Why Goal-Setting Is Important For Students

Most teachers have a general sense of why goal-setting is important for students, but the truth goes far beyond “it’s good to have a goal.”

1. Learn about students’s greatest passions and dreams. The goals students have shared with me are so far beyond anything I would’ve predicted for them. Taking their goals seriously helps me build trust and be with them as people.
2. Create a culture of us vs. the goal. A student may feel like their teachers don’t care at all about their dreams because they never ask about them. By setting myself up to be an ally, I can create a greater sense of community with students.
3. Connect real-world goals to class goals. I had a student who wanted to be a rapper–he had no idea that it could connect to English/language arts! By making time to show him ways he could connect his goal to class work, he began to work harder and attend class more.

Goal Setting Journal Prompts

1. What do you want to be/do/have? This question was first raised in Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
2. What is your big dream? After be/do/have brainstorming, students can choose one as a main focus.
3. What is your goal for the year? Many students say, “Get good grades,” but by starting with their big dreams, we can consider what steps they could take this year to get closer to their goals. Maybe they need to develop a habit or gain certain knowledge or skills. By showing them that they are not “waiting for their lives to begin,” they see that they can take real action now.

What about the student who says they don’t know? Great! Let’s get that out in the open. Lots of people don’t know what they want–even adults. There’s a goal for this: explore a variety of topics and activities. Some will get crossed off the list and some may ignite a passion. Trial-and-error is a normal process. What a great opportunity to teach it.

The Importance of Goal Setting for Students

I have used this success journal to begin an academic intervention course where we work on study skills (and homework completion). By engaging in yearly goal-setting, students are creating a bigger vision for themselves than “getting through” coursework and tapping into their deeper motivations for academic success. I get to learn so much about my students’ long-term goals in this process while teaching them key skills in prioritization and planning, without which, dreams never become reality. This could also be done in an ELA class with a focus on the literacy and literary skills they will learn in the class that will help them succeed.