Getting There

Goal Setting - A Key To Getting There

by Dinah Sherrill

“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land; there is no other life but this.”

Henry David Thoreau
American Essayist, Poet and Philosopher
1817-1862

An educator who requires adult students to set educational goals will have a meaningful, life-changing effect on an adult learner’s persistence, motivation, self-efficacy, and ability to overcome barriers to participation. Literacy educators can help adult learners in “getting there” through goal setting. Hopes and dreams take form when goals are set and strategies to accomplish those goals are formulated benefiting the entire family.

Goals begin to form the moment the adult is asked to create them. Just knowing that a goal is going to be formed actually establishes learning priorities for the student. Most adult learners seek education due to a radical life change: marriage, divorce, loss of a loved one, promotion, or relocation. Learning opportunities are a means of coping with these changes. The adult realizes the new need for direction. A desire to change the way they are living is a means, not an end, for them. Because they are at a turning point, they readily accept forming educational goals.

Establishing goals is not an easy assignment for anyone; however, when an educator guides an individual in following simple steps, it becomes possible for learners. Goal setting is effortless when adult students understand the connection between goals and success.

Here are some key points for goal setting:

• Write goals and remain simple and positive.
• Some examples are:
  “I will communicate effectively using the English language.”
  “I will become a teacher.”
• Set a definite, reasonable time limit to avoid frustration.
• List possible distractions and a clear action to take when they arise.
• Make realistic goals, ones that are performance related, not outcome related.
• Form a method to measure the goal. An example for the English language learner is “My vocabulary will increase by 100 words each week.”

Above all, it is important that adult learners understand that setting and meeting goals is a lifelong process, not a one time event. It is in the process that new goals reveal themselves. This process consists of many gradual steps along the path.

After setting goals, it is important to provide students with strategies to meet their goals. Together the instructor and student can concentrate on the highest interest for the learner. These strategies called the ACTION plan may be divided into five elements:

• A = Accountability
• C = Continuous Review
• T = Timeline
• I = Individuality
• O = Objectives
• N = NOW

Accountability
There is a greater motivation to achieve success when loyalty to a peer learner is established. Students may arrange study sessions outside of class and discuss progress. An educator who encourages this accountability realizes that a respected peer learner can offer viewpoints from life experiences, improved analytical thinking and practical insight.

Continuous Review
The educator accepts that some students may over­state or understate their goals. At this point, a review is in order to prioritize. Students should know that their goals may change; the teacher observes progress and monitors when to raise the bar and encourage new goals. Some goals may need to be dropped and new ones created.

Timeline
Timelines provide a visual way of showing progress made toward their goal and can provide encouragement as well as an opportunity to make changes. It is a time to refer to past educational accomplishments and to recognize progress. Documentation can be done in a notebook, on a laptop, or in a journal.

Individuality
When the adult learner is aware of his or her strengths and weaknesses, then progress can be made. The individual may require coaching to recognize weaknesses needing to be strengthened. Busy lifestyles can lead to slow educational progress. Sometimes awareness is the first step to overcoming outside difficulties and then moving forward with educational goals.

Objectives
The key role of the educator is facilitating the adult learner in discovering what objectives are underlying his or her goals. What is the purpose/the intent of forming a goal? Usually finances are a motivating force. Fact versus fantasy drives many students into areas of learning.

Now
Action is the magic word, and the time is NOW! Adult learners, by this point, are empowered to actively participate in the learning experience and reshape their paths. The irony to “getting there” through setting goals is that once students find that they have reached a goal, there is a need to set more goals and continue the upward spiral to improving their quality of life.

About the Author

Dinah Sherrill, M.Ed., is a bilingual instructor of 28 years. She currently teaches both bilingual adults and elementary students in the Birdville ISD in Fort Worth, Texas. Dinah_Sherrill@birdville.k12.tx.us