Smart goals must be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound. These goals are a way of achieving perfection in oneís profession. English teachers are instrumental in developing language abilities in students and it is imperative that they have smart goals.
Given below are some examples of some areas where there could be smart goals for English teachers:
1. Good reading skills pertaining to the English language must be the first and primary goal of any English teacher. This would mean that the student must be able to read complete sentences with confidence and also not need any prompting while he is reading it out. Writing skills must be also part of this goal and each student must meet certain parameters defined by the school for writing in the English language.
2. The English teacher must use several instructional strategies so that she can meet the diverse needs of students. There may be students at different knowledge and skill levels and the teacher must strive to teach all of them effectively. A certain student may need extra attention in order to learn and the teacher must devote time with that student.
3. She must be able to promote beneficial collaborative relationships amongst students and also between the teacher and students. It has been found that students learn a lot amongst themselves by sharing knowledge and information and the teacher must encourage this in every manner possible. Students must be able to have easy access to the teacher in order to clear any doubts that they might have and also ask any questions that the teacher must address effectively.
4. The English teacher must be able to leverage the use of technology in the classroom. Modern technological aids can be very beneficial to the students especially visual aids that can enhance learning of the English language effectively. She must be hands-on with the technology that is in use in the classroom so that the maximum benefit can be derived from such aids.
5. The teacher must be able to design as well as implement effective lesson plans and course curricula. The lesson plans must be deigned keeping in mind the age and experience of students in learning the English language.
6. It is important for the teacher to have extremely effective classroom management skills. She should be able to supervise a large number of students and know what they are doing at any particular point of time. Inattentive students must be supervised more closely so that they do not end up lagging behind in their knowledge and learning.
7. She has to set smart goal of a certain rating in assessments that should be an average of the studentsí scores. For example 80% of students meet a satisfactory rating as defined by the schoolís parameters. In the event that the goal is not met there must be an action plan that needs to be followed to correct the deviation in scores. The goals can be for an individual exam or for a set of assessments over a period of time.
8. The teacher must be a continuous learner and be aware of new terms, words and phrases that are introduced in the English language. She must update information and enrich her knowledge on a continuous basis so that she can be more effective in imparting language skills to students.
