1. Goal Setting with OSY PPT Template www.osymigrant.org
One of the most important things we learn when working with our migrant students is that each moment is extremely valuable because we can be certain those moments will be too few. Too few moments to push or pull them to a finish line. Too few moments to accomplish all the good and meaningful things we dream about.
I also know that some days feel like a victory and other days feel like a defeat. The students we serve are balancing on the edge between challenge and success perhaps more than any other student population. It is not easy to find OSY, connect with OSY, communicate with OSY, and serve OSY. Even if you’ve just been on the job a few weeks, that is something you already know well.
But because of the uncertain and difficult part of this job, the victories are that much sweeter. When we see stories of OSY who have returned to school and earned diplomas, or those who have worked late into the night to achieve what it takes to earn a high school equivalency degree, or those who have dedicated hours of effort at the end of an exhausting day to learn enough English to function well in their communities…we are understandably as proud

2. Designing and Following Educational and Life Pathways
What we are going to do today:
Learn ways to work with OSY to develop educational/life pathways
Understand how to use the goal setting activities/materials with OSY
We’ll begin this training by thinking about OUR goal for the training. What do we hope to have as an outcome of participating in this training?

3. Why it Matters www.osymigrant.org We ask the question:
What can we do for the most marginalized group of students in America? We can find them, help them articulate their goals, and give them the tools they need to achieve them.
“My future plans include community college and a bachelors degree.”
“I am so grateful for our friendship and for the experience of mutual learning we share.”
“I'm 100% sure I made the right decision. I saw my diploma today.”

4. Why it Matters www.osymigrant.org We ask the question:
What can we do for the most marginalized group of students in America? We can find them, help them articulate their goals, and give them the tools they need to achieve them.
“He came from a 4th grade education background at age 16 and was able to graduate high school at 21 years old. He was the first in his family to graduate.”
“She graduated and received her high school diploma... I was at her graduation ceremony and I remembered when she was just a name on a long list of students.“
“He said, ‘I heard about the OSY program which has changed my life and the way I think. It’s amazing how I could see my dreams becoming a reality.’”

5. Why it Matters www.osymigrant.org
Outcome
Results
Measurement Tool
Timeline
1.2 75% of OSY with a Learning Plan will attain an average of 50% of the learning/achievement objectives
Of 568 OSY with Student Learning Plans, 433 (76.2%) met half or more of their learning or achievement objectives.
Learning/Action Plan
Annually, Year 4 data due in September 2019
1.3 Attendance by 54 OSY (consortium wide) at Goal Setting Workshops and attain acceptable or above average score on GSW rubric
195 (75%) of the 259 OSY participating successfully completed the Goal Setting mastery activity.
Verified Attendance Rosters; Goal Setting Workshop Rubric available on osymigrant.org
It’s a consortium requirement

6. Why focus on goal setting?
Many OSY have never been asked about their values, desires, thoughts, or dreams.
Giving voice to aspirations is a new experience for OSY.
The idea that their dreams may be approachable or attainable helps OSY focus energy on learning.

7. Benefits to OSY of setting goals
OSY will establish a goal and projected pathway/plan.
OSY will develop/strengthen their sense of self-efficacy.
OSY will develop an understanding of resources to help them along the way, will recognize barriers that may hinder their progress, and will develop ways to manage them.
OSY will document what they do and be able to see progress towards their goals.

8. Benefits to OSY of setting goals
While it may be easy to ignore or postpone the process of goal setting with our students, it is important to remember that this set of activities, which may take only a couple of hours, can “set the stage” for their future learning.
They will move on to other settings where they may or may not have learning support. Without a strong sense of themselves and their goals, students can lose their motivation to continue.
A student who comes to English (GED, Job Skills) class with goals in mind will have a much greater chance of success.
This framework is for life, not just for the time they are with us.

9. Benefits to MEP of setting goals
Having clear student goals allows providers to help create clear learning plans using the resources available in each specific context.
Clear learning plans help providers prepare instruction and support services: they and the student both know what they are supposed to be doing with their time together.
Clear goals and learning plans make it easy for programs to evaluate student progress and outcomes.
We’re not just doing this for them, and we’re not just doing it because it’s a consortium requirement. It also helps us work with our students, work with our providers, and demonstrate student-centered outcomes in our programs.

