How many schools are going through the process of student goal setting right now in order to start the year off on the right foot? How many schools are using effective methods to do so?

I have always enjoyed the start of the school year- there’s a bit of a buzz and fresh enthusiasm in the air, and it’s always good to have a few days to get some learning and preparation in before the students come back.

There’s new students to meet, new staff to greet and induct, a renewed sense of purpose, a spring in the step and some new goals to reach towards.

But how do we keep up the motivation and commitment long enough to bring those goals to fruition? And the even harder question- how can we keep students on track long enough for them to achieve the goals they have set for themselves?

The truth is- we don’t.

A letter from a teacher who cares…

Dear Parents,

Your child does have natural talent, abilities and intelligence in some areas- but that’s not the end of the story. These things are not fixed traits.

They may have a gift for story writing, art, maths or sport, but it needs to be grown.

They may not be good at science, history or working with others…YET!

Praise for intelligence and talent has been shown to undermine motivation, persistence, effort, task enjoyment and performance. Providing feedback about intelligence and talent does not help students improve performance (even if we are telling them how fantastic they are).