SMART Goals = Positive Habits
written by John
Strong, Niagara County Community College
The
first of the year seems to always come with the hope of something
better in the New Year, a resolution of some sort or another.
A new diet, a new workout, a new chance to break an old habit
and other similar sentiments are as common place as the ball
dropping in Time Square.
"It's a human quality to want to reduce your pain and
increase your pleasure." Becker-Phelps said
of the top three resolutions (1st lose weight, 2nd exercise,
3rd quit smoking, save more, spend less, and be an overall
better person were all tied). "I think they're often
culturally determined: If you look at us as a culture we certainly
have an obesity problem, and we value youth, young bodies,
and the physical appearance of health."¹
In light of this common trending one might imagine that individuals
would see the 'writing on the wall' and begin to improve throughout
the year, or simply set better goals, more attainable ones,
leading to greater rates of success.
Perhaps SMARTer goals are the answer.
SMART stands for goals that are:
- Specific,
- Measurable,
- Attainable,
- Results-oriented,
- and Time-bound.
While the acronym SMART has been used in the Business world
for decades (some point to the seminal work "The
Practice of Management" by Peter
Drucker as one of the first published allusions to SMART
objectives), Anne
Conzemius and Jan
O'Neil (2001, 2002 & 2006)² provided an educational
context for the idea (some might say among others).
As a Personal Trainer educator I can assure you that goal-setting
is a fundamentally important aspect of a Trainer's education.
Moreover, recognition of health-based goals over aesthetic-based
goals is taught as paramount to a client's longevity. My wife,
an elementary school physical educator and past pelinks4u
contributor, instructs her students annually on the importance
of setting SMART individual goals; as do many other physical
educators around the nation.
So what happens? What happens to our students between leaving
a school setting and entering the pragmatic world of work
and bills and responsibility that they forget how to set SMART
goals? Is it possible that our verbal instruction as physical
educators is not heard or perhaps misunderstood? Or is it
in fact more likely that our students can hear, and even temporarily
understand a concept, but not internalize the information
and never truly learn it?
Setting goals should begin at an early age and continue throughout
the K-12 experience. It is important to note that the ability
to set goals proficiently is only mastered through utilizing
the skill repeatedly. Therefore, students should
get multiple opportunities both inside and outside of the
school setting in order to pursue mastery of this vital lifelong
skill.
Currently, in New York State Physical Education, we are guided
by three State Standards. State Standard 1 is reminiscent
of NASPE Standards 1 and 2, while the second state standard
can be likened to NASPE 5 and 6. Our third State Standard³
is about utilizing community resources in order to better
prepare for lifetime fitness. The benefit of this goal is
that it provides opportunities for students to further deepen
their understanding of the positive goal setting techniques
they learn during scheduled instructional time.
While I don't plan on taking this opportunity to advocate
for an augmented edition of the NASPE Standards, I would simply
like to bring to light a possible shift in practical focus.
If one of our professional goals is to deepen the process
of students internalizing the skill of functional goal setting,
then it might be good for all of us to provide multiple opportunities
in multiple settings in order to allow this to happen. Further,
recent studies in both curriculum and assessment point to
the fact that students retain knowledge better when provided
with numerous application opportunities, and are better assessed
in their depth of knowledge when asked application questions
rather than rote memorization questions.
Some examples of utilizing resource management in your curriculum
will populate the rest of my article. Confer with peers and
decide for yourself, and your department, which will best
suit the needs of your students. Perhaps this year your New
Year's resolution will be to accommodate the learning of students
in such a way that their New Year's resolutions will be positively
impacted for decades to come.
Setting SMART Goals in PE
In this example the student has a desire to increase his
cardiovascular fitness. The student has scored a 40 on his
Pacer Test (the cardiovascular fitness assessment portion
of the Fitness Gram) and has set a goal that is Specific -
improvement of his cardiovascular fitness through running.
As professionals we should all be aware that cardiovascular
improvements in swimming will not equally support cardiovascular
improvements in running (Termin, B., & Pendergast, D.
R, 2000).4 This follows the Principle of Specificity.
Remember that we not only have to support the components
of fitness (muscular strength, muscular endurance, cardiovascular
fitness, flexibility, and body composition), but we must train
them using the FITT principles (Frequency, Intensity, Time,
and Type). The goal is Measurable
- he endeavors to score a 44 his next Pacer Test, a 10% improvement.
It is Attainable - based on the
overload principle, this student can expect to make improvements
between 2% and 5% on a weekly basis with the correct amount
of activity (Time) utilizing the appropriate pace (Intensity).
Additionally he has avoided the trap of selecting an unattainable
goal like a 20% or 30% gain and in so doing losing confidence
in future attempts at improvement.
