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Teaching Students to Set High Goals


Do your students know how to set goals and create action plans to maximize their chances of success? If not, you might be interested to know that one of the strongest indicators of one's future success is the ability to set goals and take steps to achieve them. Yet we seldom teach our students these skills.

Whether it's due to lack of time or lack of awareness, goal-setting has not been a part of our traditional education system.

Fortunately, teaching students how to set goals is easy. To get started, read Goal Setting 101, a 3-part article that describes the process. Then download and print the Goal Tracker booklet, a student journal for recording goals and focusing on action steps.

Students begin by recording four goals for the grading period on the front inside cover of the booklet. Then each week they reflect on what steps they have taken toward their goals and what steps they plan to take in the coming week. At the end of the grading period, they share their successes with their classmates.

Using the Goal Tracker booklet makes the goal-setting process easier than ever, and the benefits will last a lifetime. It's time to get started now!

 

About the Author

Laura Candler has 29 years experience teaching elementary and middle school. She is a workshop consultant and the author of more than a dozen books for teachers, including Classroom Goal Setting. Laura is also the creator of the Teaching Resources Web site, and offers hundreds of free materials in her online File Cabinet at lauracandler.com. She is currently taking a year off from the classroom to create additional resources for teachers.