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SMART is an acronym that helps us plan more effectively by making our goals s<\/strong>pecific, m<\/strong>easurable, a<\/strong>chievable, r<\/strong>elevant and t<\/strong>ime-bound. When we write SMART goals, we become more focused and think about what we need to do to achieve them.<\/p>\n Whether you\u2019re studying for an important exam, you need English for work or you\u2019re learning it for fun, SMART goals can help you. Here\u2019s how:<\/p>\n First, ask yourself what you want to achieve and write it down. You can make a general goal like \u201cimprove my listening skills\u201d more specific by breaking it into several more specific smaller goals. For example:<\/p>\n \u201cI want to be able to…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It\u2019s a good idea to break all your big goals into smaller chunks like this because it helps you start directing your own learning. To help you do this, come up with some questions using Wh- words (what, where, when, why and how) and try to answer them in order to find out exactly what you need to do.<\/p>\n To get you started, here are some useful questions to ask yourself:<\/p>\n <\/span>\n<\/ul><\/div> <\/p>\n To find out more about how to improve your listening skills and to help you with your goal setting for this important skill, have a look at our post 5 Ways To Improve Your Listening Skills At Home<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Great work! You have something specific you want to achieve. Now you need to make sure you can measure your progress. This will keep you on track and motivated.<\/p>\n You could draw up<\/strong><\/em><\/span> a chart or checklist where you can tick off<\/strong><\/em><\/span> activities as you complete them.<\/p>\n You can also decide on exact numbers to measure, for example:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It\u2019s essential that your goal is something that you can achieve. That means it shouldn\u2019t be too difficult – or too easy, either! You will need to be realistic about what you are capable of doing, considering the amount of time and resources you have.<\/p>\n Look at it this way, for a newbie<\/strong><\/em><\/span> runner, finishing a marathon in six months probably isn\u2019t very achievable! Think about learning English in the same way. Choose activities that you know you will have time to do.<\/p>\n If you only have a couple of hours a week, you might want to consider small goals such as:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Is your goal the right one for you? To decide, you\u2019ll need to think about your strengths and weaknesses. It can sometimes be hard to evaluate this on your own. Ask your teacher what you can work on in your own time and think about what you’d like to achieve.<\/p>\n Your current level of English and personal ambitions will help you decide if a goal is relevant for you.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When will your goal begin and end? Putting a timeframe<\/strong><\/em><\/span> on things can help maintain<\/strong><\/em><\/span> momentum<\/strong><\/em><\/span>, especially if it\u2019s not too far away.<\/p>\n Ideally, you should break up long-term goals into smaller goals. Otherwise, you run the risk of losing sight of<\/strong><\/em><\/span> your original aim and losing track of your progress.<\/p>\n Use time phrases like these to help you plan short, medium and long-term SMART goals:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n >By the end of March, I want to improve my listening skills so that I can understand an episode of Game of Thrones in English and write a 200-word review of it in my own words.<\/p>\n By the end of the summer, I will have listened to an entire 30-minute podcast in English and be able to understand it enough to explain it to my teacher.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n While planning, it\u2019s a good idea to create a visual timetable or add what you aim to do to your calendar. An example week in your calendar could be:<\/p>\n Monday:<\/strong> Listen to a podcast and write a 50-word summary<\/p>\n Wednesday:<\/strong> Read my favourite website in English and write down new vocabulary<\/p>\n Friday:<\/strong> Go to Oxford House\u2019s Happy Friday language exchange and use five new words<\/p>\n This will help you stick to your plan.<\/p>\nS is for Specific<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
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Now write out a specific goal for yourself.<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
M is for Measurable<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
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Now make your specific goal measurable!<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
A is for Achievable<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
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Now revise your goal so far, is it achievable?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
R is for Relevant<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
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Now ask yourself, is my goal relevant to my learning needs?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
T is for Time-bound<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
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Now add a time frame to your goal!<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
Example SMART Goals<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n
Next class, show your teacher your SMART goals and ask them to give you feedback and advice.<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
More SMART Goal Tips<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n