Goal-setting. Please refer to aforementioned tangent. Bar graphs work great as they help students visualize an upward slope of progress toward an academic goal. You achieved your best score on a science test all year by participating more in small groups and completing all your homework!” is much better than “Great job! Many educators find that using the SMART format—goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely—is practical and reasonable, and keeps students on track. His areas of research and expertise include student-centered learning, program evaluation, systems, and leadership. Let’s try that again. We’re going to the rug.” They hated loved it. The end achievement is important, but growth and progress monitoring along the way is possible even more of a key to students learning how to set and attain goals. The next thing we do is select our incentive. Because managing 20+ miniature humans IS EXACTLY like herding cats. I set WEEKLY goals myself just to get through the week. Of course there are many goals students can work to achieve, but in this post I want to focus on goals that students can set for themselves as readers. Examples of non-academic classroom goals are: Create a zero waste classroom; Create a kind classroom ; Eat healthier as a class; Get fit as a class; Become informed citizens We then go through the suggestions and have some great conversations about what specific and realistic actually mean: This one is specific, but not realistic. https://www.lauracandler.com/tips-for-classroom-goal-setting And how does that go along with your “oops?” New quarter starts tomorrow and I want to be ready! Classroom goals needn’t be academic. Educators love to celebrate successes of their students. ), set a specific goal for growth (for example, using a stopwatch or other timer and sticking to a one-minute transition time), and plan a reward system for when the goal is met (the class reward will vary depending on grade level, but things like a popcorn party, a period spent … This chart helps students identity what is going well throughout the goal period, as well as brainstorm ways to improve in the future. Anyway, providing students with a voice in this process improves student engagement and increases student accountability. We reflect and discuss how we can improve the next day. But fiiiiiiirst…give me an ‘Ugh!’” Then I record one tally mark under the “Oops” column and students groan, “Ugh!” while shrugging their shoulders. It’s called the Jumbo Magnetic Spinner from Educational Insights. The groan occurs every time the mini humans earn an “oops” tally. Another way to add support for students is by providing them with appropriate websites to support their goals. My motto is: practice makes better. The beginning of the school year means it’s s.m.a.r.t goal-writing time for elementary teachers. Or do you still use the scoreboard for other positive behaviors overall that don’t necessarily relate to the goal (ex. “Oh Yeah” tallies reinforce wanted behaviors and are intended to encourage students to continue working towards meeting their goal. When establishing new class goals, the mini humans are heavily involved. I am a font snob and I have got to know what font are the words “oh yeah”, “scoreboard” and “oops”. Instead, I use those opportunities to review our goal and expectations. So why wouldn’t goal setting have the same affects on our kids? If students are working towards a brand new goal, we may decide that our goal must be met 3 out of 5 days. My students were more likely to work towards our goals and take it seriously when we brainstormed and wrote the goal together. Teachers routinely either validate these ideas as a likely outcome for the student, or conversely, squash the dream as attainable only by a small percentage of people - neither of which is effective, accurate, or motivating. A better approach is to help students reframe the dream into something that they have control over. Do you use the scoreboard only when they correctly achieve that goal throughout the day and vis versa? When the time comes to select a reward, a student spins the wheel and randomly selects an incentive. Someone give you a trophy. Therefore, we discuss that “oops moments” allow us to experience the effects of not following through with expectations so that we are better prepared in the future and can become more aware of our behavior. Insert tangent in 3, 2, 1—> One year, my kids were so heavy footed, I spontaneously created a chant so they would move to the carpet quietly. At the end of the day, the class has met their goal if they have earned more “Oh Yeah” tallies and/or if they have not exceeded the targeted number of oops tallies. On the side labeled “Plus”, students describe what went well. I was wondering how you implement your scoreboard. One way you can do this is by having different buckets of support materials in math and language arts. SETTING CLASSROOM GOALS THAT ARE SPECIFIC AND REALISTIC. If you are familiar with WBT, the scoreboard is a classroom management strategy that provides students with feedback about their behavior and/or the quality of their participation and engagement. The classroom setting has shifted for many students and is no longer located within the walls of a traditional classroom; however, educators can still stress the need and importance of goal setting with their students. If the teacher gives out a giant box of candy to anyone who participates in class or enters everyone into a drawing for a prize if they had good behavior, then they have entered into extrinsic rewards. Goal-setting for teachers involves creating professional, instruction-based objectives in areas where one needs improvement. Both “Oh Yeah” and “Oops” tallies start over each day. I record their responses on the board and then we vote for our top choices. This class is so amazing. So, what I’m basically saying is that a classroom with good management strategies in place, coupled with some good ol’ fashion goal setting is just like a well-groomed, well-choreographed dancing Britney Spears. So, be a 2000 Pop Queen Britney Spears and set those goals! Share with us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Identify goals for the class as a whole that are SMART, as identified in the EFF HOT Topics Spring 2001 issue: specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely. For example, when teachers set student-teacher relationship goals, their students were more likely to report viewing their teacher as a support and someone they were comfortable asking for help. This element of the goal-setting process typically comes into play when working toward a larger group or team goal. The scoreboard is divided into two sections: “Oh Yeah” and “Oops.”