I  think  I  need…  a  goal!  

Rebecca  Ratu  

 

Discipline  is  the  bridge  between  goals  and  accomplishment  

Jim  Rohn  (1994)1    

Let  the  journey  begin  

Our   school   recently   completed   a   review   of   the   Principles   of   Learning   and   Teaching  (http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/support/pages/principles12.aspx)   .   This  prompted  me  to  look  at  my  classroom  priorities  and  practices.    I  decided  to  review  the  way  in  which   I   challenge  and   support  my   students   to  move  beyond   superficial   understandings  and  develop  higher  order,  flexible  thinking,  and  to  use  goal  setting  as  a  framework  to  make  this  happen.  

I  began  by  supplying  each  of  my  Year  6  students  with  a  learning  journal.  I  explained  that  this  would  act  as  a  reflection  tool,  one  which  would  allow  us  to  gain  a  further  insight  into  their  thinking,  reflection  and  goal-­‐setting.  

Our   first  discussion  focused  on  a  series  of  questions  centered  on  thinking.    Students  were  asked   to   create   their   own   ‘Thinker   Profiles’.   They   were   provided   with   prompts   to   help  establish  their  profiles.  These  included  ‘What  type  of  thinker  are  you?’  ‘What  helps  you  to  think?’   ‘What  hinders  your   thinking?’     ‘What   is   the  main  purpose  of   thinking?’  and   ‘What  constitutes  a  ‘deep  thinker’?’  

                                                                                                                         1  Jim  Rohn.  (n.d.).  BrainyQuote.com.  Retrieved  July  2,  2013,  from  BrainyQuote.com  Web  site:  http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/jimrohn109882.html      

 

Thinker  Profile  template  here  

 

‘Thinking  consists  of  imagination’-­‐  Sammy  

‘Thinking  is  important  as  it  helps  me  to  learn’  Luca  

‘I  work  well  with  others  who  think  outside  the  box’  Brodie  

‘Thinking  assists  my  learning  in  so  many  ways’  Ethan  

‘I  can  ask  more  questions  and  set  higher  standards  to  be  a  better  thinker’  Eva  

 

Students  as  reflectors  

Following  this,  students  were  asked  to  share  their  thoughts  on  controversial  issues  such  as  competitive   sport,   capital   punishment,   democracy,   animal   testing   and   leadership.     After  completing  these  reflections,  I  asked  the  students  to  refer  back  to  their  thinker  profiles.  Did  they  feel  confident  with  their  own  thinking?    Did  they  need  a  specific  environment  in  which  to  best  achieve  deep  thoughts?  Were  they  independent  thinkers  or  did  they  work  best  in  a  group  situation?  

This  discussion  prompted  me  to  reflect  further.  As  a  result,  I  asked  my  pupils  to  complete  a  survey   on   how   they   see   themselves   as   thinkers   and   learners.     Students   were   asked   to  respond   to   questions   about   learning   from   mistakes,   their   preferred   learning   styles   and  purposes  for   learning.  The  data  collected  from  the  surveys   informed  my  next  step.       I  also  decided  to  discuss  ‘thinking’  with  my  students  more  explicitly.  

 ‘I  prefer  to  work  alone’  Ciara  

‘If  I  don’t  understand  something  I  always  ask  for  help’  Andy  

‘I  don’t  mind  making  mistakes  at  all.  I  know  I  can  learn  from  them’  Willis  

‘I  strongly  believe  we  need  to  be  given  feedback  to  help  us  reflect  on  our  learning’  Sierra  

‘Students  who  do  well  at  school  are  those  who  work  really  hard  and  think  about  what  they  are  doing’  Xavier  

Using  a  ‘circles’  format,  we  discussed  what  we  thought  a  good  thinker  was,  the  importance  of  thinking,  a  definition  of  critical  thinking  and  how  thinking  relates  to  group  work,  learning  and  goal  setting.  

