Making Teaching Goals and the Importance of Self-Reflection

Making Teaching Goals

As you get ready to teach this semester, consider taking some time now to create teaching goals! You may want to use the S.M.A.R.T framework when creating your goals. A goal that is S.M.A.R.T. is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Reflecting on your goal progress at regular intervals throughout the semester can help ensure that your actions are aligning with your goals and that you are on-track to achieving them. Tip: you can set reminders for yourself in your calendar to check-in on your goals every couple of weeks. The questions below can help get you started on setting teaching goals for this semester. Give them a try!

1. What would the best first day of class look and feel like for you as the teaching assistant and for your students?
2. What steps can/will you take now to better your chances of having the best first day?
3. By the end of this semester, what do you hope to be able to say about yourself as a teacher? What are your goals for yourself as a TA for the semester, and how can you support yourself in reaching these goals (e.g., reaching out to teaching colleagues for support and accountability, locating resources, attending workshops)?
4. What are your goals for your students for the semester, and how can you support them in reaching these goals?

Now it’s your turn! Check out the complementary activity where we have provided space for you to answer these questions. This also lets you save your goals to revisit them at a later date.

The Importance of Self-Reflection

Self-reflection is an important component to being an effective TA. This involves critically reflecting on what is successful and what needs refinement in your teaching practice. Self-reflection could take the form of a personal teaching log that records your observations over the semester, or could be prompted by feedback received from students or peers. The Gibbs Reflection Cycle (below), is one of many useful frameworks for guiding self-reflection. Try using the Gibbs Reflections Cycle to reflect early in the semester – maybe after your first day, week, or month – then continue to reflect on your teaching throughout the semester.

Now it’s your turn! Check out the complementary activity for this section to use the Gibbs Reflection Cycle to reflect early in the semester.

Additional Resources:

• Gibbs, G. (1988). Learning by Doing: A Guide to Teaching and Learning Methods. London: Further Education Unit.