I have benefited from the use of a GAME plan so much that even before this assignment I was thinking about how to incorporate this idea into my classroom. The plan has allowed me to focus my thoughts, stay on task, and continually monitor my progress toward my goals. I often talk to students about setting goals, but I think the use of a GAME plan would really keep students accountable for their goals.
Since the teacher and student technology standards are so close in nature any time I am trying to accomplish a technology standard I feel like I am allowing my students to accomplish a technology goal. So, I could see myself using a GAME plan in two different ways. First, I could use it as it pertains to technology standards. I could have the students take a pre-test on technology, and then let them set goals as to what they want to improve upon throughout the year. This can even be extended to have the student come up with projects and ways they can accomplish these goals in a math setting. I can then use their ideas to strengthen their technology standards and help them reach their goals. The second way would be to use the GAME plan according to the curriculum standards. Each chapter I could outline what they will be learning, and they can create a GAME plan that would help them accomplish the goals they set for the chapter. This would give me an idea of where they want to focus and how they will accomplish it. It would also show them that they are part of their own learning and that they are responsible for their share in the classroom.
I really think that setting goals is a wonderful thing to do in a classroom, but I am not sure that many teachers (including myself) have students actually write out the goals they have for themselves. A GAME plan allows everyone involved to be held accountable for their actions and give the students a sense of responsibility in their own learning. This will be a great tool they can then use for the rest of their lives.
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Paul,
ReplyDeleteI 100% agree that goal setting is an important skill to acquire at a young age. It is vital to instill some ambition in our students and GAME planning seems like a great way to accomplish it. As students set attainable goals and monitor their progress--experiencing success would be motivating and inspire students to continue the practice even after they leave our classrooms similar to how we have experienced GAME planning. I plan on continuing to set appropriate learning goals in the future now that I have tried it and experienced success.
I like the idea of laying out the curriculum for the students and having them create new goals each quarter--I think it is important that their progress be apparent and observable. Great ideas!