The first task that every school should set for its teachers is to assist the students set goals for themselves. The aim of this student goal setting program should be to teach the students the value of self-organization and discipline.
The goal setting should be done by the students themselves, and should be based on their belief, skills and abilities. They must realize that they are the task setters as well as the task achievers.
These goals should then be posted in the classrooms so that the students don’t loose track of their targets. They should be assisted in their task by breaking down the main goal into several small sub-goals.
There should be a regular review done by the teachers. This review should be done in a spirit of camaraderie. Whenever a teacher feels that a student is trying to overachieve, the teacher should scale down the goals.
The students should at all points of time feel motivated and involved in the process. This can only happen if the teachers pat the students whenever they achieve a target, and guide them whenever they are falling behind.
The teachers must avoid egging students forward. They must realize that all students are not equal. There will be some who will achieve their goals faster; and there will be many who will take years to achieve their goals. The teachers should never make the mistake of pitting students against each other.
They must remember that goal setting is a personal task, and not a classroom activity. The role of the teachers is to show the way and not to push the students to achieve the impossible.
Also, as far as possible these goals should revolve around educational activities. The teachers should be in a position to extend the right advice, and the students should also learn.
