Toward the end of the 2017/18 school year I asked my 5th-12th humanities classes to create individual websites and blogs in order to showcase their work and develop their 21st Century literacy skills. The intention , according to my personal SMART Goal, was to provide students a place to reflect on their work and progress in order to align with our school's chosen EdElements Core 4 focus of "Student Reflection and Ownership."
Despite some student frustration at learning the new skill set, I am pleased at the results and how simple assessment became.
The 2018/19 school year will emphasize student learning profiles and goal setting. Last year students often used research topics as the focus of their site. This year they will put themselves and their learning on center stage.
Decades of research in student achievement and human motivation have shown that the ability to set goals is a teachable skill and one that is central to personal growth and achievement. As this Harvard study indicates, in the classroom, student goal setting is the difference between students who are passive receivers of information (maybe) and active participants in their own education. The Center on Education Policy considers motivation the missing piece in school reform and cites goal-setting in this well-researched paper as an integral part of student motivation. The Renzulli Center emphasizes the importance of goal setting in achievement, as well. Hint: Kids who take an active role and ownership are far more successful in school. Adults who take an active role and ownership are far more successful in life.
For Pro-Tips on Goal Setting check out the hyperlinked resources in this post and the following YouTube videos:
Mulligan Brothers- Motivational Video (People who don't have goals work for people who do.)
In the first quarter of 2018/19 students in my humanities classes will be asked to develop an electronic student learning profile/portfolio, i.e. website, featuring a variety of data from test results in addition to their reflections on their personal strengths, weaknesses, & goals. The end result will be assessed via rubric and be a significant portion of their quarter grade.
Most students will need a significant amount of coaching in order to successfully participate in this activity. This will give my co-teacher, Robanne Stading, and I the opportunity to work with motivated students individually and in groups on strategies for goal-setting and reflection and make those skills directly relevant to their success. The skills they learn in order to be successful on their "homework" are transferable, then, to the rest of their lives.
KPBSD is intentionally working toward improving student achievement by incorporating these practices into every classroom. As an educator, I am pleased to be given the opportunity to mindfully practice goal-setting with my students and in my own life.
Having laid the electronic portfolio groundwork last year by requiring websites, I anticipate that morphing those sites into a reflection and goal setting platform will not be too much of a challenge for my students.
Keep your fingers crossed.
