The Two-Week Goal Experiment

Last semester I had this idea that I would have students make goals for themselves and then check in throughout the semester.  This semester I'm actually going to implement the idea.  The way I have fleshed it out is as follows:

Every January people make resolutions or goals, choose words for the year or have intentions.  It seems that resolutions have a bad reputation and it is more popular to have words and intentions, but don't get me started on that rant!  (The Day the Words Quit.  Balance, Focus, and Family felt too overworked and so they are quitting and going to Maui for a vacation where they can achieve balance and take some time to focus on family and other important things in life.  Inertia and Obsession feel so unloved and unappreciated that they are starting a protest along with Selfish, Unloved and Unappreciated.  Ok, that's enough, back to the blog post!) 

Also, at the beginning of each semester, students feel very hopeful about the possibilities.  They will be good students.  They will achieve to their potential.  This semester will be better than all the previous ones.  Even the best students have this blank slate at the beginning of each semester.  It is the beauty of the school year that one can start fresh every term. 

So I am going to capitalize on that and talk about goal setting. But we won't work on goals for the whole semester.  We will make our goals in two week increments.  I figure, a person can stand anything for two weeks.

So every two weeks I am going to have the students make goals and share them with their group.  At the end of two weeks they will check in with the group on how they did, and make new goals.

I am going to use the SMART goal system with them.  The goals will be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely.  The timeliness will be built in, because whatever they are doing will have the two week window.  I will help them go from goals like "I will study hard," to "For the next two weeks I will do all the assigned homework."  Or something similar.  We'll see how it goes and I will report back the response from my students!