8 Ways to Increase Student Motivation through Goal Setting

As educators, we realize the value of goal setting and are constantly encouraging our students to dream big and set goals. What we often forget is that unless we help them find their motivation, set up a plan, and identify supports they are likely to forget about their goals, get distracted, and lose drive.

As a school counselor, I often meet with students who are struggling with goal setting and we develop a plan for them to identify their motivators and meet their goals. While this can be successful, it is a reactive approach. By proactively implementing this goal-setting method with all students at the class level, we can make sure each student feels equipped with the skills they need to meet even the loftiest of goals!

Below are 8 ways to increase student motivation through goal setting.

• Identify a Goal
• Visualize the Results
• Plan Backward with a SMART Goal-Setting Plan
• Identify Motivation
• Overcome Obstacles
• Find a Support System
• Avoid Procrastination by Increasing Accountability
• Plan for the Future

Identify a Goal

The first step in goal setting is identifying a goal. Help students select a goal that is challenging yet attainable. Feeling a sense of accomplishment and success with the first few goals they set is important to help students feel ready to set bigger goals in the future. Start by discussing different areas in which they can set goals (academic, behavioral, social, etc.) You can also discuss the difference in short and long-term goals. Making a foldable or fortune teller is a fun way for students to share and discuss their goals.

Visualize the Results

Have students visualize their future and imagine themselves meeting their goals. Encourage them to get specific by asking them what it will look like and how they will feel when they meet their goal. You can help students do this through a guided meditation or by drawing a picture.

Plan Backward with a SMART Goal-Setting Plan

Once students have a clear vision of their goal, the next step is to help them take actionable steps toward achieving it. They need to look at all of the small steps and make a clear plan. This includes using time management skills, planning backward and prioritizing. When helping your students create their goal-setting plan, you also need to make sure their goal is SMART.

You can start by reviewing the components of SMART goals and defining time management, planning backward, and prioritizing.

Kid-friendly definitions:

• Time Management is when you decide how much time each task needs and you schedule it on your calendar.
• Prioritizing is when you look at all of the things you need to do and want to do and put them in order of importance.
• Planning Backwards is when you set your goal end date and work backward by setting milestones to see when you need to have each task completed by.

Next, help students fill out a Planning Backwards Map by writing their end date and identifying milestones on the way. You can get creative with the visual and customize it for each student’s interests to get student buy-in.

Identify Motivation

To identify your student’s motivation, start by defining motivation and helping students understand the difference between internal and external motivation.

Kid-friendly definitions:

• Motivation is the reason why you want to do something.
• Internal motivation is when you want to reach your goal because it makes you feel proud and accomplished.
• External motivation is when you want to meet your goal for a reward outside of yourself, like a prize or an adult telling you “good job!”

Ask students what they are motivated by and what makes them want to work hard to reach their goals. If students are struggling to identify motivators you can use a Motivation Assessment Survey like this one.

Overcome Obstacles

Building resiliency is a big part of working towards a goal. Present students with hypothetical setbacks and obstacles they could encounter and discuss how they can keep moving forward. Ask them what they can do to not give up even when it is challenging. A fun way to get the discussion started is by playing a board game!

Find a Support System

For a successful goal-setting process, everyone must be on board. Students need to feel supported in order to reach their goals. Help them identify people at home, school, and in their community who are in their support system. Share these goal setting strategies with parents so they can help support their child at home too.

Avoid Procrastination by Increasing Accountability

Help students avoid procrastination by identifying an accountability partner. Accountability helps students take action toward their goal. Define and discuss potential causes of procrastination and help students develop strategies for staying on task.

Plan for the Future

When the selected end date for a goal has arrived, debrief the process with your students.

Did they meet their goal? Great! Celebrate and plan for the next one.

Did they fail to meet their goal? That’s okay too. Discuss the process and identify where they need more support.

Modify the goal to be more successful and plan for the future. We want students to feel empowered to reach their goals and not intimidated by this process.

I do a deep-dive of these goal-setting strategies when working with students in school counseling, but the basic principles of these 8 steps are applicable in the classroom setting as well. For lessons and activities based on this method, check out my goal setting small group curriculum here.

-Rachel Davis, Bright Futures Counseling