‘A  good  thinker  blocks  out  all  distractions’  Drew  

‘I  can  brainstorm  and  plan  more  often  to  help  develop  my  thinking’  Elijah  

‘Challenging  myself  helps  me  to  think  deeply’  Sarah  

‘Critical  thinking  is  analyzing  and  breaking  things  down’  Tilly  

 

Thinking  about  thinking  

Next,  we  used  a   ‘Think,  Pair,  Share’  structure  to  brainstorm  synonyms  for  thinking.  Ending  with   a   joint   discussion   on   the   disposition   of   thinking,   we   discussed   the   use   of   these  synonyms   and   displayed   our   thinking   in   the   classroom.   Words   such   as   brainstorming,  wondering,  exploring,  reasoning,  checking,  researching  and  considering  were  shared.    I  was  extremely   impressed,   particularly   with   the   links   that   were   made   to   all   areas   of   the  curriculum.  Thinking  in  Mathematics  was  connected  to  deducing,  calculating  and  problem–solving.   Reflecting   and   deliberating   were   linked   to   the   writing   process.     Researching,  exploring  and  comparing  were  associated  with  multiple   learning  areas.     It  became  evident  that  my  students  were  inherently  thinking  about  their  thinking!  More  importantly,  they  had  independently   linked   their   thinking   to   reflecting   on   their   work   and   subsequently,   goal  setting  -­‐  which  was  my  intended  path.    

 

Whose  goal  is  it  anyway?  

Students   were   asked   to   record   four   learning   goals   for   the   term.     More   specifically,   I  encouraged   the   notation   of   a   Personal,   English,  Mathematics   and   Inquiry   based   goal.   To  assist  with  their  goal  setting   I  provided  students  with  copies  of  all  assessment  task  results  and   urged   them   to   review   peer   and   teacher   feedback   given   throughout   the   term.  Furthermore,   I   modelled   the   setting   of   goals   by   sharing   my   own   (as   part   of   the   staff  appraisal  /  mentoring  process).  

I  wanted  my  students  to  set  goals  to  help  their  growth,  yet  also  to  equip  them  with  a  sense  of  purpose  and  motivation.  In  addition,  I  wanted  students  to  seek  purpose  in  their  learning.  Students  completed  their   term  one  goals,  and  copies  were  distributed  to  both  myself  and  their  parents.  We  took  time  to  consider  that  often  success  was  a  team  effort  and  unifying  parents,  themselves  and  their  teacher(s)  in  the  goal  setting  process  would  be  a  much  more  proactive  approach.  

Each  student  was  sent  an  electronic  template  to  enter  their  data.  Their  learning  goals  were  accompanied  by  steps  taken  to  achieve  each  goal  and  a  section  allowing  the  predication  of  evidence-­‐  ‘How  will  I  show  I  achieved  my  goal?  Their  goal  template  also  included  an  action  plan  outlining  their  estimated  time  frame  for  goal  achievement.  

It  was   heartening   to  watch   this   process   in   action.  My   students   recorded   their   goals  with  ease  and  with  clear  purpose.  Irrespective  of  ability,  all  students  were  able  to  independently  pose  goals  which  they  showed  a  genuine  desire  to  achieve.    

After  creating  a  display,  I  began  to  think  about  ways  to  provide  sufficient  time  for  students  to  work  on  goal   achievement.   I   did  not  want   student   goals   to  make  a  nice   feature   in   the  classroom  but  not  be  discussed  or  achieved.  I  decided  to  involve  parents  in  discussions  and  review  at  home.   I   provided   students  with   time   to   focus  on   their   goals   for  homework  and  established  ‘goal  buddies’  as  a  form  of  peer  assessment  and  reflection.  

       

       

Goals  classroom  display’  

Student  goals  example  

I   asked  each   student   to   study   the   goals   set   by   their   peers   and  nominate   classmates   (and  associated  goals)   for  which   they  could  offer   ‘expert’  opinion  and  assistance.   I   encouraged  

students  not  to  make  their  selection  based  on  friendship  and  reminded  them  of  the  purpose  of  the  task-­‐  to  assist  peers  with  goal  achievement  and  growth.  

