Why Goals Are Important - University of Texas at El Paso

[Pages:1]Why Goals Are Important

1) Goals are guides for action. They direct, channel, and determine what students and teachers do.

2) Goals motivate behavior. Goals are motivators and energizers. No goals, no motivation.

3) Goals provide the basis for conflicts. Conflicts among students, among faculty and between students and faculty are resolved on the basis of what students and teachers want to accomplish.

4) Goals are prerequisite for assessment. Without knowing what the purpose of the activity is, no assessment can be conducted.

Goal Characteristic S: Specific

T: Measurable and Trackable A: Challenging but Achievable

R: Relevant

T: Transfer

Definition Of Characteristics Goals have to be specific enough so that they are clearly understood and a plan to achieve them can be developed. Specific goals indicate what needs to be done next. General and ambiguous goals do not guide action. Students and the teacher must be able to determine the extent to which students have reached their learning goals. Goals must be operationalized so that the steps to achieving the goal are clear and understandable. Students' goals must be just beyond their current competence level. Ideally, the goals will be challenging enough that the student has 50/50 percent chance of achieving them. Students' must be able to achieve the learning goals if they work hard enough to utilize the support systems available to help them do so. Learning goals must be relevant to the student's interests, the parent's concerns, the instructional goal of the teacher, and the national, state, district, and school standards. Students must see the goals as meaningful and be personally committed to achieving them. Learning goals must be aimed at having students take what is learned and transfer it to "real-life" situations. Whatever students learn today, they should be able to use in other situations tomorrow.

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