Setting objectives and goals is an important component of the teaching career. A goal is what a teacher intends to achieve after a certain period of time. The achievement of the teacher is defined in terms of the achievement that the students have achieved. This implies that if the students have achieved what the teacher intended them to achieve within a certain period of time, he has achieved his goals. Goals can be short term to be covered in a week or a month or they can be long term to cover a longer period of time like one year. Setting goals is an important endeavor since it helps the teacher to remain focused in his teaching and have a picture of what should be achieved at the end of a certain period of time.
As a new teacher of NYC school teaching English in grade 7, the principal of the school has just supplied me with the performance record of the students. The performance record indicates that the percentage of students who are above the grade level is only 20%, a percentage that can be raised further. The principal has directed me to come up with an end year academic goal. Below is the goal I want to set as the teacher of English in grade 7.
The goal that I want to set is that by the end of the year, more than eighty percent of the students in grade 7 should be above the grade level in English. English is a critical subject that forms the basis of all other subjects. As a medium of communication, every other subject requires good understanding of English. If my students in grade 7 are not doing well in English, the implication is that they will perform poorly in other subjects and this is likely to have an adverse effect on their overall performance. By selecting this goal of ensuring that my students perform well in English, this will enable me and the students to come up with strategies of ensuring that we accomplish our goals. This goal will make me as a teacher shift more energy and commitment towards achieving it.
Strategies of Achieving the Goal
For this goal to be achieved, certain strategies must be put in place to ensure that it does not just remain an unfulfilled goal. The first strategy that I will put into practice to achieve this goal is the use of group discussions. It is imperative for me as a teacher to divide my students into small groups and assign the groups specific work. I will allow the students time to discuss various topics during their own time. Groups are advantageous in that it is possible to identify the weaknesses of individual students and assist them maximally. The groups should consist of a fair distribution of students with mixed abilities. For example, each group should consist of a student from the above grade level. This strategy ensures that the talented students pull their friends who are at the grade level and those below the grade level.
Another strategy that I will use is to introduce frequent continuous assessment exams to the learners. This strategy ensures that the students do not relax because they want to pass every single exam administered. Keeping them on their toes will ensure that they improve on their performance to achieve our set goal by the end of the year. Continuous exams also give the students a chance to identify their areas of weaknesses. As a result, they will be able to focus on the areas they are weak in to achieve end of year goal. A reward system could also increase the level of competition among students which will consequently work tremendously towards ensuring that by the end of the year more than 80% of the students are above the grade level. When students are aware of the fact that they will be awarded for their sterling performance in a subject, they will commit themselves to score the best they can score in the subject.
In my quest to realize the set end of year goal, it might be possible that some of the students will not be on track early in the year. For instance, I might realize that a quarter of the students are not in track with regard towards achieving my desired goal. The best way to deal with this group is to offer it special treatment. I will dedicate remedial lessons for this particular group and give it special coaching. I will try to identify their areas of weaknesses and offer them personalized coaching. This will ensure that this group of students does not prevent us from achieving our set goal.