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SMART goals in education
According to leading theorists Locke and Latham, students who set specific goals perform better at school than those who do not. Teachers can enhance their pupils’ performances by incorporating goal-setting into the classroom. But that’s not the only way goals can help in education. Goal setting is also important in career development, so teachers can—and should—set goals for themselves.
The SMART methodology can help teachers and students to construct robust, specific goals. Teachers can use SMART objectives and goals to improve lesson structures, support their pupils’ education, and boost their career progression.
What are SMART goals?
SMART goals are goals with a structured framework that make them more realistic to achieve. People can use SMART goals for various purposes, including education, career growth, and personal development.
SMART is an acronym which stands for the five things a goal needs to be:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Relevant
- Time-bound
S – Specific
SMART goals should clearly define the final achievement, who is responsible for it, and what steps a person needs to take to achieve it.
For example, a specific SMART goal for a pupil could be: “I will score over 80% on the end-of-term spelling test by making flashcards for any previous mistakes and revising for one hour every week.” The student is less likely to achieve a generic goal like “I will improve my spelling” as it’s unclear how they can get there.
M – Measurable
By quantifying your goals, you can objectively measure your achievement. It’s also easier to track your progress.
You should create a measurement framework to make a goal measurable. So, if a teacher wants to improve classroom satisfaction, they must set a benchmark. With Explain Everything digital whiteboards, teachers can invite their students to draw on the whiteboards and write a number based on how much they enjoyed or learned from a certain activity. Teachers can then take screenshots and measure the average scores over time.
A – Attainable
Goals need to be achievable – but not too easy.
You should also consider what you can control. It’s not necessarily achievable for a child to be “the best at basketball in school,” as they cannot control the progress of their peers. However, they can set themselves goals of how often they’ll practice and how much they’ll improve their shot accuracy.
R – Relevant
You need to understand why you’re setting a goal.
If a teacher wants to be a subject head, they might set SMART goals around furthering their knowledge and improving professional skills. General SMART goals relating to improving efficiency are probably less relevant, unless this was the reason they were being held back from promotion.
Some SMART methodologies use ‘Realistic’ as the ‘R’ instead. For a goal to be realistic, you need to be able to achieve it within the timeframe and with the resources available.
T – Time-bound
It should be clear when the goal needs to be completed.
To ensure SMART goals are effectively implemented in education, consider using time frames such as school terms, semesters, or years.
SMART goal examples
Once you understand the SMART acronym, it’s easier to set structured goals.
Here are some examples of SMART goals for students and teachers.
SMART goal examples for students
Students may create SMART goals for studying in their own time or use them to improve their learning within lessons. They may define these goals independently or set them in collaboration with their teachers.
“I will learn my eight times table by practicing my flashcards for 10 minutes after school each day. I will use this knowledge to score 80% on the multiplication test in four weeks.”
Specific – This focuses on a specific multiplication table with a defined learning method.
Measurable – since there will be a test, the student can measure their success. They can also measure how much time they spend learning the eight times table.
Attainable – As the pupil has four weeks, 80% should be an achievable score. A teacher can advise what percentage is realistic when using test results as a measure of success.
Relevant – This goal is working towards a particular test.
Time-bound—Four weeks is enough time for the goal to be achieved, but it is not so long that the student will lose interest.
“I will read a book from my reading list four times a week for at least 30 minutes so that I can finish the books on my list by the end of term.”
Specific – “Read more” would be too vague, but reading from a defined book list keeps this goal specific.
Measurable – Reading time has been quantified.
Achievable – by breaking up the task into small amounts (30 minutes several times a week).
Relevant – A defined reading list ensures the goal’s relevance. These could be books related to current studies.
Time-bound – This is tied to the end of the term.
SMART goal examples for teachers
SMART goals for teachers can help them develop their careers, which in turn will help their pupils.
“I will secure a permanent role within my school by completing the required training program and applying for the position at the end of the semester.”
Specific – This is focused on securing an individual role.
Measurable – The teacher can measure the pass rate of their training program.
Attainable – As the goal-setter knows a permanent role will be available, it’s realistic to attain this. While the final hiring decision is out of their control, they’re in a good position to make this goal possible.
Relevant – This goal relates to the teacher’s career path. As the training program is required for the role, the main action is relevant.