10. What are the assets that the OSY in your state bring to your program?
OSY are amazing and varied, and they bring a lot with them when they come to our states to work. We can start with them where they are. What do you see in your OSY?

11. What are some of the potential challenges you might face in talking about goals and plans with OSY?
Our students face many challenges- both academic and life- so lets start with talking about the challenges WE might face when talking about goals and plans with these students-

12. Challenges and Assets of OSY
Many responsibilities that most teenagers don’t face - limited time to study
Medical, psychological, or dental issues that have not been addressed
Limited instructional time with MEP
Assets
Intrinsically motivated
Flexible curricular material choices
The little things get to matter and mean so much
Network of services from state to state
A major difference between OSY and other MEP students is that OSY choose to enroll and participate in Migrant Education activities.  In that way, a 17-year-old OSY student is much more of an adult learner than a 17-year-old high school MEP student.  The 17-year-old OSY student normally has a job, may have numerous family responsibilities, and may not see an immediate reason for participating in educational activities.  Also, OSY students may have immediate support needs, such as medical and dental issues, which can distract them from their academic pursuits. Another challenge for OSY students, especially those with limited time available for study, is that accomplishing learning goals does not often happen as rapidly as students would like. Darkenwald (1986) noted that the adult learner may need up to 100 hours of instruction to move up one grade level in reading.  One hundred hours at 4 hours per week (often the maximum amount of time an OSY student has) means 25 weeks of study. Given that many MEP programs have students in one place for only 6 to 16 weeks (the North Carolina average, for example, is 12 weeks), there is urgency to identify and recruit students, explore and clarify their academic goals, design ways to support them in meeting their goals, and help provide the tools to connect them to opportunities when they move.  In addition, we must work with students to build “persistence,” which is that combination of time and intensity needed to achieve any goal.

13. Underlying Concepts in Goal Setting Materials
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Growth Mindset
Grit
This next section can be used in the training or not- and can be modified to cover one, two or all of the concepts-
When the group were writing activities these were the concepts/ideas that were used to guide the development

14. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Good to always think about priorities- and when I think about priorities, it helps me to think about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs- we are finding that more and more of our students are on these very different levels. Some are going to be just needing to focus on the basic needs that they have while others may be thinking about their long-term career goals- you just never know. Our job is to meet an individual where they are at- and structure the goal and learning plan around that person. One student’s goal might just being able to come to class and be prepared- while another might be studying to take the HSE in their state. These activities and documents are designed to be accommodating to the whole range of student that we encounter.

15. Growth Mindset
Growth Mindset is a concept based on the research of Dr. Carol Dweck.
A mindset is the group of attitudes we each have, and how those attitudes impact the way we approach the challenges in our lives.
Growth mindset breaks away from the view that life is predetermined and therefore there is little to nothing that can be done to change it.
It can empower us to try something new, even if there is a risk of not being successful - because we always learn from failure, and great things can come out of failure!
Growth Mindset is something that is good for folks working with OSY to understand, but not something that has to be directly shared with the students, consider it a perspective from which we are approaching goal setting.
We use it because it helps students think about what is in their control. There is growth in temporary failure, but it helps to have a positive approach to goal setting.
This is integrated into all of the ice breakers (outside of the first activity) and we will be doing more on this for PD going forward.

16. Growth vs. Fixed
Growth Mindset: Assumes intelligence and other qualities, abilities, and talents can be developed with effort, learning, and dedication over time.
Fixed Mindset: Assumes intelligence and other qualities, abilities, and talents are fixed traits that cannot be significantly developed or changed.
2 mindsets we can cultivate. One that embraces problems as opportunities to learn and one that avoids them, often out of fear of failure

17. Growth Mindset Quiz Let’s take the quiz:
Dr. Dweck developed a simple quiz for folks to see whether they have more of a fixed or growth mindset-
Let’s take the quiz:
Mark the answer you most agree with for each question.
On the back, circle the number that corresponds with the answer you marked.
Total each column.
It should be clear that this is a personal quiz
This is something to do with folks but having them do it on their own- not turning it in and not forced to share-
It also should be noted that anyone can adjust their mindset- this quiz just starts people thinking about their personal approach to things

18. Your Own Mindset? Group discussion:
What did you notice about your own mindset?
Was there anything that surprised you?
Anything you had a reaction to?

