“Goal setting is not just reserved for adults; it is a skill that can significantly impact a student's academic success and personal development.” At Daniel Elementary, students have not only learned to set goals, but to reflect on them and take ownership of their learning. In a February Daniel Family Newsletter, Dr. McDonald writes, “Setting goals provides students with a sense of purpose and direction. When students have a clear goal in mind, whether it's achieving a specific grade, mastering a new skill, or participating in a competition, they are more likely to stay focused and motivated.”
The current impact of goal setting began in August during the back-to-school professional learning sessions. Teachers were introduced to various ideas for goal setting during this time. A digital template was developed with the Units of Study Checklist in mind. This template serves as a hybrid, allowing for the capture of hard-copy work while utilizing Mote (an NISD purchased extension) for explanation and reflection on goals.
Kelli Baugh (5th Grade Teacher at Daniel Elementary) and Mikayla Payne (5th Grade Teacher at Roanoke Elementary) were two teachers who found immediate value in using this digital goal setting template. After incorporating the reading goals template, Mrs. Payne requested a writing template to help students with writing goals as well. One of the benefits of District Professional Learning is that it brings teachers together and helps inspire teachers with new ideas.
Not only was goal setting shared with 2nd to 5th grade teachers at Professional Learning, but Daniel Elementary along with several other campuses set student goal setting as a primary focus within their campus problem of practice. This common campus goal has become a focus for all teachers.
Kelli Baugh has led the team in not only implementing the reading and writing goal setting templates with her students, but also in incorporating math and science templates as well. With the help of her team, Kelli has students use THESE CUSTOMIZABLE TEMPLATES to reflect on goals across all core content areas. The 4th and 5th grade teams at Daniel have worked together to standardize the process, creating a culture of continuous goal setting for every student. Students capture images of their hard-copy goal charts, then use Mote to explain their goals and outline the steps they will take to achieve them. Another benefit to the digital goal setting process is it allows for goals to be easily shared with families as partners in their child’s learning. Each student’s goal setting link is shared with a QR code on student journals for parents to access and view. |
These students had the opportunity to showcase their growth and goal-setting process with the community at the NISD Expo in February. It was evident that these students know how to set strong goals, reflect effectively, and readjust as needed. They demonstrate ownership of their learning and have developed habits that will extend beyond their 5th-grade class.