Students  were  subsequently  paired  with  ‘goal  buddies’.  Each  pair  was  given  one  nominated  goal   to   work   on.   Some   pairings   were   based   on   similar   concepts,   whereas   others  concentrated  on  two  very  different  areas  of  need.  With  the  purpose  of  the  task  made  clear,  the   students   were   given   time   to   prepare   tutorials,   activities   etc   to   best   support   their  partner.  

One  step  closer…  

Lucas  busily  gathered  work  sheets,  tips  and  a   list  of   interactive  games  to  assist  Sarah  with  her   decimals.   Meanwhile,   Zara   formulated   a   series   of   prompts   to   assist   Sam   complete  higher   quality   PowerPoint   presentations.   Kiara   found   a   ‘How   to   complete   long   division’  Youtube   clip   to   show   Niamh,   whereas   Billy   collected   overwrite   charts   and   dotted   thirds  paper   to   assist   his   partner   improve   their   handwriting.     With   an   obvious   sense   of  determination,  my   students   set  about   teaching  and   facilitating   the   learning  and   reflecting  that   was   taking   place.   They   researched,   explored,   and   brainstormed   solutions   to   their  partner’s   learning   needs.     Indeed,   they   had   begun   to   apply   all   the   synonyms   for   thinking  they  had  recorded  a  week  prior  and  I  could  not  have  been  prouder.  

Following   the  preparation   time,  my  students  were  allocated  a   lesson   to  enact   their  plans.  Prior  to  this  I  decided  to  review  the  learning  intention  and  success  criteria  of  the  session.  I  did  this  via  two  key  questions,  which  students  reflected  on  in  their  learning  journals.  ‘How  do   you   reflect   on   your   learning?’   and   ‘Why   is   it   important   to   reflect?       I   hoped   that   this  would   help   keep   discussions   on   track   and   promote   reflective   practice   within   their  partnerships.  

Although  student  responses  varied,  there  were  commonalities  too.    

‘I  reflect  on  my  learning  by  reading  feedback  my  teacher  gives  me’  Lucas  

‘I  reflect  on  my  learning  by  looking  at  gaps  and  setting  goals  to  get  better  at  those  things’  Bella  

‘  I  look  over  my  work  and  ask  questions  to  best  reflect  on  my  learning  and  growth’  Taj  

‘It  is  important  to  reflect  on  my  learning  so  I  improve  and  become  more  confident’  Willis  

‘Reflecting  and  thinking  about  my  learning  is  important  so  I  don’t  stop  learning’  Klara  

In   light   of   these   discussions,   students   began   to  work   through   their   nominated   goals.  My  observations  of   this  process  were  nothing   short  of  exhilaration.  Each  pair  was  engaged   in  the  task.  I  looked  around  the  room  with  excitement  to  see  one  student  instructing  another  on  correct  pencil  grip,  to  another  demonstrating  2  digit  multiplication  to  their  peer.  There  

were  laptops  being  used,  alongside  mini-­‐whiteboards  and  markers.  Notepads,  multi  -­‐media,  work   sheets   and   discussions   flowed.   Each   student   seemed   involved   and   completely  immersed  in  the  task  at  hand.      

If   everyone   is   thinking   alike,   then   somebody   isn't   thinking.   George   S.   Patton   (1945)i    

Thinking  with  clarity  

As  time  passed  I  hesitantly  asked  my  students  to  stop  assisting  one  another  and  complete  a  ‘buddy  reflection’.  I  wanted  them  to  provide  me  with  an  honest  account  of  the  process;  one  I  hoped  would  match  my  personal  observations  of  the  method.  I  asked  them  to  document  the  help  they  had  received,  further  action  needed  to  continue  accomplishing  their  goal  and  further  thoughts  on  the  ‘buddy’  arrangement.    