Time-bound – The teacher needs to apply for the role by the end of the semester.
“I will increase student participation in the drama club by at least 25% by hosting one open audition per term. I will see these results by the end of the school year.”
Specific – The teacher is focusing on one extracurricular activity.
Measurable – The teacher can count the number of open auditions. Plus, they can measure the result by keeping a register of students attending the drama club.
Attainable – Aiming for a modest increase of 25% is realistic.
Relevant – If the teacher is connected to drama as a subject, this will be relevant.
Time-bound – The teacher can use the regular intervals of an open audition each term to keep themselves on target. The overall goal is also limited to a year.
What are SMART objectives?
While some people use the terms SMART goals and SMART objectives interchangeably, goals and objectives are different things. SMART goals relate to wanting to achieve a result, while SMART objectives are the steps towards achieving that result.
You can break down our SMART goal examples to see individualized objectives. For instance, for teachers who want to increase drama club participation, their goal is to grow student numbers, but their SMART objective is to run open auditions.
SMART objective examples
SMART objectives can form part of a broader SMART goal. While all SMART goals should be specific, some will still be large (e.g., a student wanting to pass a subject or a teacher wanting a promotion). In comparison, a SMART objective focuses on an action required to reach the goal (e.g., a student attending revision classes or a teacher taking a training course).
You can also use SMART objectives independently to approach tasks in a structured way.
SMART objective examples for students
If a student has a SMART goal of getting accepted into a university by securing the necessary grades by the end of the year, they’ll need SMART objectives to help them break this down. For example:
“I will improve my results in English and score at least 75% on the exam at the end of this term by attending a revision session every week.”
Specific – This relates to one subject and its exam.
Measurable – The student can measure the number of revision sessions they attend and their exam score.
Attainable—It’s important for the student to know what’s achievable. The student may want to work with their teacher to ensure that achieving 75% is realistic.
Relevant – The objective ties up to their overall goal of reaching university, as they need to perform well in English to secure a place.
Time-bound – As this objective leads to an exam, it is time-sensitive.
“I will become more organized in submitting assignments and avoid any late penalties by using my planner daily for the rest of the semester.”
Specific – Stating “I will become more organized” would be generic. However, this objective is specific because it’s about submitting assignments on time.
Measurable – The student can measure the number of late penalties that occur.
Attainable – Checking a planner every day requires commitment, but it doesn’t take up much time. This is achievable and should help the student avoid missing deadlines. Explain Everything offers built-in templates for organization, including a daily planner. While this planner has been designed for teachers, students can adapt it for themselves too.
Relevant – On-time submissions will increase the student’s likelihood of getting into university.
Time-bound – By connecting this to a semester, this is time-limited.
SMART objective examples for teachers
Teachers can also use SMART objectives.
If teachers set themselves a SMART goal related to seeking a promotion, they can also set the objectives to help them achieve this.
“I will upskill myself in people management by attending a relevant training program. I will have finished this course and received my certificate by the end of the year.”
Specific – The teacher has recognized a skill gap that could prevent them from getting promoted.
Measurable – The teacher can measure their attendance and pass rate of the training course.
Attainable – By attending a course, the teacher has a plan to improve people management. This makes it more achievable for them to grow this skill.
Relevant – The senior role will involve people management. Developing this skill shows proactivity, which could help them get the promotion.
Time-bound – The training course will finish at the end of the year.
“I will increase my chances of getting the promotion by practicing interview questions for at least 30 minutes a week for the rest of the term.”
Specific – The teacher knows there will be an interview and focuses on this element of the promotion process.
Measurable – The teacher can measure how long they spend practicing interview skills.
Attainable – This requires a relatively short amount of time, which is realistic in their schedule.
Relevant – Improving interview skills will help increase the teacher’s chances of successfully getting promoted.
Time-bound – By practicing this for the rest of the term, they have a set period to work on this skill.
How to set SMART goals in the classroom
Setting SMART goals and objectives can help teachers support their students’ learnings and further develop their careers.
With the SMART acronym, teachers can ensure that every lesson has a specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound goal. SMART objectives can form part of lesson planning, and teachers can share these with pupils at the start of each lesson. This can help keep lessons focused and encourage everyone to adopt a SMART way of thinking—for school and beyond.
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