Setting SMART goals is often a requirement by school districts, but even if it is not a requirement you should still learn how to set SMART goals. SMART is an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, results oriented, and tangible. There are other variations of the SMART acronym but this is one of the common ones. SMART goals will help teachers stand out from the crowd and allow you to be more focused on the best way to help your students learn.
Here is a SMART goals example for teachers
Specific
To teach the class in-depth about the Civil War and the immediate aftermath after the Civil War ended. Students will be taught beginning with the events of 1860 that was the prelude to the War that began in 1861 and finish up in 1866, one year after the Civil War ended.
Measurable
Each student will learn why the Civil War began, the names of the 10 most famous battles, and will develop an understanding of how the Civil War was truly a brother VS brother was. Students will be quizzed regularly on each section and will need to show not only the ability to memorize facts such as the naming of famous Civil War Battles, but also an understanding of the how and why the battles came to be fought. At the end of the course students will be able to explain the events that led up to the Civil War, how and where the Civil War was fought, how and when the Civil War ended, and also be able to explain about many of the hardships the Country had to endure after the Civil War ended.
Achievable
Although the coursework may seem overwhelming when looked at as whole, I have faith that these 7th graders will be able to not only learn the material, but will also begin have a better understanding of many other aspects of history because of what they will learn. The course work will include many interesting lectures and each course will lead into the next course fluidly, but each chapter will also review the previous chapters to help keep the students new knowledge fresh in their minds.
Results Oriented
Although the coursework will be very broad in nature, the specific learning criteria needed to be learned by the students is very specific and easily taught within a single semester. At the end of this course the students will have learned and retained enough knowledge to be able to competently explain all the major aspects of the Civil War as well as having an understanding of why the Civil War was fought.
Tangible
As we already know the students will obviously not retain all knowledge taught to them during the course. Nobody retains everything they are taught; however, these students will be able to name many of the famous battles, where they took place, and why. Most importantly, these students will be able to competently carry on conversations at a college-level about numerous different aspects of the Civil War, even if the specific topic was only glossed over in our coursework. The students who finish this course will have a more than adequate understanding of the Civil War.
Short SMART Goals
SMART goals can also be much briefer such as:
SMART Goal = Civil War Introduction Course for 7th Grade
During the second semester all students will be required to take a Civil War History class. All students will be required to learn about the Civil War in-depth including the year prior to the Civil War that led up to the war as well as the first year after the War ended.
This will help Students State and Federal Assessment Testing scores increase drastically in the history segment and allow additional funding which can then be incorporated into the schools budget to help all of the educational departments to increase their funding and allow for more field trips and higher graduation rates when they reach the High School.
SMART goals examples for teachers are used to show how to incorporate this strategy into your teaching curriculum. SMART goals can be used regardless of the topic. Setting teacher goals this way helps to keep everyone on track and on the same page. SMART goals are easy for faculty such as the principal to understand and the state goals are easy to use to help track and monitor efficient progress.
