Goal Setting
Setting goals, both inside the classroom and outside the classroom, is crucial in making sure we achieve what we want to with our time and abilities. It is fundamental to the Academic Mentoring process, and here we like to make sure our goals are SMART goals.
SMART Goals
S.M.A.R.T goals refer to Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timeframed goals, both short term and long term. It is important to not only set S.M.A.R.T goals, but to practice the skill of goal setting, because it is a skill that applies to all aspects of our lives
Specific Be clear about what you want to achieve. Measurable Make sure you will be able to track your progress. Attainable Make sure it is achievable/doable. Relevant Make sure it is a sensible thing to achieve. Time-Bound Set a time frame or deadline. |
Elements of SMART Goals
SPECIFIC
A specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished than a general goal. To set a specific goal you must answer the six ‘W’ questions:
- Who: Who is involved?
- What: What do I want to accomplish?
- Where: Identify a location.
- When: Identify a time frame.
- Which: Identify what it will take/things that could stop you.
Example:
General goal: Pass NCEA Level 1
Specific goal: Gain all credits that are available to me and attend tutorials in English and Science every week during Terms 1 and 2.
MEASURABLE
Establish a way of measuring your progress towards each goal that you set. When you measure your progress, you stay on track, reach your target dates and experience the gratification of achievement that spurs you on to continued effort required to reach your goal.
To determine if your goal is measurable, ask questions such as:
- How much?
- How many?
- How will I know when it is accomplished?
Example:
Unmeasurable goal: To improve my attendance
Measurable goal: To gain 100% attendance in all of my classes by week 6 of Term 1.
ATTAINABLE
When you identify goals that are most important to you, you begin to figure out ways you can make them come true. You can achieve any goal you set when you plan your steps wisely and establish a time frame that allows you to carry out those steps.
RELEVANT
A goal must be relevant and realistic in order to be attainable, and only you can decide just how high that attainable bench mark is. Make sure that every goal represents substantial progress and that you are pushing yourself to achieve at the highest level you are capable of.
It is impossible to give an example of this because everyone has their own idea of what is realistic and attainable to them. Your goal is probably realistic if you truly believe that it can be accomplished.
TIME-BOUND
A goal should be set within a time frame. With no time frame tied to it there is no sense of urgency. You can set short and long term time frames, depending on the type of goal you are setting.
Examples:
Short term goal: To pass my Music AS91092 internal assessment.
Short term time framed goal: I will attend Music tutorials once a week for the next four weeks and get help with my compositions for AS91092.
Long term goal: To gain an Excellence endorsement in NCEA Level 1.
Long term time framed goal: I will gain at least 50 Excellence credits in my internal assessments before November 7th, 2015.