Goal setting is a theme rather than a feature of a particular stage because of the way setting goals influences all aspects of the development of independent learning.
Bandura (1995: 7) has noted that there is now a large body of evidence to show that explicit challenging goals will enhance and sustain motivation. Having goals is useful to prompt self-monitoring and self-assessment of performance; and because goals specify the requirements for personal success, they can increase young people’s cognitive and emotional reactions to performance outcomes (Barry Zimmerman et al. 1992: 664).
Goal setting is also integrated throughout the stages because of the range of goals that are possible: there can be academic performance goals, skill development goals, emotional intelligence goals, short-term goals, aspirational goals. But of course, there are certain qualities that goals need to have to ensure they will be effective in moving young people towards self-motivation and independent learning.
Firstly, there needs to be clear agreement on a goal, with young people having ownership of the goal. Goals need to emerge out of the coaching discussions so that they are stated in terms that young people can appreciate. If young people cannot see the relevance of the goals they are unlikely to take action towards them.
Secondly, goals need to be stated in positive terms, rather than in terms of what
someone is NOT going to do. If I say to you, ‘DON’T think about a blue elephant with pink spots’ what comes into your mind? Plainly you will have to think about what I am asking you NOT to think about before you can NOT do it! Similarly, a goal that ‘I am not going to fail the exam’ sets up a line of thinking about failure rather than realistic success. All negative goals can be re-phrased in positive terms, e.g. ‘I am going to pass the exam.’
Thirdly, even the smallest goals need to be worded in such a way as to be SMART, i.e.:
. Specific . Measurable . Agreed . Realistic . Time-related.
Thus, ‘I’m going to pass the exam’ would need discussion until an agreed form of words emerged that was specific, measurable and time-related, e.g. ‘I am going to achieve Grade C in my Biology exam by the end of this school year’.
Successful goal setting is therefore an element of the balancing act of coaching. As John Whitmore (2002: 61–2) puts it:
If a goal is not REALISTIC, there is no hope, but if it is not CHALLENGING, there is no motivation. So there is an envelope here into which all goals should fit.
Figure 9: Themes of the CARE model
The stages of the CARE model for realizing potential
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Reflection
This chapter has provided a framework for coaching for learning with young people.
The ultimate aim of the model is to encourage independent learning and as such, it has relevance for our own professional development as ‘lead learners’. Since personal development is integral to developing professional capability, as reflective practi-tioners, we can use the framework to recognize and enhance features of our own development. If we are in rapport with ourselves and have trust in ourselves, it will generate the basic self-confidence to adjust the power differential between ourselves and young people. We need to be able to understand how our mental, physical and emotional conditions combine to create our ‘state’, and be able to manage it to ensure optimum performance. With a solutions focus we will avoid getting bogged down by constant analysis of problems; we will be able to practise reframing problems to create solutions. We need to be able to challenge ‘limiting beliefs’ we may hold unconsciously that may be hindering our personal development, and which will also impact upon our effectiveness in our professional role. Our self-motivation to be committed to both our professional role and to our own development as a learner will be a source of energy to inspire the same in others.
Overall, the stages provide a framework rather than a definitive set of practices for working with young people. In the Appendices you will find descriptions of a range of people who are working in different environments and whose work can be described under different titles: mentors, learning coaches, tutors, peer counsellors. The indi-vidual practices may differ, but there is a clear theme of common beliefs and values, and a purposeful aim to support empowerment for young people. The stages of the CARE model are just one way of articulating these common beliefs and aims to provide a guidebook both for your own practice and your personal and professional development.
Key points
. The stages provide a framework for coaching for learning for young people
. The stages can also be applied in reflection on personal and professional development . Stage 1 is about establishing the optimum environment and ‘state’ for learning . Stage 2 encourages ‘thinking about thinking’ and a solutions focus
. Stage 3 tackles limiting beliefs as a way of developing self-efficacy . Stage 4 seeks to celebrate the self-motivated independent learner
. Language is the most important theme because of the high level of skill needed . Well-being ensures continued awareness of a person-centred approach
. A range of goals can be agreed throughout the coaching process to sustain motivation.
Notes
1 Carol Magnus, Head of Learning and Development, Alzheimer’s Society cited by Ann Knights and Alex Poppleton 2007: 3.
2 I’ve written elsewhere about creating rapport – see Jacquie Turnbull 2007.
3 Philip Adey and Michael Shayer 1994: 3.
The stages of the CARE model for realizing potential