Begin with the end in mind, counsels Stephen Covey, author of the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (1989). The object of beginning with the end in mind is to focus on where an individual wants to be, whether that is in one month, one year or one decade. By envisioning the goal, people will find themselves arriving exactly where they desire. They keep their eyes set toward the future by achieving the goal through smaller daily steps. Without concentrating on the end goal, each uncertain step only leads to the wrong destination with increased expediency.
Setting a learning goal may seem like a foreign idea, but every has set learning goals in their lives. Think back to the time when you first learned to drive or to learn to play an instrument. Your learning goal may have been something as simple as gently tapping the car brake without jostling passengers. The learning goal for your instrument may have been to play several lines without an error.
Learning journals aid in setting, keeping and tracking one’s progress toward achieving their learning goals. Recording goals and tracking progress within a learning journal motivates learner on their journey, especially in difficult times when learning may seem to stagnate.
By Tracy Atkinson
Tracy Atkinson, mother of six, lives in the Midwest with her husband and spirited long-haired miniature dachshunds. She is a teacher, having taught elementary school to higher education, holding degrees in elementary education and a master’s in higher education. Her passion is researching, studying and investigating the attributes related to self-directed learners and learning styles. She speaks at conferences on learning styles and has published several titles, including MBTI Learning Styles: A Practical Approach, The Art of Learning Journals, Calais: The Annals of the Hidden, Lemosa: The Annals of the Hidden, Book Two, Rachel’s 8, The Personal Pursuit of Perfection and Securing Your Tent. She is currently working on a non-fiction text exploring the attributes of self-directed learners: The Five Characteristics of Self-directed Learners. Check out her online courses at: Udemy.
Comments are closed