Learner Goal-setting, and Tracking Learner Progress

Program Management, and Technology and Learning Colleagues,

I would like to open a new topic (for both CoPs). In another discussion forum that I am a member of, a program manager asked about tools or strategies for learners' individual learning plans, goal (or objectives) sheets, and for integrating these with systems (and forms) for tracking student progress. I believe that this is a common challenge for adult education practitioners and learners, and think that there may be program managers and teachers who have developed -- and are willing to share -- solutions. I hope so.

Here's how I would frame the questions, and I would also welcome other ways to frame them that may be on your mind:

1) How does your program currently help learners to identify learning goals or objectives, what online or paper-based tools do you use to track learning progress against those goals or objectives, and what do you see the challenges and opportunities in the process or system that you presently use.

2) What characteristics would you like to see in an improved solution to identifying learner goals/objectives and tracking learner progress?

You can answer either question, or both. You can also re-frame the or drill down with more detailed questions on these. The idea is to have a robust discussion from which we can all learn what other programs are doing, and perhaps to find some new tools and solutions to help teachers and program managers better address learner goal-setting and tracking learner progress.

I know this is a challenge that many adult education programs want to successfully address, and hope to see lots of good discussion about it!

David J. Rosen

Moderator, Program Management and Technology and Learning CoPs

djrosen123@gmail.com

Comments

Colleagues,

This is a continuation of my earlier post. I should have mentioned that this is not the first time that learner-goal setting has been discussed on LINCS, and that there are some LINCS resources on this topic that may be of interest. See below.

David J. Rosen

djrosen123@gmail.com

---------------------------------

LINCS Resources on Learner Goal-setting

David J. Rosen, 9.20.15

The resources below were identified by using the LINCS “Search” feature and the key words “goal-setting”, “goal setting”, and “learner progress monitoring”, and also through a search of the LINCS Resource Collection.

Goal-setting Format. Description of a process that uses a S.M.A.R.T. goals format (Specific: target a specific area for improvement; Measurable: quantify, or at least suggest, an indicator of progress; Assignable: specify who will do it; Realistic: state what results can realistically be achieved given available resources; Time-related: specify when the result can be achieved) for students to engage in a process that “connects a personal goal to their graduation expectations for earning a high school credential”, followed by comments. https://community.lincs.ed.gov/discussion/personal-goals-and-connecting-career-pathways (Ethan Maurer post to LINCS Career Pathways CoP, 8.31.15)
How to help Students Set Goals using S.M.A.R.T. Goals. Right on the Money: Financial Know-How for Financial Freedom is a free resource that includes a section on goal-setting, based on S.M.A.R.T. goals. It is in the LINCS resource collection at http://lincs.ed.gov/professional-development/resource-collections/profile-710
Set and Monitor Goals is a description of components of a goal-setting process as part of self-regulated learning. You will find this resource in LINCS at http://lincs.ed.gov/programs/teal/guide/setgoals
Fact Sheet on Self-regulated Learning. http://lincs.ed.gov/programs/teal/guide/selfregulated
Rich discussion about Self-regulated learning. The discussion includes goal-setting https://community.lincs.ed.gov/discussion/teachers-and-student-self-regulation Self-regulation is defined as "Adopting a learning process where one (1) formulates learning goals, (2) tracks progress towards these goals, (3) identifies gaps in one’s knowledge or skills needed to achieve their goals, and (4) searches for relevant information or strategies to help them fill those gaps." Be sure to read Prue Prentice’s reply in which she describes a goal-setting process.
Math Learner Goal Setting Activity. Preparing Students for College-level Math, by Pam Meader. This is in the LINCS Resource Collection, http://lincs.ed.gov/professional-development/resource-collections/profile-176. You will find a description of the activity at http://www.collegetransition.org/docs/pp.briefs.collegetransitionmath.goalsetting.doc
Socratic Circle Activity for Setting Goals to Meet College and Career Readiness Standards. College and Career Readiness Standards (CCRS) require students to use academic language during in depth discussions about texts with one another. In the words of Speaking and Listening Anchor 1, learners "Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on one others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively." A Socratic Circle activity may offer a way to set goals for meeting these standards. See: https://community.lincs.ed.gov/discussion/learner-goal-setting-address-ccrs
Goal-setting Process for Teachers or for Learners. Link to a description of Chris Brogan’s “My Three Words” Goal setting process for teachers or for adult learners https://community.lincs.ed.gov/discussion/2015-transitions-%E2%80%93-what%E2%80%99s-your-theme-year
Goal-setting Process to Erase Gender or ethnic Minority Achievement Gaps. Description of a paper that describes how, using a goal-setting process, teachers have nearly erased the gender and ethnic minority achievement gap for 700 students over the course of two years https://community.lincs.ed.gov/discussion/writing-assigment-changes-lives
Periodically the LINCS Region 2 Professional Development Center offers a webinar in the series, Adult Student Motivation, on goal setting. For more information, contact Gail Cope, Partner Liaison, LINCS Region 2 gcope@utk.edu

