As we prepare for Session II, we revisit our commitment to daily goal setting and self reflection.  The following post was originally published March 24, 2008.

How do we weave goal setting and self-reflection into the daily fabric of our instructional practice? Read on for some practical ideas.

As a teacher, I formally addressed goal setting at three points during the semester: 1) the first week of class, 2) the chapter on plans and goals in my ESL curriculum, and 3) the last week of instruction. 

Then I read a couple of articles that prompted me to rethink how, when, and why we set goals and reflect on our progress as adult learners.  These articles spurred me to integrate goal setting and self-reflection into my daily instructional practice by using mini-goals, learner logs and weekly evaluations. 

Click on the following hyperlink for a few practical ways to integrate goal setting and self-reflection into your daily instructional practice: 

Goal Setting and Reflection

 Below, I include hyperlinks to two articles — with excerpts to whet your reading appetite. 

Article 1:  Integrating Goal-Setting into Instructional Practice - offered by an adult education ESOL program in Massachusetts:

“At The Center for New Americans, we have developed a successful classroom-based approach that helps students explore the goals they reported at the intake interview so that they become more specific, measurable, achievable, and realistic. Teachers then link these goals directly to classroom activities. Connecting learners’ goals and class instruction helps teachers meet students’ needs and allows students to experience success in meeting their goals, which contributes to their increased motivation and persistence. “

Article 2: Paul Trunnell, from Harborside Community Center in East Boston, describes two successful ongoing assessment procedures:  the learning log and the skills evaluation sheet in his article “Self-Assessment: Doing and Reflecting.”

“This article focuses on self-assessment and the activation of the learner. A major assumption behind self-assessment is that learners are capable of evaluating themselves, that they have explicit goals, and that a process of self- evaluation will make them more motivated and aware of their own learning process. This process can make learning more meaningful and encourage learners to become active in shaping their own learning environment. “

I believe we can increase motivation and retention by establishing daily and weekly routines that help students 1) identify mini-goals, and 2) reflect on their progress in learner logs and weekly evaluations.  Please share your thoughts and experiences on goal setting and reflection in the comment area.