Resolutions Made SMARTer
by Angela Mansel, Professional Learning Specialist

STANDARD # 2: Understanding and Encouraging Student Learning, Growth and Development
Quality Indicator #2: Student goals

At the first of the year we make our resolutions in hopes that this year will be different. We’re finally going to lose that weight, find time to exercise, or save more money for the future. All too often, December rolls around and we haven’t even come close to meeting those lofty January expectations. What goes wrong? Why are these personal goals just so hard to keep?

While many of us don’t stick to our personal resolutions, teachers are experts at setting and reaching goals in our professional lives. We set out at the beginning of the school year with a list of learning goals that must be covered before the end of the year or even the end of the semester. We track those learning goals and monitor the success of our students and ourselves along the way. Then, once we get to the end of the year or semester, we reflect on how we did and what we can do better next time.

What is the difference between failed resolutions and successful learning goals? The answer to this question might improve our New Year’s Resolutions, but, more importantly, it will empower us to teach our students to set and keep goals. Both John Hattie (2012) and Robert Marzano (2007) refer to goal setting by students as one of the most effective learning strategies. It encourages a more active learning environment, which in turn leads to higher success for students. High quality goal setting does not come naturally, though. It is a strategy that needs to be taught in order to keep the goals from looking like the resolutions we don’t keep. One way of introducing goal setting is a widely used acronym, S.M.A.R.T.

S- Specific: Use language that is not vague.
Instead of “I’m going to be a good student in science this year,” say “I’m going to do all of my homework and complete the study guides to help me prepare for the tests in science. I will also pay attention in class and ask questions if I don’t understand.”

M- Measurable: How are you going to show progress towards your goal?
Ask these questions: How will I monitor my progress? What data am I going to use to show my progress? How will I know when I have reached my goal?

A - Attainable: Make it a goal that means something to you and that you can reach.
Remember not to make your goal so out of reach it isn’t worth trying for or so easy that it is accomplished without much effort.

R- Relevant: Is it something that relates to what you are doing right now?
The more relevant the goal, the more likely you’ll succeed.

T- Timely: What time limit have you put on yourself to meet this goal?
A time frame creates a sense of urgency and sets the goal in action.

The beginning of the calendar year is a great time to make those learning goals with our students, whether we are beginning a new semester with them or reflecting on their middle of the year testing. When students create their own goals and begin to see results, they gain more confidence, perform at a higher level, and are more motivated to learn—all of this just by including them in the goal setting that we already do naturally as teachers (Marzano, 2007).

So as we begin a New Year and think about crafting our resolutions, let’s be sure to think about our students’ goal-setting skills as well.  What might be some upcoming opportunities for you to expose your students to SMART learning goals?


Hattie, J. (2012). Visible learning for teachers: Maximizing impact on learning. New York, NY: Routledge.

Marzano, R.J. (2007). The art and science of teaching: A comprehensive framework for effective instruction. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Know Your Students
by Alma Pettenger, Professional Learning Specialist

Standard # 2: Understanding and Encouraging Student Learning, Growth and Development
Quality Indicator #5: Prior experiences, learning styles, multiple intelligences, strengths, and needs

Is your classroom designed around the content you are teaching or the students who are learning the content? It is imperative to understand that teachers do not just teach content; they teach content to students. For effective instruction to occur, teachers must not only know the content well, but they also must know the students to whom they intend to teach that content. Heacox (2007) writes, “Today’s classrooms reflect astonishing levels of academic diversity, and teachers report that the diversity of students seems to increase each year” (p. 19).  With this reality in mind, teachers must be intentional about developing strategies that allow them to know their students in order to lead them to academic success.

Although there are many important aspects about each student, the differentiated instruction philosophy suggests that teachers focus on just three: interest, readiness, and learning profile (Tomlinson, 1999).

·       Interest draws on the students’ passions or curiosities regardless of readiness levels and learning profile.  When I talk to teachers about the struggles they may be experiencing in the classroom, lack of motivation is often at the top of the list.  Even though teachers know that personal or situational interest is a motivator for students, translating that knowledge into lessons and strategies is a challenge.  How can teachers identify the interests of their students? One way is to have them fill out an interest survey. These surveys can yield valuable data that the teacher can use to differentiate instruction.  If students are interested, their level of motivation to learn is increased. “Allowing students to make choices based on their interests empowers them as learners and allows them to work more quickly and effectively through their work” (Turville, 2007, p. 5).

·       Readiness is where the student is in relationship to a particular learning goal.  An effective teacher assesses students’ levels of readiness prior to (pre-assessment), during (formative assessment), and at the end of (summative assessment) the lesson or unit.  “In a differentiated classroom we don’t separate assessment from instruction. We weave these two essential components of teaching together on the premise that we cannot have good assessment that does not instruct, and we cannot have good instruction that does not assess” (Wormeli, 2007, p. 67).  For differentiation to be effective, teachers need to know where each student begins and where he or she is in his or her journey towards meeting the success criteria of the lesson (Hattie, 2012).  It is this knowledge that allows teachers to respond to the learning needs of their students, determining where, when, and how differentiation might be needed. 

·       Learning Profile refers to ways in which we learn best as individuals. There are four factors that teachers can use to plan instruction that fit learners’ profiles: learning style, intelligence preference, gender, and culture (Tomlinson, 2001, p. 60).  These factors may suggest some ways of thinking about learning that can impact the way we plan instruction to meet students’ needs.   In her book How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed Ability Classrooms, Carol Ann Tomlinson (2001) shares some useful guidelines when responding to learning preferences:

o   Remember that some, but not all your students share your learning preference.

o   Help your students reflect on their own preferences. 

o   Use both teacher-structured and student-choice avenues to differentiation.

o   Start small; select a few learning-profile categories for emphasis as you begin.

o   Be a student of your students; learn as much as you can about them.

As we move into second semester, consider how you might look for opportunities to determine who your students are, where they are, and what they need to make the most of the months ahead.

Hattie, John (2012). Visible learning for teachers. New York, NY: Routledge.

Heacox, Diane (2007). Making Differentiation a Habit. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing.

Tomlinson, Carol Ann (2001). How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Tomlinson, Carol Ann (1999). The Differentiated Classroom. Alexandria, VA: ASDC.

Turville, Joni (2007). Differentiating by Student Interest.  New York, NY: Taylor and Francis.

Wormeli, Rick (2007). Differentiation: From Planning to Practice. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.