With the last days of December upon us, it’s commonplace for many this time of year to begin thinking about resolutions for the new year. Elementary and middle school-aged students are not among those typically thinking about breaking out of bad habits once January 1st rolls around. Of course, the brains of most children and adolescents are not well-equipped to naturally handle that type of thinking. Fortunately, with some coaching and practice, kids of all ages (even adults who struggle in this area) can improve at setting goals, becoming and staying organized, and forming better academic habits. The Harvard University Center on the Developing Child recently published a short guide with activities and resources to help children from infancy to adolescence hone their executive function and self-regulation skills.
At ANCS there are several different ways we try to support the development of these skills in students, especially as they move into the upper elementary grades and onto middle school:
Setting SMART goals: The concept of a SMART goal (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time bound) is nothing new, but it is important to recognize that helping students to set personal goals that are “SMART” means finding ways to make these criteria meaningful to students on their level. Often, that means working with students to identify smaller, simpler goals that, once accomplished, can move students closer to a more ambitious goal. For example, instead of starting with a goal of “I will always turn my homework in on time”, focus first on getting good at a goal of making sure you are clear on what the homework assignment is each day and writing it down. This type of goal-setting happens regularly with students, especially at natural points during the year, like conferences, end of term, and longer holiday breaks.
Self-monitoring and reflection: It’s important for students to take ownership over the process of working towards a goal. That begins with having students set goals that are relevant and important to them (not ones imposed on them by an adult who “knows better”), and it continues through with monitoring progress towards achieving the goal. As teachers and parents, that can mean helping students to find the right format for them to assess their progress—drawing pictures, keeping a journal, regular conversations with a teacher. It also means helping students to get back up after they experience a setback and coaching them through what can be learned from it. The learning plans each middle schooler develops at ANCS and the frequent check-ins on them are a good example of this process in action.
Being mindful: We spend time at ANCS teaching students tools to be more aware of their thoughts and actions in the moment—through breathing techniques and taking brain breaks during the day. These are critical to helping students work towards their goals because it helps them to focus and also to reinforce that they need to prirotitize tasks—they’re not likely to reach their goals if they try to multitask.
If you take time this winter break to help your child set some goals for the new year, let your child’s teacher know too so you can partner up on the strategies you’ll use at home and at school to support him or her. And maybe you can also share one another’s own new year’s resolutions so you can help each other with those too!
While I may share the occasional education-related article on my Facebook page and Twitter timeline over the next two weeks, this blog will be taking a hiatus until 2015. Until then, happy holidays to you!