I  also  used   ‘exit  passes’  as  a   tool   to  end  this  sharing  session.   I  wanted   further   insight   into  how   effective   the   buddy   system   was   and   what   was   achieved   during   this   time.   The   exit  passes  each  had  a  prompt  -­‐  What  I   learnt,  What  a  classmate  helped  me  with,  A  question  I  still  have  and  things  I  am  still  unsure  of.  Sample  comments  found  on  exit  passes  included-­‐  

Something  I  learnt  about  my  writing-­‐  ‘Always  think,  does  this  affect  the  story  line  and  if  it  doesn’t  then  ask  is  it  really  needed’  Xavier  

Something  I  learnt  from  a  classmate-­‐  ‘New  websites  to  help  me  develop  my  algebra  skills’  James  

A  question  I  still  have-­‐  ‘Is  it  possible  to  do  a  3  digit  x  4  digit  multiplication  equation  not  4  digit  by  3  digits?’  Lucas  

I’m  still  not  sure  about  ‘My  joining  handwriting  technique’  Ava  

 

Where  to  now?  

I   read   the   reflections   and   exit   pass   responses  with   great   interest.   I  was   overjoyed   at   the  responses.  With  this  joy  came  a  sense  of  success  and  enjoyment,  yet  also  a  strange  feeling  of   discontentment.   The   dilemma   I   was   facing   was   ‘Where   to   now?’   Despite   the   obvious  success  of  the  procedure,  I  knew  that  my  students  would  tire  of  the  same  arrangement  (if  not  short  term,  further  down  the  track).  I  wanted  to  ensure  they  were  active  participants  in  their  own  thinking  and  reflecting.  I  was  also  troubled  that,  if  not  modeled  in  this  way,  would  my  students  still  set  goals  and  enthusiastically  strive  to  achieve  them  on  their  own  as  they  move  up  the  school?   ‘Would  they  need  to  be  pushed  to  reflect  on  their  own  learning  and  think  more  critically?’  I  decided  to  go  straight  to  the  source  and  ask  my  students!  

Using  a  think  board  technique  I  posed  questions  to  my  student  to  help  guide  my  next  step.  

Is  reflecting  on  my  work  and  setting  goals  important  to  sustain?  

‘Listening   attentively   and   brainstorming   well   constitutes   a   good   thinker   so   I   think   it   is  important  to  keep  working  on  it’’  Andy  

‘Yes,  the  more  you  learn,  the  more  you  know,  the  more  you  think’  Eva  

‘Thinking  helps  me  to  broaden  my  ideas  and  challenge  myself.  I  like  setting  goals  to  help  me  with  this  and  will  keep  doing  it’  Maddie  

 

A   new   term   began   and   with   it   a   decision   to   provide  my   students   with   a   new   forum   for  sharing   their  goals  and   thinking  about   their   learning.   I   supplied   them  with  a  calendar  and  goal  template.  

Calendar  template  

Calendar  template  

The   children   recorded   their   goals   for   Term   Two   and   marked   a   plan   of   attack   on   their  calendars.  One   student  with  a  personal  goal  of   ‘improving   freestyle   technique  and   speed’  annotated   the   calendar   with   a   weekly   note   for   swimming   lessons-­‐   ‘talk   to  my   instructor  about   my   arms’,   ‘review   my   breathing   with   my   teacher   today’.   Another   student   with   a  mathematics  goal  decided  to  use  tutoring  sessions  to  address  an  extension  of  fraction  based  skills   and   marked   these   sessions   on   their   calendar.   Adopting   a   different   approach   was  another   highly   enthused   learner   who   asked   to   copy   their   calendar,   take   it   home   for   the  fridge  and  concentrate  on  one  goal   for  a   fortnight,   followed  by   the  next,  allowing  a  more  thorough  concentrated  time  spent  reviewing  and  mastering  each  of  her   four  goals   for   the  term.  

With  collaboration  between  myself  and  parents,  my  students  used  these  planners  to  guide  goal   achievement.   They   felt  much  more  equipped   to  work  on   their   goals   and  how   it  best  suited  them.  This  systematic  approach  also  allowed  me  to  provide  additional  times  in  class  to  assist  each  student  and  meet  individual  needs.  

