Goal Setting & Monitoring
Overview
Goal-setting and monitoring involves teachers working with students to set individualized academic or behavioral goals, plan actions to achieve those goals, and track progress. Goal-setting and monitoring are key skills to becoming a self-regulated learner. They involve complex metacognitive processes, and therefore should be implemented in a developmentally appropriate way. That is, teachers should introduce and model the process while providing ongoing support,encouragement and feedback. Teachers' feedback assists in establishing attainable goals and effectively tracking their progress. It provides insights that students may struggle to gather independently, ultimately guiding them toward necessary adjustments goal attainment. As students build their skills, there should be a gradual increase in the learners' responsibility for their own goal-setting and monitoring. As students track their achievements, it enhances Motivation. Goal-setting and self-monitoring are core components of self-determination that have shown a positive impact on the academic achievement of elementary and secondary students with learning disabilities.
Example: Use This Strategy in the Classroom
Watch how a ninth-grade science teacher employs a variety of techniques, including frequent checks for understanding and feedback, to assist students in setting goals and actively monitoring their progress toward specific learning targets.
Design It into Your Product
Additional Resources
Additional examples, research, and professional development. These resources are possible representations of this strategy, not endorsements.
Factors Supported by this Strategy
More Metacognitive Supports Strategies
When students are able to encourage themselves through kind and motivating self-statements, they are practicing positive self-talk.
