Creative Writing About An Easy On Personal Learning Goals (Essay Sample)

My Personal Learning Goals
Student’s Name
University Affiliation
Introduction
For most students, it is a tendency for them to make goals during the beginning of new semesters with an aim to achieve them before or during the end of the same (Conzemius & O'Neill, 2009). These goals may vary from simple ones - like creating more time to share with their loved ones, losing some weight, etc. – to important ones, especially the ones concerned with academics. Moreover, since it is the desire for every student to excel and thrive in whatsoever field they wish to venture into, setting goals is taken into much consideration. This aims to bring them into a position that they had anticipated to be in within a self-specified timeframe.
However, as the saying goes, nothing comes on a silver plate; there’s a price that has to be paid! Setting goals is one thing and achieving them is another - which is the ultimate reward for one gets after paying the price. Efforts towards ensuring achievement of the set goals must be employed, which may vary depending on the student’s vision and motivation. In having a clear view of what they really want to attain, students ought to know what they have to focus on and advance to make sure there is an improvement.
At the end of it all, when the necessary efforts are put forth they unquestionably pay off. The student’s motivation towards achievement, satisfaction, and pride are greatly increased. This leads to improvement in self-confidence, not to mention the ultimate prize of excellence in academic performance (Kulik & Roberson, 2008).
This paper will describe my personal learning goals from the beginning of the semester, my efforts to reach those goals, and my reflections on my own growth, improvement, and areas for continued development.
My Goals
Personally, my approach towards setting goals have to be S.M.A.R.T – Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Result-focused, and Time-bound. New semester to me means new beginnings, and this has to be better than any other semester. Making progress is my greatest desire for this helps me not to be complacent because of the past achievement. The types of goals I focus on generally range from short, mid to even long-term depending on what I want to accomplish in life. As a student, I am highly motivated towards what the future has in store for me especially when I have the confidence and assurance that the desired goals will be achieved.
Short-Term Goals
Starting off with the short-term goals brings everything out into perspective of what is expected of me to before the semester comes to a close. This basically has to do with the simple assignments and projects that await and need to be accomplished as a requirement for my coursework. To me, this brings a sense of motivation by breaking down the assignments and projects into simpler tasks that make enjoyable and fun to handle. I find it easy to make the most of every opportunity I have when engaging in tasks and projects. In this sense, I am able to attain the desired objectives a student is expected to have met by the end of an individual course.
To ensure that I am in a position to say that I have accomplished the above, I have to come up with a set of questions that I need to answer myself. For instance, did I meet the desired goals? Was it a worthwhile pursuit? What new thing did I learn? What activities I engaged in that helped me in learning? Could I have done it better, or is there any room for improvement? Did I manage my time well towards achieving the same? Was the achievement. To make this effective and consistent, I make it a habit on a weekly basis. When the responses to these questions are all or almost all positive, it becomes a milestone for me.
Mid-Term Goals
The second type of goals that I usually set are the mid-term ones. They mainly target on what I want to attain by the end of the semester. One thing that comes to mind is coming up with a study plan. The response most teachers will give in regard to success in academics is having a study plan – a good one of course. It has been noted out that many students have failed to achieve their goals simply because they found it hard to adhere to their set plans (Prуspero & Vohra-Gupta, 2007). I create a personal timetable that acts as a motivational plan that outlines how to attain my goals. I consider it wise to outline my goals in early enough to avoid unnecessary setbacks that might hinder me to achieve the success I want.
As the saying goes, no man is an island. In this life, we all need each other and developing a culture that embraces working as a team toward achieving common goals set in place is more effective than when done individually. One thing I usually take into consideration is teamwork especially in the context of learning. Despite the fact that most students do not put much trust in their peers in matters concerning group work (Polinsky, 2003), I tend to embrace group work by seriously committing myself to it. This is because as a group, time can be saved achieving better results provided there is a good relationship between the members themselves. A good relationship between members can only be achieved by the group only when there are good leadership skills driving the team which highly motivates the members themselves.
Teamwork has helped me improve my leadership skills, has given me a platform to interact with different people from diverse backgrounds and settings, not to mentions the ability to connect easily with people. It is through teamwork that I have been able to sharpen my skills owing it all to the feedback I get from my fellow teammates who with time can tell my areas of strengths and weaknesses. In realizing myself, I make it an objective that I have to meet within a realistic time limit to strengthening myself by working on my weaknesses towards positivity.
Long-Term Goals
Before making any decision that will lead to coming up with any long-term goal, I usually review my short and mid-term goals which. The assurance that long-term goals will be fruitful and solid only lies in the success of the short and mid-term goals. Long-term goals are usually achieved by those who take into consideration the accomplishment of short and mid-term goals as a first priority (Ames & Archer, 1988). To me, long-term goals are the major targets to hit not only by the close of the school year, but also to my profession as an area of interest and specialization.
Through teamwork, I have come to realize and appreciate the fact that there is much to learn from people. In as much as time is spent with the fellow teammates, partnering with other proficient people who are within my area of specialization and profession plays a key role in success. I make it a habit to get exposure from those who have more experience in my profession for they are very instrumental. I get to learn a lot from such exposure, after being challenged in one way or another. This motivates me to keep going especially when I encounter challenges bearing in mind that it’s the same path those who are successful in that field went through.
Having the confidence and joy that comes from achieving the short and long-term goals, I am...