-----------

I have worked with a number of adult ed programs to develop a few variations of goal setting and tracking systems within the Google tools. Some versions aim for long range goals while others narrow down to goal setting and tracking within a semester class. What I offer below are some very generic versions of tools I have created and used with programs. Many variations and customization have been added and subtracted in each implementation.

Checklist Centered: This version of tracking centers on the idea of learners checking off steps in a progress to keep track of how many steps are left. The focus is on bigger picture items on the first tab "Goals". Note the area under "stop" is usually used towards the end of a semester as the learner and teacher sit to discuss accomplishments and alterations to their goals if needed going into the next semester.

The other tabs, Academic, Workplace, Personal offer a skeletal list of procedures the learner needs to engage in for each goal. As each item is finished, the learner can put an "x" in each box and that turns the cell green to signify that step is complete. There is also a field to track the date the step was completed. If the clutter of so many goals all on one page is too distracting, teachers have manually deleted the goals not currently used and in one program's case, they had me code it so that the goals not used would be rendered invisible until the learner would select that specific goal on the goal tab.

Journal Centered: This version of tracking centers on helping the learner capture goals right in the moment they happen in such a way that reports over time are instantly collated. On the first tab, "ILP" the learner identifies one (maybe two) goals from each of the three categories to concentrate on. The second tab "Accomplishments" is a sort of journal in which the first column of cells has a drop down of their currently selected goals, the second column allows them to share a short narrative of what they accomplished and the third column allows for date. The third tab is the reporting tab that highlights the current goals and progress the learner is making in each goal.

Goals change over time. Sometimes a learner needs to put a goal aside and come back to it later for various reasons. This tool allows for learners to deselect a goal, choose other goals and the drop down lists (in tab 2) and the records (tab 3) automatically adjust to the change in goals. Best of all, if a student comes back to revisit a goal by selecting it on the first page again, all of their progress from before has been stored so they can pick up and continue their work on that goal!

Product Centered: This system is still under development a bit. The idea is to have course chunked out into projects the learner can engage in during the semester and progress is tracked by the successful completion of each product the learner has completed. For this to work the learner needs a chunked out curriculum similar to this example. With this available, the teacher works with the student to contextualize activities (based on their college and career data from another system I created) and as the student finds success in those activities the learners can document their success in a tool similar to this one.

There are many other options, but these three give a nice representation of some possibilities

Thanks, Ed, for providing some description and examples of ways that you develop and use Google tools to help your students, and other teachers and their students, identify goals and track them online. It is great to see the examples.

I wonder, if after carefully reading what you have written, and having looked at your examples, anyone has questions for you.

I also wonder if others have online tools they have made using Google tools, or with other online software, that students find helpful in identifying and tracking their goals or objectives. If so, please share them with us.

Incidentally, this discussion will be ongoing, so if you come to it later and have something to add, please do!

David J. Rosen

Moderator, Program Management and Technology and Learning CoPs

djrosen123@gmail.com

Breadcrumb

Learner Goal-setting, and Tracking Learner Progress

Comments