a post on goal setting and why I think we're doing it wrong.

Proceed with caution These are but ramblings and musings on educational things

I am a big Goal setter. I enjoy the directionality and purpose that goals help to establish and maintain. I have been talking with some friends and fellow teachers-to-be about goals a lot this semester as a curiosity and to uncover other peoples successful methods of not just goal setting, but accountability and attainment. This began because I realized that the way I approach goals differs from the strategies commonly taught in public schools.

I think the biggest difference in the way that I approach goals pertains to attainability as key  factor in setting goals. In high-school I remember in CAPP classes "attainability" was emphasized. It is my opinion that this hinders creativity, divergent thinking.

With goal setting it has always been my philosophy that we need to shoot for the stars, but recognize the accomplishment and find satisfaction in landing on the moon. Setting the bar that high is not, in my opinion, a bad thing provided certain understandings and cognitive abilities are in place. Coming from a large family with a plethora of small children constantly running around has contributed greatly to my current view of goals. My nephews and nieces want to grow up to do extraordinary things or be extraordinary people and who am I to tell them that their aspirations are unrealistic or unlikely suggesting that perhaps they set a more reasonable attainable goal? The preconditions of understanding and cognitive ability refers to understanding the differences between those things that you attribute to a good life, and those you attribute to a pleasurable life. (the main difference between the two is commonly related to duration; pleasures are good but short-lived while attributes of a good life are persistent for extended periods of time and contribute to increased quality of life and being over all.

Lets say that Landon, my nephew, wants to live on Mars when he gets older. This is a lofty goal that we assume is unattainable and if brought up in a goal-setting forum would likely be addressed as a flight of fancy and he would be encouraged or told to try again; find something to work towards that you are certain you can do so that you don't get discouraged and give up on it all together. I believe that this may actually reduce Landon's self-efficacy by telling him that there are some things that he will never be able to do, and encourage the setting of pleasurable goals that may or may not lead to a good life. Landon, after begin told that his chances of living on Mars is unrealistic, may change his goal to something directly relevant to his immediate situation. For example: "I want to graduate from high-school". Though his graduating from high-school may end up contributing to his good life, it is a pleasure goal because his reason for setting this goal was to just finish the assignment, or to divert attention away from himself, or because someone has promised him some sort of reward when he graduates. These pleasures (the assignment is done, the teacher/peers focus is elsewhere, I got what I wanted) are temporary and so can not contribute to the enduring concept of a good life. Instead I think that Landon should be taught the differences discussed earlier and be encouraged to examine his lofty goal of some day living on Mars; what is it about living on Mars that appeals to you and why? What parts of this destination contribute to a good life, and which parts contribute to a pleasurable life? Landon then lists some of the things that he things are pleasures (short-lived goods): "I want to see if Mars is really Red. I want to see what the sky looks like from another place. I want to uncover the Martian conspiracy" (this last one is another unattainable goal that could be further investigated in the same way). His list of Good attributes may include "It is something that is new and exciting and I enjoy new experiences. Living on Mars will reduce the stress on Earth caused by over-population and I care about the future of our planet and everyone on it, a colony on Mars will have to have lots of advanced technology and I enjoy learning about and playing with some kinds of technological devices." Though these may seem like pleasures, what Landon has identified are some things that he currently contains in his understanding of what constitutes a "good life"; his idea of a good life appears to be one that includes adventure, compassion for others and environmental awareness, and self-satisfaction through the pursuit of interests and passions. From here these facets of Landon's good life can be further emphasized with goals that relate to his ultimate goal of living on Mars. By looking at each of these, he may discover that some of these things he associates with HIS Good life are also present in investigative journalism or foreign correspondence, he may begin to look at technology trends and do well in a career as an engineer, and he may, surprising us all, end up living on Mars. In this example, Landon has shoot for the stars (or more accurately Mars) but will still have what he has decided is a Good life when he lands on the moon (or becomes an Environmental Technologist investigating the impact of large scale wind farms in Greenland.)

Hopefully some day he'll be able to say "I did it because no one told me I couldn't".

This may be a bit of an extreme example, but I think that we all have dreams or goals that are so big or seemingly unattainable that we immediately dismiss them instead of looking closely at them and figuring out why we have them in the first place; what is their appeal to us and why?

Update:
After writing this post I decided to postpone posting it to do a bit of research on goal setting and came across a few interesting things.

This video by Derek Shivers is brief and provided me with some new information on achievement and goals. It may be that reporting your goals actually increases your chances of NOT reaching them. This is interesting and I think has potentially huge implications for the classroom. How can we increase the chances that our students will achieve the goals that they set for themselves? If we encourage students not to share what their goals are, how can we be sure they are holding themselves accountable? What does this means in terms of assessment?


After watching the video I was looking through some of the comments and one user stated:

 "Ah yes, the "do not cast pearls before swine" theory. I wonder what the speaker thinks of masterminding and accountability buddies - a small group of people who encourage each other every step of the way in achieving their goals. You check in with each other periodically to share your progress in achieving your goals." ~Onome Djere March 11, 2012.


more on Masterminding HERE (opens in a new window).


I can see the potential for Mastermind groups in classrooms though I think there still needs to be some level of urgency or accountability in order for the groups to function as they are intended. It could be that groups are required to report to the teacher at regular intervals, or delegation of tasks or support structures within groups. These are all just thoughts that I am continuing to flesh-out and reflect on. If I had more time I would like to look at more of the research to see what it says in relation to what I have been discussing. 


What are your thoughts on personal, social, and group goal setting? To what extent do you think goals influence or contribute to learning and the learning environment? Should we encourage focused immediate goal setting that is both "real" and "attainable" or should we deviate from this and allow the setting of lofty and sometimes unattainable or unlikely goals?

The idea of relating goals to things that contribute to a Good life grew out of reading a philosophy text called "6 Myths About the Good Life" and is reflective of my belief that one of the primary functions of classroom learning is to enhance life beyond the classroom in a positive way. 

Another update:
I was doing a little more poking around and came across another TED Talk that relates to motivation, Good life practices, and goal attainability. A bit of a rant, but entertaining.