P6 English – The importance of goal setting

Setting goals has always been a habit that is encouraged. As adults, we constantly set goals for ourselves throughout the year, be it for work, family, or simply for ourselves.

So, should children set goals as well?

Goal setting is a great way to instill in children a sense of purpose and even determination. Most importantly, by consciously planning out their goals, children can visualise what they want to achieve and the steps needed to get there.

In previous years, my P6 students would do their Goal Setting after their P6 SA1 papers. This would be the start of their motivation for the rest of the hectic 4 months before the PSLE. However, with the elimination of the full SA1 this year, the goal setting will take place after the P5 SA2. This week marks our P5 classes will begin on their P6 revision. A great way to begin would be to get them to reflect on what they would like to achieve for their PSLE English and what actions they can take to get to their goal.

Students can reflect on how much they hope to score for each component of the English paper after they get their full SA2 results.

In previous years, at the end of the goal-setting exercise, I was happy that most of the students took it seriously and reflected on what they wanted to achieve in their Preliminary exams and the PSLE and the steps that they would like to take to achieve their goals.

This goal-setting exercise can also be done at home with your child of any age. You can download the chart that I have created. Here are the steps that I took with my P6 students to set their goals

1. Let them choose their goals

I did not tell my students what I wanted them to score for their English Prelim or PSLE. Each student was told to set their own goal. The only reminders that I gave them were to reflect carefully and be realistic in what they set. For students who had already scored their AL1 for the English SA1 in previous years, I reminded them that maintaining that score for both prelim and PSLE would require hard work and perseverance as well.

2. Break the goal into smaller steps

I broke up their English AL goal into smaller steps by breaking down the English components – Oral & LC / Paper 1 / Paper 2. This made the goal less overwhelming and more manageable with short-term steps.

When focusing on the component they scored the least in for their SA1, my students in previous years, were able to add on more actions that they needed to take for that particular component while listing fewer actions for the component that they scored the highest in.

3. Set realistic Actions to take

I made sure that my students listed out realistic actions to take to achieve their goals. Revising 10 hours a day over a weekend, for example, is not only unrealistic but can be a cause for burnout before the PSLE. By setting realistic goals like putting away all devices for 4 hours a day over a weekend and focusing on revision work, a student is more likely to find this manageable and feel like what he or she is doing can lead to success.

4. Encourage & Motivate

The purpose of this exercise is not to belittle or overburden the student. The PSLE is enough stress for a 12-year-old child to handle. Creating the goal-setting exercise was a way to let my students know that they too are in control of what they want to achieve and to take ownership of the fact that they can help themselves improve.

In my experience, the PSLE year can be stressful. School homework will be increased and students will be faced with several non-stop examinations stretched out over the second half of the year. While some students thrive on stress, others may simply be overwhelmed and give up trying, just waiting for the PSLE to be over.

At the end of the goal-setting exercise, I reminded my students that while achieving their goals for their English Preliminary is a good thing, they should not feel disheartened if they don’t. The most important thing is that they put in their effort and practise the actions that they listed.