Goal Setting for Students

How soon do we begin goal-setting with our students? That is, at what age are children ready to reflect upon their learning, set goals accordingly, and work to achieve those goals.

All students, I would not hesitate to guess, can look around themselves and compared with their classmates, come up with a judgement as to how they are doing in comparison. There seems to be a competition already in first grade. Boykin and Noguera (2011) maintain that it is a combination of the assets a student brings to class, the relationships between the student and the teacher, and the environment a student finds in the classroom that will determine the ease of which a student might gain a sense of self-determination that leads to achievement. More simply, if a student feels safe enough to take a risk or venture a suggestion or set and achieve a goal, that student will have the confidence to be in control of his or her own learning.

Therefore, a teacher could and should begin setting goals with students as soon as the classroom climate allows it. Once students feel they can set and achieve goals, they should be allowed and encouraged to do so.

Another approach to learning goals grows out of conception known as self-determination theory (Ryan & Deci, 2000). This conception is itself an outgrowth of White's (1959) seminal work on the notion of competence. The claim is that accomplishing a challenging task and causing a desired effect to occur are inherently enjoyable. The logic follows that the more self-determined the act, the more a sense of competence ensues. Being  guided by self-determination, while engaged in an activity, results in optimal motivation levels. It is further postulated that people are more self-determined when they feel a sense of autonomy in their pursuits, rather than when they feel their pursuits are controlled through coercion, external rewards, or guilt/sham avoidance. Autonomy is conceived as a distinct from notions such as individualism and independence. (p. 84, Boykin & Noguera, 2012)

As soon as students feel confident enough to self-regulate and reflect on their learning, they can be expected to set and achieve goals.

Students also need to feel safe and secure in the knowledge that their teacher is looking out for their best interests, believes in them, and allows them the space to learn or not as the case may be.