Cisco Systems CCNA 2 manual Setting goals

B.4.8 Setting goals

Students perform well when they have a plan and access to the necessary resources. The research on goal setting and its impact on learning is impressive. There are certain truths for students who set personal achievement goals.

When students set personal achievement goals, they can identify and connect to a greater purpose to reach their goals. Students identify how a goal fits into their future plans through reflection, problem solving, and decision-making. Students define the steps they need to take to reach long-term and short-term goals. They set criteria for each level of achievement and conjure up a mental picture of the results they want. Personal goals give students a map for their success. It is important to create a design or an intended course of action. Students should list the small steps and the larger milestones and use visual reminders. Students demonstrate their dedication to reach their final goals through progress. The achievement of a goal is only possible if students are willing to make decisions and modify their behavior along the way. Students must dedicate their strengths and resources to the goal in spite of any diversions, disappointments, or difficulties they encounter.

To successfully reach their goals, students need to make connections with other people. They should seek out people with the knowledge to advance their comprehension and the passion to keep them motivated and encouraged. It is a fundamental psychological principal that learning requires the assimilation of new comprehension into a current level of comprehension. Students can be shown how to tap into their personal experiences and knowledge to find solutions to their problems.

Finally, there must be an evaluation process. Students should measure their accomplishments at each level of their action plan. Students will continuously put additional procedures in place to help them reach the next step toward their goals. Instructors who advocate the practice of goal-setting in their courses should provide opportunities to discuss goal-setting skills as they pertain to personal goals. These instructors can demonstrate time-management skills in the classroom and monitor student goal-setting behaviors. Instructors should set aside time for students to determine their progress. This can be done through reflection and journal writing activities. Instructors also demonstrate risk-taking behaviors in the classroom. They encourage their students to try new strategies if they believe a strategy may help them reach their goals.

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