Goal Setting & Student Success
by Your K-12 Counseling Team | Friday, Jan 01, 2021
Introduction
January is “Get Organized Month!” Because we know the importance of getting organized and setting realistic goals, we wanted to be sure to offer some tools and tips on why it’s important to start early. This month’s topic is reflected through CASEL’s competency on self-management. According to CASEL, which is the evidenced based practice on the importance of incorporating social and emotional learning in schools, self-management is “the ability to manage one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors effectively in different situations and to achieve goals and aspirations ” (CASEL, 2020). As students learn the importance of setting realistic goals, they also begin to develop skills on growth-mindset and therefore why it’s important to start those conversations early on.
Making Goal Setting Easy
Kudar, which K-8 students will be able to explore this year, offers many great tips on making goal setting easy. Below are the ABC’s for introducing and encouraging students’ goal-setting !
A- Ask your children questions about what goal-setting is and why it’s important. Consider where to start and remind them that goals are like staircases, one step at a time.
B- Back them up by offering encouragement and help! Sometimes it’s important to set realistic goals and break them down into smaller steps.
C- Celebrate their success! What are ways that you can reward small improvements and big accomplishments? Talk about the hard-work and the achievement they created for themselves.
For more details and information on this topic, please click here to visit the Kudar website.
What students can expect from their school counselors this month:
Elementary:
It’s important that students learn about goal setting at a young age. This helps with manifesting positive mindsets and understanding the process of setting realistic goals. Through self-management, students can learn to adapt goal-setting skills and relate it back to their studies, hobbies, sports, and more. At this age, it’s important to discuss how goals take time, require work and adjustments, and that small steps are just as important as the big ones. Therefore, this month during SEL, students will learn about growth mindset and the goal-setting process. Some will set some realistic goals of their own!
Middle School:
Managing one’s thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are skills we begin to learn about from a young age. One way to continue to foster this growth is by setting healthy goals and achieving them. Setting goals can help clarify what is important and gives students a positive experience and personal satisfaction. This behavior can be modeled and scaffolded for students in order for them to practice and refine. At this age, goal setting can be modeled by educators and parents. In this month’s SEL lesson, Ms. Montes will be working through this process and together we will follow specific steps to writing our own goals.
High School:
The 10th grade shift to the university is a major transition for most students. Without academic guidance, students may find themselves taking courses that do not satisfy their degree requirements - prolonging graduation. It is important to have a clear academic path that works towards completing high school requirements and a college degree. Therefore, 9th grade students in S2S will be given an introduction to university registration, how to review high school graduation and IFP requirements, and how to utilize resources to locate important university information.
If you suspect your child is experiencing bullying, please encourage them to seek the support of the school counselor or other trusted adults.
January Dates of RecognitionJanuary - Get Organized Month & National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month January 18th - Martin Luther King, Jr., Day of Service |
Resources/References
Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL; 2020). SEL: What are the core competence areas and where are they promoted? https://casel.org/sel-framework/ .
Amy Khohhar (Kudar; 2020). Self-Management SEL Activity: Goal Setting for Elementary Students. https://www.kuder.com/blog/social-emotional-learning/self-management-sel-activity-goal-setting-for-elementary-students/