Create concrete and achievable learning goals for the lesson. This ensures more motivation and performance. Setting achievable and concrete goals is important for the learning process. We know this from research conducted on the goal setting theory. Research on this theory shows that challenging but achievable goals motivate students the most to work hard (see image (Latham, Seijts, & Crim, 2008)). Setting specific and concrete goals helps students to focus their concentration and actions on the right information. Additionally, goals provide an overview, and students receive feedback on their progress by achieving or not achieving these goals. When the end goal is large and distant, sub-goals should be set. Before the lesson begins, clearly determine what the learning goal for the students is. Communicate the learning goals to your students and make it clear why these learning goals are important. The more relevant you can make them to their world of experience, the better. At the end of the lesson, you can formatively evaluate whether the goal has been achieved, for example, by conducting a quiz. Additionally, help students set their own concrete and achievable (sub)goals. For instance, if they need to learn 200 words for a French test that takes place in a month, it is useful for them to set clear and challenging interim goals. Help them with this, for example, by creating a schedule where they have to learn 25 words twice a week. Finally, it is important to ensure regular feedback on the goals. This feedback does not necessarily have to come from the teacher. Students can also review their own work (see, for example, flashcards) or that of a fellow student.
Lucassen, M. (2020, 7 januari). Marzano en Hattie: de overeenkomsten uit meta-onderzoek. Geraadpleegd van: https://www.vernieuwenderwijs.nl/marzano-en-hattie-overeenkomsten-meta-onderzoek/
Lazowski, R. A., & Hulleman, C. S. (2016). Motivation interventions in education: A meta-analytic review. Review of Educational research, 86(2), 602-640.
Latham, G. P., & Locke, E. A. (2007). New developments in and directions for goal-setting research. European Psychologist, 12(4), 290-300.
Latham, G. P., Seijts, G., & Crim, D. (2008). The effects of learning goal difficulty level and cognitive ability on performance. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science/Revue canadienne des sciences du comportement, 40(4), 220.
Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (2015). Breaking the rules: a historical overview of goal-setting theory. In Advances in motivation science (Vol. 2, pp. 99-126). Elsevier.
