Gearing Up for the New Year: Setting Goals with Students

It’s almost 2023! I love the new year - it’s a fun time to look back at the year and see what was accomplished, and it’s a time to look ahead and set goals for the new year. For today’s episode, I am so excited to speak to one of my former students, Talisa Cantos. Talisa is a bilingual literacy specialist, and is so good at setting reading and writing goals with her students.

The new year is an amazing time to touch base with students and children and set goals with them, even literacy goals. Students don’t start off knowing how to set goals, so we’ll need to help them do it, but they can set goals for themselves, and they know what it is they want to work towards.

Here are the points Talisa shared when setting goals with students:

Setting the Goals

• Start with a definition of good reader/writer with each student

• Give your students agency and let them be a part of setting their goals

• Constantly reflect on the goals

Meeting the Goals

• Work closely with their strengths and follow their interests

• Constantly remind them of their goals and point out how their practices are helping them achieve their goals

• Celebrate their victories

This episode expounds on these tips, as well as discusses practical practices to apply in the classroom. As you set your goal for the New Year, I hope this episode will be helpful for you, and remember to not be so hard on yourself and your students, and to have fun and enjoy this time! I hope you will give this episode a listen.