Your weekly source of learner-centered inspiration
December 21, 2023
Dear Educator,
As the year draws to a close, I hope this finds you taking a moment to pause and reflect. If you are not quite there in the hustle and bustle of the holidays, I hope you can tuck this away for when you can make time to reflect and set goals for the new year. Margaret Wheatley reminds us that:
“Without reflection, we go blindly on our way, creating more unintended consequences, and failing to achieve anything useful.”
Goal-setting and reflecting is a part of every learner-centered practitioner’s and learner’s practice. Goals may vary from big or small, long or short term, but they will always serve as a clear articulation of a desired outcome against which progress can be evaluated and measured.
This week, in our last Bright Spots of the year, I want to share how our team reflects and sets goals and help you do the same. I hope you enjoy your break and I look forward to collectively crushing our goals throughout the new year.
With Gratitude,
We want to hear from you! Share your Learner-Centered Bright Spot with us here.
BRIGHT SPOT OF THE WEEK
Goal-setting and reflecting throughout the year
This week at our last team meeting of the year, we threw out the scheduled agenda and prioritized reflection. This means celebrating all we have accomplished, identifying what we could continue, start, and stop, and setting goals for the new year. I wanted to share this tool as a gift to you to help you (and maybe your team) do the same.
This tool is intended to support educators and leaders to set meaningful and relevant goals that will support a growth mindset and continuous improvement. Research shows a strong correlation of high quality goal-setting and reflecting routines to increased motivation, self-efficacy and engagement while decreasing anxiety.
What are some of your goal-setting and reflection practices? Reply to this newsletter to share or tag me @katiemartinedu and #LCBrightSpots on social.
RESOURCE ROUNDUP
Check out these resources that support a goal-setting and reflection practice for all learners—from young students to the most senior administrators.
1. Goal-setting practice tips. Explore what regular, ongoing reflection and goal-setting looks like from the youngest of learners to the most senior of administrators in Ready-Set-Goal! Then Reflect & Repeat.
2. Goal-setting and learner-agency. Access 5 techniques for cultivating learner agency and enabling learners to take control of their own learning in 5 Ways to Drive Student Agency with Goal-Setting.
3. Best education research in 2023. Edutopia’s round-up of The 10 Most Significant Education Studies of 2023 is so insightful and a great resource to leverage as you reflect on your own practice and identify some new goals.
4. Self-paced course. Want to think more deeply about goal-setting routines and meaningful goal-setting with learners? Take our Develop Learner Agency course.
LET'S SHARE OUR BRIGHT SPOTS!
What reflection and goal-setting protocols do you use?
Share your #LCBrightSpots on social media!
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Learner-Centered Collaborative, 1611 S Melrose Dr., STE A #334, Vista, CA 92081
