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**The dreamers in Madam Hooch’s class**

Setting personal goals is something that I’d love to incorporate into my own classroom. My collaborating teacher, Madam Hooch, had the student make these stars describing either a dream or a goal they would like to attain. Most students described what they wanted to be when they grow up, but there were a few that listed goals that pertained to this year specifically. In my classroom, I would like to do something like this, however, I would tweak it slightly. I would have the students write write what they want to be when they grow up, but I would ask them to list a specific mastery goal to focus on this year that would enable them to achieve their future dream. Having the students write a mastery goal allows them to focus on a task individually in an effort to grow as a learner and develop a sense of independence. In addition, setting such a goal will decrease the likelihood that a student learns only for the sake of a grade. I like the idea of combining their future with the present because it make the student think higher and to almost analyze and evaluate themselves and the skills they need to improve   in order to reach their dream. I love having students dream big, but also having a slight sense of reality, and I feel like this allows students this freedom. Mastery goals fosters a transfer environment for students because it uses both backward and forward reaching transfer, since they are applying both prior knowledge and new knowledge. After allows students to create their dreaming mastery goals, I would display them so that when their behavior inhibits their learning, I could remind them by showing them their mastery goals. I would then ask them how they could change their behavior in order to reach their mastery goal. If a student reaches their set goal, I would then have them create a new one, and the pattern would continue on. Although I liked that Madam Hooch did this dreamers board, I would take it just a step further and use it as almost a behavioral management and further development opportunity. In an elementary classroom (or any for that matter) it’s really important to seize every moment as a learning opportunity since we are molding our future!

Reflective Questions:
1. How would I encourage an unmotivated student to make a goal?
2. Is dreaming big bad for students?