The goal is also Results-oriented
- this student is striving to achieve a 10% gain by focusing
on 44. Finally, that goal that has been set is Time-based
- the student will have the opportunity to re-test in the
Pacer at the end of his unit in P.E. class in one month's
time. I will use this student (let's call him Sam to personalize
it a bit) as an example for the next three 'outside of school
assignment' suggestions.
Setting a Goal with a Family Member
This example can be done as an interview and follow up action
session. Initially Sam is instructed to explain to his family
what he has learned in school about goal setting, and share
his goal with his family. Next, Sam is urged to interview
family members about what goals they might be interested in
setting in the short term. Then Sam matches his goal with
the family member whose goal is closest to mirroring his own
(we'll suppose he chose his mother). Together, Sam and his
mother produce a plan based on information he garnered during
regular physical education class to help them make progress
toward their goal. Finally, Sam and his mother pursue their
goal outside of class time in an agreed upon fashion, and
reports back at the end of the unit to see how they fared.
Selecting a Membership
This activity can be completed by Sam, in his community,
in pursuit of the activity of his choice. Quite simply, he
will initially be asked to explore options in his community
that would allow him to attain his SMART goal of improved
cardiovascular fitness. Some examples might include joining
the YMCA, a local fitness center, a youth basketball or track
team, or some other form of affiliation that may not otherwise
be accessible.
The community entity of Sam's choosing would be required
to fulfill the predetermined needs of the programming set
out by his teacher (Overload Principles using FITT). Next,
Sam would have to determine how best to accumulate the allotted
hours dictated by his programming to accomplish his specified
goal. Local businesses might find that teaming up with the
school to present a 'free/trial month' for participating K-12
students could benefit their bottom line in the long term.
An individual who has had a positive experience in any environment
is far more likely to re-enter that environment than someone
who is completely uninitiated. This logic, presented sensibly
by the local physical educator to community business, may
allow them to fashion long-term partnerships that benefit
everyone involved.
Find a Free Connection
The final option I'm going to suggest would encourage Sam
to find a free resource in his community that would allow
him greater access to his SMART goal. Similar to 'Selecting
a Membership,' Sam would seek out community partnerships that
were free of charge. Some examples could be the following:
- Jogging at a local park.
- Track with a friend.
- Play soccer in a designated safe
environment with classmates outside of school time.
- Connect with an activity group
that shares a common interest with Sam, like a local in-line
skating or skate boarding group.
- Participate in a lead-up program
for a culminating activity, like a Run for the Cure or a
Mini Triathlon.
- Or, a myriad of other options
discussed with Sam in class, or as part of a homework assignment
given by the school physical educator.
Physical educators I know often express a reluctance to give
homework to their students. Reasons include everything from
empathy regarding the amount of work they are already expected
to complete, to not believing students will take it seriously.
Perhaps the assignments listed above will provide an opportunity
for teachers with that same reluctance to draw a connection
with their in-class information to outside work. By doing
this, they may find that 'homework' is simply a practical
application of the in-class education that serves to deepen
their student's habits of setting SMART goals. When finding
resources in the community becomes a regular habit for your
students, lifelong activity will surely follow.
references
¹Sarah LeTrent,
The psychology of resolutions, CNN, January 3, 2012
at http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/03/living/resolution-psychology/index.html
² Conzemius,
A. and O'Neill, J. (2001) Building Shared Responsibility for
Student Learning. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision
and Curriculum Development.
Conzemius, A. and
O'Neill, J. (2002) The Handbook for SMART School Teams. Bloomington,
IN: Solution Tree.
Conzemius, A.,
O'Neill, J., Commodore, C. and Pulsfus, C. (2006). The Power
of SMART Goals: Using Goals to Improve Student Learning. Bloomington,
IN: Solution Tree
³ http://www.p12.nysed.gov/ciai/pe/pea3.html
4 Termin,
B., & Pendergast, D. R. Training using the Stroke Frequency-
Velocity Relationship to Combine Biomechanical and Metabolic
Paradigms. Journal of Swimming Research, (2000) 14, 9-17.
Biography:
John Strong
has been a full-time Instructor at Niagara County Community
College in Sanborn, NY for the past seven years. His responsibilities
include Physical Education Teacher Education, coordinating
the Personal Training Certificate Program, and various posts
in collegiate clubs and committees. John is a member of AAHPERD
at the national, state, and zone levels and has presented
at conferences for all three. He has coached at the middle
and high school levels, and is currently involved in youth
sport both as a coach and trainer for Youth Sports New York.
John's related areas of interest include: Youth Sport, Sport
Philosophy, and Sport Psychology.
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