Tips for Teaching Goal Setting

Goal setting is a powerful process for bringing about change. Identifying what you want and mapping out a plan of action helps you achieve your dreams, both personally and professionally. The same is true for students. Since the goal-setting process can be unfamiliar and challenging, I'd like to offer a few tips for teaching these skills to students. You can find even more tips in a series of articles I wrote for Education World called "Goal Setting 101 " and in my ebook, Classroom Goal Setting.

Classroom Snapshot
Last week marked the end of one grading period and the beginning of another. It was a perfect time for my students to reflect on the goals they had set for the first nine weeks and to set goals for the new grading period. As they reviewed their grades and quarterly test results, they identified which goals they had met and placed a sticker on those goal statements. Next, they wrote goals and action plans for the upcoming grading period.

Sounds simple, right? Unfortunately, it wasn't quite as simple as it sounds! The process may seem easy, but it's a concept that takes time to develop. Classroom Goal Setting explains the process in great detail, but I've learned a few tips and tricks to help make things even easier.

Goal Setting Tips

• Record-keeping - I just created a new super-easy goal setting form to help students through the process. You can download and print this form for free by visiting the Odds N Ends page on Teaching Resources.
• School vs. Personal Goals - Along with goals for grades and attendance, students can set goals for things they want to achieve or accomplish at home. Allow students to set at least one personal goal for themselves in addition to their three academic goals.
• Brainstorming - Conduct class brainstorming sessions to help students think of appropriate goals and action plans.
• Baby Steps - Don't expect students to complete the entire form at one time. The form has a place for 4 goals, so break the lesson up into 4 small chunks. Have them write one goal and a set of action plans each day. Or write all 4 goals one day and all 4 action plans the next.
• Frequent Checks - After students write up one goal and action plan, collect their papers to review. Many students will need additional guidance and it's best to identify those students early in the process.
• Conferencing - Allow time for individual conferencing with students who are struggling to write goals and action plans.
• Grading - It's not necessary to grade this activity, but there's nothing wrong with considering this to be a writing lesson and grading their work accordingly. I don't grade what they choose as goals, but I do grade them on how well they followed directions and the amount of detail in their action plans. They seem to put more thought and effort into the activity if I make my expectations clear and if I treat this as a regular assignment.

Goal setting is a powerful process. What greater gift can we give our students than to share this process with them?

To learn more about how to teach students to set goals and create action plans, download Classroom Goal Setting and read the articles at Education World. If you have any additional resources to share, feel free to add a comment to this blog post.

Mastering Math Facts

Do your students know their times tables yet? Every year, 4th, 5th, and 6th grade teachers face the fact that their incoming students haven't mastered their basic math facts.

If you're like me, you struggle with what to do about the Times Table Dilemma: Do we waste valuable class time teaching something they should already know? Or do we recognize that if they don't know their times tables, they are mathematically "stuck." It's not our job to teach them this stuff, right? But if we don't, we know they are going to struggle later.

As a 5th grade teacher with 28 years of experience, I've wrestled with this dilemma many times. And I always come to the unavoidable conclusion that time spent mastering math facts now will save many hours of frustration later. Because of this, I developed an easy system for teaching math facts in a fun way.

I love to tell my class my own story about how I learned the importance of mastering math facts. I myself was one of those kids who refused to learn her times tables in 4th grade. My parents found out during a Parent-Teacher conference, and they asked me why I wouldn't learn them. I'm pretty sure I said something to the effect that learning times tables was dumb and boring. I certainly remember feeling that way! My parents told me that it didn't matter how I felt about it - I would be drilling on times tables every night until I knew them! When I figured out they were serious, I buckled down and learned them in a short time. You know what happened? Amazingly, I realized that math really was much easier when you knew your math facts! I probably didn't admit it to my teachers and parents at the time, but they, in their infinite wisdom, were actually right!

Times have changed in some ways, but not in others. Kids still need to know their times tables, but learning them doesn't have to be boring. There are all kinds of games, computer software packages, and Internet websites to help. Check out the Multiplication page on my site for some free materials and great websites.

Over the years I've developed a motivational system that has proven very effective in helping kids master their times tables. I call it the Mastering Math Facts System, and since I've been using it, 100% of my class masters their times tables each year. And when they do, I see a big jump in their overall math proficiency. A few years ago, one of my 4th graders saw his score on the state math test and announced to the class, "Mrs. Candler is a genius! She said that if I would learn my times tables I would do well in math, and she was right!" As a teacher, I live for those priceless moments!

So last spring I compiled all the strategies, games, and activities into one big ebook: Mastering Math Facts: Multiplication and Division. I had a number of teachers field test the activities, and their students achieved the same level of success that I had observed. Best of all, their students enjoyed learning their times tables!

Then teachers began emailing me to see if I had some resources for addition and subtraction, so I created the Addition and Subtraction Add-on book for them. It's not as complete as Mastering Math Facts, so it's designed as an "add-on" rather than a complete book.

Why share this information now? Because I've found that it's best to start the Mastering Math Facts system within the first few weeks of the year. It only takes about 10 to 15 minutes a day and the activities are fun. The benefit of starting now is that your students will be proficient in the basics when you teach your multiplication, division, and fraction units later in the year.

Because I think that now is the right time to start, I'm offering a special on Mastering Math Facts. If you buy Mastering Math Facts book for $21.95, you can get the Addition and Subtraction Add-on book (normally $6) for free.

But there's only one way to get both books for the price of one:

• Order the Mastering Math Facts Combo which is $25.95.
  
• Enter "mmfcombo" into the discount code box and update the cart.
• The discount will take off $4.00 which makes the Combo price $21.95, the regular price of Mastering Math Facts.
  
• This special is for a limited time only, so you'll need take advantage of it now if you want both books for the price of one.

If you have use the Mastering Math Facts system, I invite you to post your comments and experiences below. Feel free to share other resources for teaching times tables, as well. Good luck!

T.G.I. Facebook

When I set up a page for Teaching Resources on Facebook last month, I had no idea what a blessing it would turn out to be for me personally. I figured it would be a great way for me to send out quick updates about new materials I added to the Teaching Resources site. But I what I didn't anticipate was how Facebook would allow me to interact with others and ask for advice myself!

Every year in the classroom is different, and every year I face new challenges, just like other classroom teachers. Last week I posted two messages about areas where I needed help, and both times I received dozens of responses in a matter of hours! The truly wonderful thing about this was that not only was I getting help, everyone who visited the page could benefit from the responses. One question was about needing some great math tutorial sites and the other was about how to teach kids about 9/11. Both questions resulted in some really useful information and websites.

I've also noticed that other teachers are posting questions about their own classrooms, and teachers who have experience with these issues are responding. It's so uplifting to me to see these exchanges, and I'm very grateful to the teachers who have signed up as "fans" of the site. Where can I sign up to be a fan of all the fans? :-)

For several years I've been setting aside a part of my Power Pack eBook earnings to support teachers and classrooms. I've donated some of the money to Donors Choose projects, and now I'm also going to start sharing it with Facebook fans of the Teaching Resources site. Every Friday I will give away a free Power Pack to one Facebook fan, and I'll also give a free Power Pack to the person who referred them to my site! On the last Friday of each month, I'll also give away two $25 Amazon.com gift cards. To learn more about the T.G.I. Facebook Freebie giveaway, go to http://www.lauracandler.com/facebook.php. You can sign up as a Facebook fan by going to http://www.facebook.com/TeachingResources.

Thanks to those of you who have been participating in the exchange of ideas and information on Facebook. You have blessed my life, and I'm happy to share some of my good fortune with you!