SMART Targets and Process of Achieving Them

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Smart Targets
Conclusion
Bibliography

Introduction

Goals should be set to be later achieved about the understanding, skills, or knowledge gained in some areas such as the one related to the professional or learning activity. In this respect, the learning process can be well-planned with the help of SMART goals set to be achieved because this is one of the important components of such goals, namely, achievability. For instance, a time-bound target should include the timeframe when the target should be achieved instead of setting a hypothetical goal that can be neither measured nor attained within a specific period.

Smart Targets

SMART targets related to the learning process should include a set of goals that would help a student progress in the academic area and achieve specific results in definite sectors such as interpersonal skills, academic skills, or skills necessary for effective learning.

Target 1: Dynamics of groups and contributions

The first target that was set and achieved is the understanding of the dynamics of groups and my contribution to the work of the group including the giving and receiving of feedback. I believe that feedback I one of the greatest ways for motivation and self-motivation also related to learning. For instance, when a student goes to lectures and practice classes, fulfills all assignments given, and still receives poor grades, he/she lacks feedback to learn about the weak and strong points of the papers and recommendations that would help to progress in different areas.

It is important to know the strengths and weaknesses myself to be able to progress, improve skills, acquire more information, and change the strategies selected to achieve certain goals. If the skills are assessed in the framework of the goals achieved, other goals related to the ones assessed may be shifted about the current achievements. In other words, if a person knows that some skills are not relevant for further goals, it is necessary to set new transitional goals that would help to achieve results necessary for setting another set of targets.

Knowing the peculiarities of the work of the group would facilitate the process of decision-making when the decision concerns all group members. Moreover, responsibility for the group may become a good motivational factor in the work of the group when students would bear responsibility for the entire task fulfilled by the members of the group rather than personal accounts on the performance. I believe that I understand the dynamics of group cooperation better and can bear responsibility for the achievements of an entire group knowing that my lack of skills would result in poor feedback on the group performance.

Target 2: Leadership skills

The second target I set to achieve includes developing my leadership skills about the work in a group and my contribution to the work of the group and my independent achievements in learning and personal areas. The goal was set to be achieved within the shortest possible period, namely, a semester with the help of steadily applying my leadership skills to group operation.

Whether the goal was measurable or not can be analyzed with the help of the assessment of my contribution to the group performance and the number of useful ideas I have produced while working with other group members on the projects assigned. The goal helped me make progress in more active and confident participation in group discussions.

The most surprising fact that happened was when I realized that I managed to progress; I cannot say whether this progress was due to my efforts to contribute more effectively to the group performance or the environment of cooperation and self-motivation that made me progress. The most fulfilling part of the experience was when I managed to persuade the group members to consider my point of view because I knew that the idea was worth being used in the project.

The least fulfilling part of the target was the achievement of the goal within a short period whereas I needed to use my leadership skills right after the beginning of cooperation and work in a group. I believe that the experience that I gained is different from what I had before in terms of leadership skills. The strengths I have to include the ability to persuade people to consider my ideas while the weakness concerns the lack of strong arguments that I use to persuade people to do so.

Target 3: Computer literacy

The third target I was setting and achieving is computer literacy and development of computer skills with the help of additional practice and evaluation of feedback from the educators. The more I learn to do with the help of a computer and the internet connection, the more confidently I can say that I am steadily achieving results in terms of computer literacy development. Though I am not trying to become a professional in the informational technologies sector, I want to be able to produce documents with the help of word processing options available and can access different options via the internet.

For instance, word processing is more convenient when all requirements are clear; this means that I know how to set margins and make the final draft more readable with the help of headings changing the font in terms of style and size; changing the Roman font into italics makes the readers pay their attention to the passage/statement written in italics. Though emphases are not appropriate to be made with the help of italicizing, some sections can be divided with the help of certain headings and subheadings and I know how to make it most appropriately and conveniently.

I believe that asking for advice and disturbing people was the least pleasant part of this experience; however, it turned out to be interesting and encouraging when I managed to search necessary results on the internet using specific keyword phrases instead of entering irrelevant passages into the search engine box. The most surprising fact was the pace of development because everything came with practice and it did not take me a lot of time to find out some peculiarities of word processing via experiments.

Conclusion

To conclude, I set goals and managed to achieve those while some results are not sufficient about what I expected though I try to develop continuously the skills mentioned in the targets to be achieved. In this respect, I can say that the dynamics of the work in the group influences the group performance and individual performance of every group member. I think that I contributed positively to the group achievements because I managed to develop other skills that are beneficial for group cooperation.

Bibliography

Bourner, T, Assessing reflective learning, Education & Training, vol. 45, no. 5, 2003, pp. 267-272.

Cottrell, S, The study skills handbook, 2nd edn, Palgrave, Basingstoke, 2003.

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