. The goal is written with specific and positive language so students know the desired behavior, rather than the undesired behavior. Reflect. Inspire a Love of Reading. The same passion for football can be restated as “My dream is to learn to be the best football player I can and to learn everything I can about all areas of playing, coaching, and managing a football team." Give me an ‘OH YEAH!’” Then I record one tally mark under the “Oh Yeah” column and students shout, “Oh yeah!” while clapping their hands once and raising their arms in the air to celebrate. As a class, we meet to discuss behaviors or routines we feel need the most improvement. This student counts the number of “Oh Yeah!” tallies and fills in the bar graph each day. I fill out the incentive plan on the Class Reward poster. Any idea where to get a spinning wheel? Would I sometimes strongly encourage a particular goal for my own good? The student then can connect shorter term goals in all areas to this dream - they may learn mathematics and close reading to negotiate contracts as a general manager, public speaking to give a press conference as a coach, or technology to make highlight tapes. Partner with students to apply the district vision to your classroom. It’s a good time to set/revise your goal for technology integration in the classroom. What is Include in the SMART Goal Setting Lessons. When establishing our class goal, students decide on the number of oops tallies they can receive in one day. I seriously need it! AMEN to that Amy! Since our class usually works on a goal for at least 2-3 weeks, we typically set a higher number of oops tallies in the beginning, and as the weeks go on, we begin to reduce the number of oops tallies allowed. Yes! A small recognition such as a tiny sticker with “well done!” on top of a paper is a way to recognize someone reached an academic goal. I’m very familiar with the WBT scoreboard technique since I used it last year. Like a real one. Goals for the virtual classroom are extremely important (maybe even more so than in a traditional setting). I’ve attached my affiliate link here: https://amzn.to/2MA9L9z. Why Set Goals? If you did a search on Pinterest or Google about goal setting, one word would keep recurring- smart. They would tip-toe and chant: “Marshmallow toes, so nobody knows. SMART goals work best for the short and medium term academic goals that many teachers work on with students. Smaller goals often fall flat without a link to students dreams and passions. The feedback goes something like this: “Uh oh! This concept relates to intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation. Once I take all of the suggestions, I focus in on two things: goals must be specific and realistic. Jeffrey Christo, Ed.D. Don’t just tell students what NOT to do, model for them what they CAN do. Setting classroom or group goals might be a way to model the process and thinking involved. “Great job! Depending on the duration of the goal period, I have students complete one or two Plus/Delta Charts. Goal setting is an important part of short and long term achievement for students in life and academics. I’m dramatic, so it usually goes something like this: (melodramatically motioning hand to chest) “I can’t even! Starting a new school year is a great time to reflect on the previous year and set new goals. Hi there! I would distribute tickets to a few kiddos or the entire class if I noticed awesome things. The font I used for “Oh Yeah” and “Oops” is called KG Blank Spaces by Kimberly Geswein (TeachersPayTeachers.com), Goal Setting: A Management Tool to improve Classroom Routines and Behaviors, 12 Ways to Build Strong Classroom Community – Education, 12 Ways to Build Strong Classroom Community With Students | TheQuestWeb, https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Voice-Check-Chart-EDITABLE-1297268, These Fourth Grade Classroom Management Ideas Will Make Your Teacher Life Easier | Far World News, The Best Fourth Grade Classroom Management Ideas and Tips | Hepcanta Education, Color Code Your Thinking – Developing Active and Thoughtful Readers, 5 Ways Hanging Files Will Help You Organize Your Classroom Like A Boss. When establishing new class goals, the mini humans are heavily involved. The SMART Goal Setting lessons includes teacher notes, classroom implementation suggestions, posters, and materials to walk students through the process of setting strategic, measurable, realistic goals with an action plan and a time limit.. Each of the SMART Goal Setting Lessons follows an I do, We do, and You do format. The scoreboard was a game changer for me and my students and is now my go to secret weapon. Goal 1: To strive to be the best infant teachers we can be. Small recognitions simply reinforce the work they did because it was an important goal internally to the student. Oops tallies DO NOT serve as a penalty and if the class exceeds the targeted number of oops tallies, NO punishment is enforced and points previously earned are NEVER deducted. Here are additional resources for supporting students to set goals: Setting SMART Goals Graphic Organizer, An Interactive Lesson Plan For Setting SMART Goals, Achieving A Goal Lesson Plan, and My Personal Goals Worksheet. It’s my way of maintaining a positive vibe and letting the mini humans know there are no hard feelings. We as adults set them all the time. But throw in a little student accountability and some incentives into the mix, and ohmygawd!