Here’s a quick stat for you: a study by Dr. Gail Matthews, a renowned Dominican University psychology professor, showed that people who put their goals down in writing were 42% more likely to succeed than those who didn’t. So, how can this same technique be applied to your students’ education?
We all have goals and aspirations regarding where we’d like to see ourselves in the future, and that’s no different for children in education. With 45 years of experience behind us as leading provider of school exercise books, personalised exercise books and other printed supplies here at EPSL, we know the power the written word can have on a child’s educational journey.
So, how can your students benefit from putting their goals down on paper?
Writing goals down gives students clarity of mind
By setting aside time to allow your students to write down their goals for a specific subject, they can view them more explicitly, instead of in the fuzzy recesses of their mind. By thinking about what to write, your student’s desires will be brought vividly to the forefront of their minds, allowing them to imagine more clearly what specific kinds of goals they want to achieve. They’ll be able to see their objectives more clearly, as well as what they need to do to accomplish them.
For example - say one of your students is great at their times tables in general, but can’t quite master their seven times tables. Essentially, by writing down that they’d like to improve in this area, their thoughts will lead them to solutions on how they can do this (e.g. “practice my seven times tables”). It’s a very simple example, but you get the idea!
Writing down goals will help your students to identify their weaknesses
By putting their goals down on paper, your students will be able to honestly assess how prepared they are to achieve a goal, and whether or not they currently have the ability to do so. Using the maths example again - your student will be able to see for themselves exactly what it is that they can’t do, which makes them more likely to think of ways to help themselves like “I need to get a maths tutor” or “ I should ask my teacher for some extra help”.
Often, teachers will identify a student’s weaknesses on their behalf in the lead up to a parents evening or report, but it’s extremely beneficial to allow your students to undertake this task themselves as well. As a teacher, you’ll be able to see firsthand exactly what your pupil feels they’re struggling with, putting you in the perfect position to provide support.
It’s psychologically beneficial to write down goals
Basically, our brains preserve knowledge and memories through a biological process called encoding. Researchers have found that people are generally better at remembering things that they come up with themselves, as opposed to what they receive from external sources. The same is true of children; students are more likely to remember things they’ve told themselves to do, rather than things they’ve been told to do. So, by giving your students the opportunity to get involved in their own educational growth, they’re more likely to remember what they learn.
As a result, persuading your students to think about their educational goals, and having them write them down, will make it a lot easier for them to remember them in the long run. And of course, while they’re participating in this exercise, you’ll want them to be writing in the best quality exercise books. And that’s where we can help!
With more than 45 years of experience behind us providing a fantastic range of exercise books, you can count on us to provide you with the perfect resource for completing this fantastic exercise in class! If you’ve got any questions, you can count on us to provide answers in as much or as little detail as you need. Feel free to give us a call on 01254 686 500!
