SMART Life Goals

Facilitated by:

Why do we set goals?

How effective is your current method of

goal setting?

Life Goals- Training Objectives

The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don't define

them, or ever seriously consider them as believable or achievable.

Winners can tell you where they are going, what they plan to do along the

way, and who will be sharing the adventure with them.

Denis Watley

Method 1 – GPA Handout pg 3-4

• G – Describe your goal.• P – Explain your plan to achieve your

goal.• A – List the action steps to achieve

your goal.

Method found in: Strategies for Success: Student Activity 9.1 and in AVID College and Careers

Group Goal

• As a group, you will write one goal for the topic assigned to you by the presenter.

Method 2Method 2SSMMAARRTT Goals

SS MM AA RR TT

SSMMAARRTT GoalsSpecificSpecific

What are you going to do?What are you going to do?Why is it important? Why is it important? What do you want to ultimately accomplish?What do you want to ultimately accomplish?How are you going to do it?How are you going to do it?

Goals should be clear and easily understood.Goals should be clear and easily understood.

General Goal: Get in shape.Specific Goal: Join a health club and workout 3

days a week.

SSMMAARRTT GoalsMeasurableMeasurable

If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.

Establish concrete criteria for measuring progress.

Ask yourself, “How will I know when my goal is accomplished?”

SSMMAARRTT GoalsAction Oriented

What are you going to do to accomplish your goal?

Use action words such as direct, organize, develop, build, etc.

Sometimes, the A is Attainable. Goals have to be achievable; however, they must also be enough of a stretch or challenge so there is a feeling of accomplishment.

SSMMAARRTT Goals

RealisticThe goal must represent an objective

toward which you are both willing and able to work.

Set the bar high enough for a satisfying achievement.

SSMMAARRTT Goals

Timely

A goal should be grounded within a time frame.

Without time, there is no sense of urgency; the commitment is too vague.

Method 2Method 2SSMMAARRTT Goals

SSpecific MMeasurable AAction Oriented RRealistic TTimely

From: AVID Elementary curriculum

GPA / SGPA / SMMAARRTT Goals

Practice writing goals, based on what you’ve learned in the training today:

• One goal for yourself• One goal for your students

• Pair/Share with elbow partner.

Crystallize your goals. Make a plan for achieving them and set yourself a

deadline. Then, with supreme confidence, determination and

disregard for obstacles and other people's criticisms, carry out your

plan.Paul Meyer

Procrastination

“Procrastination is the thief of time.”

Edward Young (1683-1765)

How do we help students combat Procrastination?

Procrastination

Steps to the Cure• Realize you are delaying something

unnecessarily.• Discover the real reasons for your delay.

List them.• Dispute those real reasons by writing

Positive Reactions and overcome them. Be vigorous.

• Begin the task.p. 134 Student Success

You have to set goals that are almost out of reach. If you set a goal that is

attainable without much work or thought, you are stuck with

something below your true talent and potential.Steve Garvey

Life Goals Essay

• Is it important for students to be able to formulate clear, concise goals on their own?

• The AVID unit that covers this is the Life Goals Essay

Life Goals

High School Writing, Expository Writing, Explanation of Life Goals, pp. 285-299

AVID College and Careers, GPA Goal Setting, p. 23

Strategies for Success, Goal-Setting, pp. 125-135.

Brainstorm

• List as many of your career goals as possible in the allotted time.

• List as many of your personal goals as possible in the allotted time.

• Identify the most important goal in each category.

Prewriting

Place the top goals in a cluster circle.

Goal 1Goal 1 Steps I still need to take.

What I’ve already

done/am doing

Life Goals

• Quickwrite-– Why are these goals important to you?

Be as specific and detailed as possible.

Model Life Goal Essays

Form TriadsRead the sample essay in its entiretyReread and note examples that make

the paper effective (Rubric)Discuss findingsJoin with another grade level group to

discuss common findings

Life Goals• Middle School – success in middle and high

school.• 9th grade – success in high school• 10th grade – high school as prep for college• 11th grade - planning for college and

career• 12th grade – specific approach to the

college admission and school selection process AND/OR college admission essay.

pp. 294-295 HS W

Best Practices

How are your students doing at setting goals?

How will you utilize the information from this professional development

session?What is your next step?

Closer for the Day!

• Popcorn:– What important things have you learned

today in all our workshops?

– Like Popcorn, pop up and call out an idea at random regarding the question. Stand up and call out ideas, sitting down after sharing.

Thanks for Your Participation

• Presenter contact information