Driving Student Agency with Goal-Setting: A Learner-Centered Approach

As educators, we strive to create a culture of learning that empowers students and fosters agency. A powerful way to achieve this is through learner-centered goal setting. This approach shifts the focus from product to process, encouraging students to reflect on how they learn and how they can improve.

What is Learner-Centered Goal Setting?

Learner-centered goal setting is an approach that emphasizes student involvement in defining learning objectives, monitoring progress, and evaluating outcomes. It recognizes that students are active participants in their learning journey and are capable of making informed decisions about their goals. This approach fosters intrinsic motivation, as students are more likely to be engaged when they have a voice in their learning.

Using WIN Time as an Example

“WIN Time” (What I Need) is a dedicated period within the school day where students focus on their individual learning needs. It’s a prime example of how schools can operationalize learner-centered goal setting.

• Identifying Needs: At the beginning of a WIN Time cycle, students, often with teacher guidance, identify specific areas where they need support or want to grow. This could be based on assessment data, self-reflection, or teacher observation. The key is that the student has a clear understanding of why they are focusing on a particular goal.
• Setting Personalized Goals: Students then set personalized, achievable goals related to their identified needs. These goals should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). For instance, instead of “I want to improve my writing,” a student might set a goal like, “I will use transition words effectively in my persuasive essay by the end of the week, as measured by a rubric.”
• Choice and Agency: A crucial element of WIN Time is student choice. Students have agency in selecting the resources, strategies, and activities they will use to reach their goals. This might involve working with a teacher for targeted instruction, collaborating with peers, using online learning platforms, or engaging in independent practice.
• Monitoring and Reflection: Throughout the WIN Time cycle, students regularly monitor their progress toward their goals. This might involve self-assessment, peer feedback, or teacher conferences. Reflection is also key. Students consider what strategies are working, what challenges they are encountering, and what adjustments they need to make.

Creating a Culture of Learning: Process Over Product

A fundamental shift in mindset is required to create a learner-centered environment. We must move away from solely focusing on the final product and instead emphasize the learning process. This involves asking questions like, “How might we learn better?” and encouraging students to reflect on their learning strategies, challenges, and successes. This also means valuing the mistakes and struggles that are inherent in learning, and framing them as opportunities for growth.

Engaging in Discussion: The Power of Collaboration

Discussion plays a crucial role in learner-centered goal setting. Small group discussions, inductive teaching methods, and individual conferencing provide opportunities for students to articulate their goals, share their progress, and receive feedback from peers and teachers. These interactions foster a collaborative learning environment where students learn from and with each other.

Co-creating Goal-Setting Structures: The 10 Steps in Depth

Bringing Student Agency to Life in Primary Classrooms

Empowering young learners to take ownership of their education is crucial, even in the early years. While the concepts might seem complex, they can be adapted effectively for primary school students. To truly empower students, we need to co-create goal-setting structures with them. Trevor Mackenzie’s “10 Steps to Nurture Student Ownership of Assessment” provides a valuable framework for this process. Here’s how to translate those key strategies into everyday classroom practice:

