Goal setting for 2015-is #mentoring the pathway towards success in #education?

With all the talk of New Year resolutions, I started thinking about the importance of goal setting for 2015; whatever age and stage your child might be in education. Whether related to performance in imminent mocks or other exams, report grade targets, sporting, artistic or musical achievements or just getting to school on time with homework completed, goals are an excellent motivator, as well as building self-confidence through the feeling of achievement. They give a purpose to the day-to-day routine of school life by defining what you aim to achieve on a term by term basis. Goals help with organisation and time-planning as they give short-term purpose and a long-term vision for where you wish to be in the future.

Here are a few tips for goal-setting.

They must be challenging, demanding significant effort to attain them, but also realistic. Goals which allow treading water or thumb twiddling are not worth having. Seeing goals as ambitious but attainable steps will give a reasonable chance of success and can then become the building blocks towards a much bigger end-goal in the future.

Goals must outline your personal ambition and not the aspirations of friends or family or be dependent on others for success. You must be committed to your own goals and buy-in to their purpose and how you will achieve them.

Make goals positive in terms of things you will achieve or execute well, rather than things you will not do.

Committing to goals by writing them down and sharing them with others will give a much better chance of achieving them. Reading them regularly as the weeks go by to keep them fresh in your mind will help you attain them. Others can offer support and encouragement at the inevitable times when you start to lose your way.

Setting goals gives meaning to education and serves as an excellent motivator, particularly for teenage boys. Work backwards from their career aspirations, higher education pathway, required qualifications, subjects, grades at school.

Goals should be SMART. Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-defined.

Happy New Year from our team of education consultants.

Do you need some help with mentoring your teenager towards achieving their education and career goals? Why not give us a call to find out how our education consultants can help with goal setting and career planning?

Call 01865 522066 or email consultants@independenteducationconsultants.co.uk