Planning Ahead For Students

Planning Ahead For Students. The rates of students dropping out of school is alarming in the United States. While those students with emotional and behavioral disorders have the highest rates of dropout occurrence, this problem is very widespread to many students all across the nation. The highest rate of occurrence is just after 9th grade year when students start getting into high school.

In order to stop this teachers and parents must connect a student’s performance in grade school to their success in college and the real world. These connections should be aligned with the students interests and talents. Students should be involved with their goal setting for the future to insure that they are invested. In high school students are expected to take an active role in their educational planning, and this makes them more invested in their learning.

Teachers and parents should help guide the student through their goal planning, especially if they have trouble starting on goal setting themselves. There are three main steps to student goal-setting.

The first step is pretty straight forward. The student should identify the grade or social goal that they want to achieve. These goals should be realistic and achievable. For example a student might set a goal of getting all A’s and B’s this semester. They could also set the goal of studying with their friends or going on a run three times a week.

The second step involves setting a clear plan for achieving the goal they set in the first step. These should be clear and precise. Instead of a student’s plan to get better grades in their classes just be: study more, the plan should be more precise: I will review my notes from this class for 20 minutes every day. If the goal is something sports related it should include a practice plan like: I will run when I get home from school every other day.

The last step occurs after the goal. This involves reflecting on how the goal is achieved or adjust their goals and plans. This reflection helps students celebrate their successes and not get discouraged when they don’t reach their goal. Instead of seeing their goal as a failure, students who have a chance to adjust them will see it as a learning experience.

It takes time for students to develop the habits that correlate with effective goal setting, parents should start teaching this early if they can, and be patient with their students as they develop these skills that will better prepare them for college and beyond.

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