Dual Goal Setting

Hey 👋

It’s a big day for the little guys. Spare them a thought, because they will (eventually) stay with you till the end.

Big idea

When we take the time to think carefully about and set goals, we significantly increase the chances that they are achieved. This applies just as much to our students as it does to ourselves.

The clearer we are about where we want to get, the more likely it is we will get there. As James Clear says, what we often think is a motivation problem is really a clarity problem.

Goal setting has a pretty decent cost–benefit ratio in the classroom. It doesn’t take long to get students to set goals, yet the potential payoff can be substantial. However, only if we do it well. Which means setting dual goals: performance goals and process goals.

• Performance goals: are the end states students are ultimately aiming for… achieving a particular grade, mastering a specific skill, or reaching a defined standard.

• Process goals: are the regular routines and behaviours that help them get there… 10 minutes of retrieval practice each morning over breakfast, or consistently making notes on key ideas during lessons.

When performance goals are a long way off, they should be broken down into shorter-term goals. And the clearer and more precise all goals are, the more likely we are to act on them. Get students to write their goals down, check them with a peer, pin them to their desk, and revisit them regularly. Crucially, students should receive feedback on their goals over time.

Performance goals can be powerful, but without accompanying process goals, they often fall short. Over 90% of New Year’s resolutions fail… not because we don’t care, but because willpower is an unreliable resource. Habits and routines are the real levers of improvement.

🎓 For more, check out this meta-analysis of performance goals vs process goals.

Summary

• When we set ourselves clear goals, we increase our chances of achieving them.

• This works best when we set dual goals: for both our performance and the process.

• This is partly because willpower is a less reliable resource than we tend to think.

Little updates

• Study examining retrieval practice with complex materials → suggests that high cognitive load can stifle learning gains.

• Paper analysing early cognitive profiles → reveals that working memory, motivation, and reading strongly predict future (maths) achievement.

• Study exploring rhythm training for reading → finds it improves phonological awareness and benefits struggling readers when taught separately.

• Large-scale analysis of brain structure in children with special educational needs like ADHD, depression & anxiety → reveals shared biological patterns across conditions.

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