- Standard 6: Students demonstrate effective goal-setting skills to enhance health.
Description
Goal setting is an essential life skill critical for helping students establish, manage, and maintain healthy and safe behaviors and becoming a health literate individual. Setting and achieving short-term and long-term health goals can have positive health benefits and contribute to other life outcomes.
Learning to set and reach goals can also help students prioritize what is most important to them and work meaningfully to achieve these important priorities. Because goals are more deliberate than desires and momentary intentions, goal setting means that a person has committed thoughts, emotions, and behaviors towards attaining the goal.
Goal-setting skills involve the assessment of personal health practices and the development of an action plan to motivate and guide a person toward reaching a goal. Successful goal setting consists of procedural steps which include the creation of a goal statement that is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time bound (SMART).
Students gain confidence in their abilities to set and achieve health goals and have a higher probability of success by assessing their personal health practices; creating a SMART goal; then identifying the benefits and barriers to reaching a goal; implementing strategies to achieve a personal health goal (e.g., accessing information, resources, and supportive networks; tracking progress; setting reminders; taking small steps; overcoming barriers; and revising the goal based on life circumstances); and persisting when facing barriers and challenges.
Teachers foster students’ confidence, self-efficacy, and skill competence in goal setting when they:
- Discuss the importance and relevance of goal-setting skills that support healthy behaviors and well-being.
- Explain that students have the capability of learning goal-setting skills that support healthy behaviors.
- Present steps for goal-setting skills that support healthy behaviors.
- Model goal-setting skills that support healthy behaviors.
- Use real-life scenarios for practicing goal-setting skills that support healthy behaviors.
- Allow time and opportunity for students to practice goal-setting skills.
- Provide performance-based feedback and reinforcement for goal-setting skills.
6.2.1 Identify a realistic personal short-term health goal with the help of a trusted adult.
6.2.2 Identify the health and related benefits of reaching a short-term health goal.
6.2.3 Identify people, information, and resources to help achieve a personal health goal.
6.2.4 Develop a basic plan for achieving a personal health goal.
6.2.5 Take steps to achieve a personal health goal (e.g., tracking progress, setting reminders, taking small steps).
6.2.6 Recognize that effort, will power, and resilience can help toward achieving a personal health goal.
6.5.1 Set a realistic personal health goal.
6.5.2 Explain the health and related benefits of reaching a personal health goal.
6.5.3 Develop a basic plan for achieving a personal health goal.
6.5.4 Describe people, information, and resources to help achieve a personal health goal.
6.5.5 Determine potential barriers in achieving a personal health goal.
6.5.6 Implement strategies toward achieving a personal health goal (e.g., tracking progress, setting reminders, taking small steps, overcoming barriers).
6.5.7 Explain that effort, determination, and resilience can help toward achieving a personal health goal.
6.8.1 Assess personal health practices.
6.8.2 Set a SMART personal health goal.
6.8.3 Predict the health and life benefits of reaching a personal health goal.
6.8.4 Develop a detailed plan, with a timeline, for achieving a personal health goal.
6.8.5 Assess the barriers to achieving a personal health goal.
6.8.6 Apply strategies to overcome barriers to achieving a personal health goal.
6.8.7 Implement strategies toward achieving a personal health goal (e.g., tracking progress, setting reminders, taking small steps, overcoming barriers, and revising the goal based on life circumstances).
6.8.8 Apply effort, determination, and resilience toward achieving a personal health goal.
6.12.1 Assess personal health practices and behaviors.
6.12.2 Set a SMART personal health goal.
6.12.3 Predict the health and life benefits of reaching a personal health goal.
6.12.4 Develop a detailed plan, with a timeline, for achieving a personal health goal.
6.12.5 Assess the barriers to achieving a personal health goal.
6.12.6 Apply strategies to overcome barriers to achieving a personal health goal.
6.12.7 Implement strategies toward achieving a personal health goal (e.g., tracking progress, setting reminders, taking small steps, overcoming barriers, and revising the goal based on life circumstances).
6.12.8 Apply effort, determination, and resilience toward achieving a personal health goal.
6.12.9 Formulate an effective long-term plan to improve health and other life outcomes (e.g., exercise plan, stress management plan, healthy eating plan).
Contact Information
Further Information
© National Consensus for School Health Education
Design by ToucanEd, Inc.