Weblog of Wesley Fryer

Goal setting is VERY important, not only for academic or professional success but also for life in general. I am a firm believer that students who have a goal-orientation in life tend to think at least a bit more about their actions inside and outside the classroom during their teenage years than kids who don’t have any idea what they want to do with their life down the road.

In college I remember learning (and having to memorize) “The Six Dynamics of Goal Setting.” These included things like set high but achievable goals, be realistic, expect frustration, and persevere despite frustration. I can only remember four of the six items, so perhaps the other two elements weren’t as important. (Clearly they were not as memorable.)

I’ve been more recently acquainted with the S.M.A.R.T. Goals framework, which includes setting goals that are specific, measureable, aligned, realistic, and timebound. In order to set a goal, a person or a team needs to define the tasks, the targets, the time frames, prioritize tasks, and then coordinate resources to accomplish the tasks.

I like these guidelines for goal setting. As you set your own goals, and work with students in setting both personal and academic goals, you might consider using these elements as a framework. WikiPedia has an article on “SMART (project management)” which may also be of interest with respect to goal setting.

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goal, goals, setting

On this day..

• Face the Facebook: Implications and Consequences for Educators Using Social Media by Colin Webb - 2012
• Harnessing the Digital Landscape by David Warlick - 2012
• Look at Me Now! Changing the Face of Professional Development - 2012
• Learning About Notetaking on the iPad at @thedivorg via @ipadwithwes - 2012
• The Story of 1:1 Learning in Tupelo, Mississippi #msmeca11 - 2011
• Podcasting & Mobile Media for Teaching & Learning by Larry Anderson #msmeca11 - 2011
• Cartooning Around in Language Arts by Malia Triggs #msmeca11 - 2011
• Choose teaching - 2010
• Telling a story with Google Search queries - 2010
• Notes from a Canadian Yoda: Darren Kuropatwa at METC 2010 - 2010