1. Making Plans Together (Co-design & Co-construct):
   • What it means: Instead of the teacher making all the rules and plans, everyone helps decide. It’s like building with LEGOs together – everyone gets a say in what you build and how. Teachers and students work together to define what success looks like, what goals are worth pursuing, how learning will be assessed, and the different routes students can take to reach their goals.
   • In the Classroom:
     • Class Rules: Start the year by asking, “What rules do we need to make our classroom a happy and safe place to learn?” Chart their ideas (e.g., “Listening ears,” “Kind hands,” “Walking feet”).
     • Project Goals: Before starting a project (like learning about dinosaurs), ask the class, “What do we want to find out about dinosaurs?” and “How can we show what we learned?” Maybe they decide a good project needs a drawing, 3 cool facts, and neat writing.
     • Simple Checklists (Rubrics): Create picture-based or simple word checklists with the students for tasks. For a drawing, it might have boxes for: “Used 5 colours,” “Filled the page,” “Drew my best.”
2. Thinking About Our Thinking (Thinking Routines, Reflection & Metacognition):
   • What it means: Helping kids notice how they are learning and thinking, like becoming a detective about their own brain!
   • In the Classroom:
     • Think-Pair-Share: “Think quietly about the question, whisper your idea to a partner, now let’s share some ideas with the class.”
     • Exit Tickets: At the end of a lesson, ask students to draw or write one thing they learned, one question they still have, or how they felt about the activity (e.g., draw a smiley, straight, or sad face).
     • Asking “How?”: When a child solves a problem, ask, “Wow! How did you figure that out?” or “What strategy did you use?”
3. My Own Special Goals (Personalized Goals & Planning):
   • What it means: Helping each child set goals that are just right for them and figure out the steps to get there.
   • In the Classroom:
     • Reading Goals: “My goal is to learn 3 new sight words this week.” Steps: Practice flashcards daily, find the words in books.
     • Skill Goals: “I want to learn to tie my shoes.” Steps: Practice with teacher, practice at home, try on my own shoes.
     • Goal Check-ins: Regularly chat with students: “How’s your goal coming along? What’s your next step?”
4. Big Wonder Questions (Ask “UnGoogleable” Questions):
   • What it means: Asking questions that make kids think, imagine, and discuss, not just find one quick answer.
   • In the Classroom:
     • Instead of “What do plants need to grow?” ask, “If you were a tiny seed, what would your journey be like?”
     • Instead of “Who is the main character?” ask, “How would the story change if the wolf was friendly?”
     • “How could we make playtime fairer for everyone on the playground?”
5. Helpful Hints for Next Time (Use Feedback for Next Steps):
   • What it means: Feedback isn’t just about ticks and crosses; it’s like getting clues to help you on your learning adventure.
   • In the Classroom:
     • Specific & Kind: Instead of “Good job,” try “I love how you used bright colours in your picture.” Instead of “Wrong,” try “Let’s look at this tricky word together. What sound does it start with?”
     • “Two Stars and a Wish”: When looking at work, help students find two things they did well (stars) and one thing they can try to improve next time (a wish).
     • Focus on Growth: “I remember when you found this tricky, look how much better you are at it now!”
6. Being Friends & Feeling Safe (Foster Relationships):
   • What it means: When teachers and students trust and care about each other, the classroom feels safe to try new things, make mistakes, and ask for help.
   • In the Classroom:
     • Morning Meetings: Start the day sharing news or feelings.
     • Get to Know You: Show genuine interest in students’ hobbies, families, and feelings.
     • Celebrate Effort: Praise trying hard, not just getting it right. Make it clear that mistakes are learning opportunities.
7. Being a Learning Helper (Develop Peer- & Self-Assessment Skills):
   • What it means: Teaching kids how to look at their own work and their friends’ work kindly and helpfully.
   • In the Classroom:
     • Using Checklists: Students use the simple checklists (see point 1) to check their own or a partner’s work. “Does my story have a beginning?”
     • Partner Feedback: Teach sentence starters like “I liked how you…” and “Maybe next time you could try…” for partners giving feedback on drawings or simple writing.
     • Thumbs Up/Middle/Down: Simple self-reflection on understanding: “Show me with your thumb how well you understood that story.”
8. The Learning Journey Matters (Emphasize Process Over Product):
   • What it means: Cheering for the effort, the trying, the thinking, and the learning journey itself, not just the final perfect picture or answer.
   • In the Classroom:
     • Ask About the ‘How’: “Tell me about how you built that tower.” “What did you try first when solving that puzzle?”
     • Display Work in Progress: Show different stages of projects, not just finished pieces.
     • Value Different Strategies: Acknowledge when students use creative or different ways to solve a problem, even if it’s not the ‘standard’ way.
9. Learning Together (Facilitate Collaborating & Conferring):
   • What it means: Creating lots of chances for kids to work together and have quick chats with the teacher about their learning.
   • In the Classroom:
     • Group Tasks: Puzzles, building challenges, shared reading, science experiments in small groups.
     • Turn and Talk: Regularly ask students to discuss an idea or question with a nearby classmate.
     • Quick Check-ins (Conferring): Teacher circulates and has brief one-on-one chats with students about their work: “How’s that story coming along?” “What are you working on in math today?”
10. Sharing My Learning Story (Include Student Voice in Reporting):
    • What it means: Letting kids have a say in sharing their learning progress with parents and others.
    • In the Classroom:
      • Self-Reflection Sheets: Simple sheets (“I learned…”, “I am proud of…”, “I want to practice…”) included with reports.
      • Student-Led Conferences: Prepare students to share their work folders or portfolios with their parents, explaining what they learned.
      • “Ask Me About…”: Give students a sticker or note saying “Ask me about learning subtraction!” to encourage conversations at home.

Recording and Capturing Learning Moments: The Role of the Facilitator

As facilitators of learning, teachers play a vital role in recording and capturing learning moments as they happen. This involves observing students, documenting their progress, and providing timely feedback. By making learning visible, we help students connect their actions with their goals and understand the impact of their efforts.

The Role of ATLs, Especially Self-Management Skills

Learner-centered goal setting is closely linked to the development of Approaches to Learning (ATLs), particularly self-management skills. The IBO defines ATLs as skills that help students learn how to learn. Self-management skills are crucial for effective goal setting. Here’s how:

• Setting goals: Students need to be able to define clear, specific, and achievable goals.
• Planning: They need to be able to break down larger goals into smaller, more manageable steps and create a plan of action.
• Organization: They need to be able to organize their time, materials, and resources effectively.
• Time management: They need to be able to prioritize tasks, manage their time effectively, and meet deadlines.
• Monitoring progress: They need to be able to track their progress toward their goals, identify any obstacles, and make adjustments as needed.
• Reflection: They need to be able to reflect on their learning, evaluate their progress, and identify areas for improvement.

By explicitly teaching and supporting these self-management skills, we equip students with the tools they need to become self-directed learners and effective goal-setters.

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