Student Goal Setting, Robinson, Fall 2024

Course Description

This is a 6-week online course, geared for 2nd grade-8th grade teachers. We begin the course by looking at growth mindset and how the idea of “grit” is critical in a goal-focused classroom. We will then be exploring using student engaged assessments to help students think through their own learning needs and set goals for themselves that will focus their academic growth. The course also looks at ways that the teacher can conference with students to keep focus on the individual goals. Finally, we will explore setting classroom goals for growth as a whole community and celebrating learning.

Audience: 2nd grade-high school

Course Goals

• How can we use data dives to have students analyze their own learning and progress?
• How can we adjust assessments to be student engaged assessments?
• How does growth mindset play a part in students’ growth and their focus on goal setting?
• How can we help students to create manageable goals that will pinpoint keys areas that could make a significant improvement in their learning?
• How do we conference with our students to encourage a focus on their goals and push our students to progress in their learning?
• How can we use goal setting as a whole class to improve outcomes for our students and to focus our students’ work in the classroom on a daily basis?

Course Objectives

By the end of the course:

• participants should be able to use data to create learning targets
• help students to create personal learning goals
• Work with students to track progress on their goals
• learn to conference with students to make progress towards their goals
• create opportunities to celebrate the accomplishments of their goals.

Instructor

Melinda Robinson, M.Ed.

Melinda is the Principal at Randolph Elementary School. She has taught many courses through the Vermont State University Center for Schools.

Required Texts

Required texts are not included in the course tuition.