video

44. Celebrate Successes! • Toast to the class- Kool-Aid in party glasses • Extra recess time • Eating lunch outside with the teacher and special friends • Chewing gum • No homework pass • Allow them to wear hats, pjs, etc. • Pizza party • Happy Dance!  School wide Congo Dance • School Wide Celebrations • BIG CELEBRATIONS

45. Your turn… Write a SMART Goal(s) that shows how you will use the information from this professional development.

48. Thanks for coming! Fill out an evaluation form and your PD or stipend form. Title: Goal Setting by Myssi Turner