Most students have vague ideas about the long-term goals they want to achieve. For example, which colleges they would like to attend, what their dream jobs are, or what they want their future to generally look like. However, the greater challenge I have found when working with students is helping them understand how short-term goals can support and lead to these long-term objectives. To help students understand the importance of goal setting for students, we should support them in building the skillset needed to make and achieve goals regularly.
At the beginning of each week, students should write down or discuss their weekly study goals. These should be attainable achievements that they will have completed by the end of the week. Examples of short-term goals for students could include: “I will have revised Plate Tectonics in Geography,” “I will complete my reading of A Doll’s House” “I will have responded to five past questions in Maths,”* or “I will earn over 75% in my Business test.” Initially, I advise making these goals small and easily achievable to help students build the habit of sticking to their goal checklist. Over time, as students become more confident, these goals can gradually become more challenging.
I also recommend setting achievable goals at the beginning of every study session. This provides students with a clear purpose for their studying and helps improve both the efficiency and effectiveness of each session. Having a defined focus allows students to use their time more productively and avoid feeling overwhelmed. To provide clearer structure to each study session, I recommend using a 30-Minute Study Session Planner, which is available in our products and supports effective study habits for students.
Finally, at the end of each week, it is important for students to reflect on and review how their goal setting went. How did they do? Were the goals achievable, or were they too challenging? Did they apply enough effort to meet their goals? What would they change next week? Encouraging students to reflect helps develop self-awareness and improves future goal-setting skills.
By consistently incorporating these short-term goal-setting habits into students’ weekly routines and study sessions, their studying, organisation, and overall academic performance should improve.
