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Time

2-5 minutes

Level

Primary / Junior / Intermediate

Material

Post-it Notes

Purpose

To help students develop goal-setting skills and understand that goals have lots of smaller steps

Provide each student with a Post-it Note.

Instruct students to:

  • Identify a goal for the lesson/period (e.g., I will complete the outline for my paragraph).
  • Write the goal on the Post-it Note.

Support:

  • While students are working, circulate and identify what the student intends to complete and discuss the goal as appropriate.

Reflect:

  • Ask students to review their goal.
  • Self-assess if the goal was realistic or not.
  • Determine what they might do differently or what is left to do next time.
  • Complementary practice: Check it off (Creative and critical thinking (executive functioning))
  • Use a graphic organizer or journal to regularly set goals.
  • Place a mini white-board, sticky notes or a notepad on each desk and make this a regular activity.

Goal setting and self-monitoring, in an academic learning environment, are critical skills to effective organization for a student. Organization skills are intricately linked to academic achievement and therefore, any organization skills taught to a student further their potential for success (Anderson, Munk, Young, Conley & Caldarella, 2008; Boller, 2008).

Anderson, D. H., Munk, J. A. H., Young, K. R., Conley, L., & Caldarella, P. (2008). Teaching organizational skills to promote academic achievement in behaviorally challenged students. Teaching Exceptional Children, 40(4), 6-13.

Boller, B. (2008). Teaching organizational skills in middle school: Moving toward independence. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 81(4), 169-171.