With the new year right around the corner, we tend to reflect on the things we accomplished and what we can do to improve on the quality of our lives, both personally and professionally in the next year. So setting goals is especially popular this time of year, and often, as life keeps going, those goals fall by the wayside. It has been proven that the small, consistent habits are what will actually make the biggest difference in your life. So in this episode I wanted to share my thoughts on goal setting with our EL students and what better time to do that than at the start of a year.

I have been guilty in the past of making new years resolutions with no strong why attatched, no quantitative measure of success, and were ultimately unsuccessful. After doing some research I have found that it is actually the small, consistent habits you build day after day that make the biggest changes in your life.

So, when is the best time to set goal with your students? There are 4 good times I recommend: At the beginning of the school year, at the beginning of the new year in January, at the start of a new trimester or semester, and after receiving your ACCESS or other standardized test scores. 

How does it work? As teachers, we are good at breaking things down into manageable chunks. The goal needs to be somewhat tangible. Ask questions to help students get more specific with the goal they have set. Asking questions like “what steps can you take?” or “how will you know if you’re successful?” can help students develop their ideas into SMART goals. SMART Goals are specific, measurable, actionable, relevant, and timely. 

I created an ESL goal setting packet that you can use with EL students in goal setting and reflecting on their progress toward their goal. This activity has 4 parts that you will hear described in the episode. 

• Part 1: My word of the year. 
• Part 2: My vision board. 
• Part 3: My weekly goal and reflection. 
• Part 4: My celebrations. 

What you will hear about in this episode

• The anatomy of a goal
• The 4 times during the school year when its good to set goals
• A 4 part activity you can use to set goals with your students.

Resources

As mentioned in the episode, I am linking some useful resources!

• The ESL Teaching Roadmap – membership community for middle and high school ESL/ELL teachers. As a thank you for listening, use code ESLPODCAST for 10% off when you join. 
• 25 Authentic Speaking Activities for Your ESL Classroom
• Simply Ieva ESL Teachers Pay Teachers Store
• Teachable Platform - Courses and Workshops
• Follow me on Instagram 
• Join the Simply Ieva Facebook Group 
• Simply Ieva Youtube Channel

You may also be interested in: 

• The Goal Setting Packet 
• Blog Post - How to Help your ESL Students with Goal Setting Worksheets

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