Before  Term  Two  got  into  full  swing  I  wanted  students  to  think  about  their  goals  and  be  in  a  position  to  work  through  any  possible  obstacles.  Using  De  Bono’s  6  Thinking  Hats   (1985)   I  requested  my  students  reflect  on  their  goals  from  different  perspectives  before  proceeding.  They  looked  at  what  could  go  wrong,  the  advantages  and  benefits  of  setting  such  goals,  how  they  would  organise  themselves,  what  alternatives  and  related  skills  were  required  to  help  achieve  their  goals  and  what  emotions  were   involved   in  goal  setting  and  accomplishment.  They  were  also  asked  to  review  what  their  prior  knowledge  was  and  how  such  knowledge  could  assist  them  with  their  goals  moving  forward.  Such  reflections  enabled  me  to  provide  specific  intervention  and  assistance  and  move  through  problems  and  possible  obstacles.  

Goals  and  beyond…  

My   next   challenge   was   to   move   beyond   goal   setting   reflection   time   and   create   an  environment  where   reflective  practice  and  deep   thinking  became  habitual,   irrespective  of  task.  

I  decided  to  use  a  ‘reflection  wheel’  as  part  of  my  daily  routine.  As  I  wanted  my  students  to  be   a   part   of   introducing   this   into   our   reflections,   I   asked   them   to   record   questions   and  prompts  they  thought  would  provoke  good  discussion  and  deeper  thoughts.  These  included-­‐  

• What  strategies  did  I  learn  and  apply  today?  • How  can  I  apply  what  I  have  learnt?  • What  did  I  find  challenging?  • How  can  I  extend  my  thinking  and  learning  further?  • Something  a  classmate  helped  me  with  today  • What  are  my  new  strengths?  • What  can  I  do  to  avoid  making  the  same  errors?  • How  might  I  do  better?  • What  strategies  can  I  use  to  help  retain  what  I  have  learnt?  • A  change  in  my  thinking  was…  • What  questions  do  I  still  have  

After   sharing   the   combined   responses  with  my   students   I   decided   to  make   the   reflection  wheel   and   use   the   suggested   prompts   to   evoke   deep   thinking   and   reflection   in   the  classroom.  

 

Reflection  wheel  

In   the   terms   that   followed  my  students  used   the   reflection  wheel  as  a  way   in  which   they  could  share  what  they  had  learnt  and  celebrate  their  goal  achievements.  This  regular  fixture  of   the   class   share   time   (used   alongside  other   tools)   became   the  main   articulation   tool   to  share  their  thoughts  about  their  learning.  

 

Challenging  times  

Despite  the  joys  and  successes  of  using  goals  as  the  framework  for  reflective  practice,  goal  setting  would  continue  to  be  an  ongoing  dilemma.  My  mind  swirled  with  questions  such  as  ‘Will  students  pose  goals  and  reflect  on  their  learning  without  prompting?  ‘How  do  students  know  what   they   don’t   know   and   need   to  work   on?’     I   concluded   that   goal   setting  was   a  dilemma  for  which  I  had  no  obvious  solutions  but  varied  tools  to  manage  and  encourage  my  students.    

The  more  I  learn,  the  more  I  learn  how  little  I  know.  –  Socrates  (c.470  BC  –  399  BC)ii  

Throughout   this   reflective   process   my   students   and   I   know   how  much   there   is   to   learn.  Recognising  the  gaps  in  our   learning  and  reflecting  along  the  way  is   important.   It  scaffolds  us,   inspires   us   and   helps   to   shape   us   as   learners.   My   story,   the   story   of   learners   in   my  classroom  is  a  never-­‐ending  one.    

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

                                                                                                                         i  War  As  I  Knew  It  (Bantam  War  Book)  by  George  S.  Patton  Jr  (1947)  ii  Bertrand  Russell,  in    A  History  of  Western  Philosophy,  Book  One,  Part  II,  Chapter  XI,  Socrates,  p.  90-­‐91