Now that report cards have officially transitioned to the new format where self-learning and reflection are the the key drivers, it is now more important than ever to have students fully understand what self-assessment and self-reflection really entails.
Self-assessment, self-reflection, goal setting...these terms are thrown everywhere, but do students REALLY know what these concepts mean so that it makes an impact on them?
It usually works like this. Teachers have the students come up with reflective statements about themselves and write up goals that they will work towards in the school year. While teachers are great with having their students do this, does it really stick with the students? Do the students ACTUALLY follow their self-assessments and work towards their goals? Do they truly see the value of all this and will, in turn, habitually set future goals beyond what is asked from the teachers?
As much as I would love to hear a “yes”, the majority of them will admit NO.
It's great that students are granted with the accountability to make decisions; however, they need a lot more coaching and time to get the ball rolling to actually work towards their goals and make them happen. (Think of all those New Year's resolutions that get broken by the first week). Students need to be "trained" in a sense, and they need to be involved to practice these skills to TRULY self-assess, self-reflect, and set goals. Many teachers have done an excellent job with embedding SEL (Social and Emotional Learning) into their lessons. Though teachers would love to expand on these skills, many unfortunately don't have enough hours in a school year to dive deeper into these topics while covering the year's curriculum at the same time.
I'm sure that most of you have talked to your children about the importance of goal setting. Talking about setting goals is one thing. Following through and sticking to your goals is a whole new set of skills that need to be honed. To do these both successfully, students need to develop a growth mindset and build habits to form accountability, and this takes time and patience. Parents want to give the best for their kids and though we always have great intentions, we sometimes just don't have the patience and time for that. And as most of us can relate, it's REALLY hard to teach your own kids. Take it from me! I can manage a classroom of students no problem, but when I come home, it's a whole new ball game.
We want our children to be independent and responsible learners who can take charge of their learning and be motivated to succeed. Our schools are shifting towards that by redesigning the curriculum and fostering a more inclusive SEL approach to education. We are on the right track, and it's now more important than ever to keep the momentum going.
As a parent, I'm thankful that the schools have made the shift.
As an educator, I'm excited to begin Ready to Set Goals to develop curriculum and deliver programs to motivate, teach and provide students with the tools they need to form effective life-long habits to take control of their learning.
As an educator and parent, I'm ready to enlighten parents around the topics of growth mindset and SEL through my blog posts.
I hope that all you parents out there are also on board to be Ready to Set Goals for yourself to understand a little more about growth mindset so that you can continue to support your children to succeed.
I hope you join me as you know what they say... “it takes a village to raise (and educate) a child.”
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