SMART Goals
Introduction: Cup Stacking Activity
Lesson:
These books can also be used in individual or group counseling to help students identify and work towards their goals.
- Put students into groups of 4-5. Give each group a stack of 10 cups and a rubber band with 4-5 strings tied to it so that the rubber band looks like a spider with 4-5 legs.
- Say: I've got an activity that I'd like you to do as a group. I'm going to give each group a rubber band, and a stack of cups. The first group to finish wins. Everyone ready? Ok, GO! (intentionally don't tell them what the goal is).
- After a few seconds of chaos, ask why everyone looks so confused. They will probably say “because you didn’t tell us what to do!” Ask if it would be better for you to give them a goal, and ask “why is it important to set goals?” (If you don't know where you're going, you won't know how to get there, or when you get there.)
- Would it be better if I gave you a specific goal instead of just giving you the materials and expecting you to know what to do? (Give real instructions). Your goal is to work together as a team to stack these cups into a pyramid WITHOUT touching any of the cups with anything other than the strings that are attached to the rubber band. You have 3 minutes to complete this activity. And… GO!
Lesson:
- If 3 minutes is not enough time, you can ask what would be a realistic time frame (maybe 5 more minutes?). Allow them to work towards that goal.
- After stacking the cups:
- How different was it when I gave you a specific goal to work towards as a team? When we set goals, we have a clear idea of how to improve certain areas of our lives. But the goals can't just be "I want to get better at doing math." What type of math? How would I know if I got better at math? How will I know that I've reached my goal? How long will I be working on that goal?
- Today, we are going to work on creating "SMART" goals for ourselves. SMART stands for… Specific, Measurable, Action, Realistic, and Time. (write SMART on board.) Discuss what each means, with example and non-example.
- When I gave you the instructions for stacking the cups, was I… Specific? Measurable? Attainable? Relevant? Time-bound?
- Go over an example of a SMART goal with the class, based on a common goal (such as a big science test coming up). Talk through each step.
- What is one area that you would like to improve here at school? It can be something for a specific subject, an attitude or belief that you have towards school work, something related to your study or homework habits, etc. I would like each of you to come up with one goal for this week. If you're not sure where to start, I'm sure your teacher would be able to help you with it. Use the book to go through each step of the goal.
- Rewards can be something the student really wants, classroom incentives, something fun on the weekend, etc.
- Make sure to check back in with students about how their goals are going!
These books can also be used in individual or group counseling to help students identify and work towards their goals.