Motivate your students with goal

setting:

Goals are a critical component of distance learning. They motivate by letting students know exactly what it is they need to do for learning to occur.

Start by setting whole class goals that mirror the basic expectations of the classroom. These provide a soft entry to individual goal setting, while also maintaining the structure of learning as your students know it. For example:

• Completing a certain amount of assigned activities each week
• Accessing all posted lesson content and providing a brief summary of understanding.

You can then transition to personal goals designed to inform progress and mastery. EdTech products such as Mathletics and Readiwriter Spelling make this easy with points-based systems, so students can easily decide on quantifiable targets for learning. For example, student goals might be:

• Achieving a weekly certificate (for 1000 points)
• Completing a set amount of lessons per week
• Setting a new personal best with points earned.

Such specific and attainable goals give students a reason to engage with the distance learning process. They’re no longer feeling lost on the wrong side of the screen, but logging on each day with a clear objective and sense of purpose.

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