RM Winter 2016 FLIP

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Reading Matters
Teaching Matters
Reading Matters | Volume 16 • Winter 2016 | |29|
during writing conferences helps to develop self-directed and
highly motivated writers. This in turn, can lead to increases in
self-efficacy, the belief about one’s ability to perform at a certain
level. Research indicates students who have higher self-efficacy are
more likely to be academically motivated and perform at a higher
level, even when faced with a difficult task (Schunk, 1990; 2003).
Setting the Stage for Goal Setting
Before beginning goal setting work with students, it is
important to spend time explicitly teaching students expectations,
modeling with examples and non-examples, and providing ample
opportunities for practice with feedback from the teacher. We
suggest teachers begin with a mini-lesson on goal setting. The
following sections provide a general guide for this introduction.
These steps may need to be adjusted based on the students’ needs,
the teachers’ style of instruction, and instructional time (Note:
this mini-lesson may need to be repeated over several days).
Steps for Introducing Goal Setting
First, have the class meet in the routine meeting area.
This could be in the reading center or on the floor in front
of the board. Begin by asking students, “What does it mean
to set a goal? Record student responses on chart paper or
board (see example, Figure 1). Allow students to share goals
they have set. These may or may not be academic goals.
Figure 1. Anchor chart used during goal setting mini-lesson.
Ask students “Why do we set goals?” Help students understand
that goals are set in order to improve in a specific area. For example,
“When I train to run a race, I like to set a personal goal so I can
improve my time. Each time I sign up for a race, I try to train so that
I can meet my set goal time. This helps me become a better, faster
runner.” After sharing a personal example, encourage students to
make connections to goals they have set for themselves. Support
students in applying this idea to writing by asking, “What types
of things can writer’s work on to improve their writing ability?”
Record student responses on chart paper (see example, Figure 2).
Figure 2. Student generated list of possible writing goals.
After, explain how students will begin to set goals for
their writing development and describe how the goals
will be used during writing conferences. Students need
to understand the components of an effective goal and
what is expected. A sample visual used to communicate
expectations for goal creation is provided in Figure 3.
Figure 3. Expectations for goal setting.