19. Grit Grit is a concept based on the research of Angela Duckworth.
Grit is a crossroads of passion and perseverance.
Grit addresses how effort is often ignored or overshadowed by ‘talent,’ but effort is what underlies success when you really dig in.
To excel and be successful, you have to understand that talent is something you have naturally, and skill is only developed by hours and hours and hours of practice and effort. Effort and continued practice can develop talent.
Focusing on consistent effort and small goals can help someone become ‘gritty’ so that they can build progress to their larger goals.

20. Grit
Top-level goal is the compass that gives direction and meaning to all the other goals below it.
The higher the goals go the more abstract (and important) they become, as they are partially end goals and not just getting us there.
Grit is holding the same top-level goal for a long time, and becomes really what organizes what you do in your day-to-day activities.
For very gritty people the mid and low-level goals are in one way or another related to the ultimate goal in a coherent and detailed way
A lack of grit can come from having less coherent and detailed goal structures/plans
Bottom-level goals are the most concrete and specific - they are a means to the end and they get us to what we really want.

21. Persistence What does this mean to you?
Can you give an example of persistence in your own life?
Can you give an example when you had to help someone else persist?

22. Supports for Persistence
The student needs to:
establish a goal or projected pathway
have a sense of self-efficacy
develop an understanding of the positive and negative forces that help or hinder their progress and ways to manage those forces
see progress towards their objectives
The National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL 2000) identified four supports for persistence of adult students in learning programs:
Literacy Volunteers of America (LVA), which merged with Laubach Literacy International in 2002 to form ProLiteracy, also practices reinforcing supports such as those outlined by NCALL. Volunteers in the program were taught to capitalize on the experiences and interests of their adult learners and to build instruction around those experiences.  This process can help set students’ anxiety about learning at ease, increase student self-efficacy, increase the relevance of what is being taught to the student, and increase the student’s interest level and participation.

23. Goal setting challenges students - and that is good!
How does this impact goal setting
and student success?
Goal setting challenges students - and that is good!
Challenges help students learn and achieve over time.
“Engagement is a precondition for learning. No learning happens until students become engaged with the material.”
“Holding students to high expectations, done properly, is a way to convey that they have potential.”
Engagement quote is from Harvard Associate Professor Jal Mehta
Holding student to high expectations is quoted from ”Academic Tenancy” by Carol Dweck, Gregory Walton and Geoffrey Cohen

24. Goal Setting Activities
Instructor guide includes an introduction to help understand goal setting with OSY.
Why Goal Setting?
The Importance of the Big Picture
What is a Vision?
What is a Goal?
Creating Goals and Visions with OSY

25. Activity Formats and Flow
1. Discovering Our Vision
2. Documenting Our Vision
3. Setting Short, Medium and Long-Term Goals
4. Mapping Out The Way
5. Planning Step-by-Step
6. Putting It All Together
There are six (6) activities, designed to be sequential, which can be condensed to five (5), or otherwise adapted to suit your needs.
Activities take ~45 minutes but can be modified to fit either a 30- or 60- minute session.
Activities are written for different class structures:
One-on-One
Group
Virtual (video-based distance learning)
Each has an ice breaker/introduction, main and wrap-up activity.
All student handouts are in the Student Workbook (no having to make extra copies!).

26. Making it Work for You
1. Discovering Our Vision
2. Documenting Our Vision
3. Setting Short, Medium and Long-Term Goals
4. Mapping Out The Way
5. Planning Step-by-Step
6. Putting It All Together
This full sequence of activities is not appropriate for all OSY, or all programs. It requires significant time and effort.
Migrant students move. If you can get them started thinking about goals and how to reach them, they can continue their work with another provider in a new location.
The materials have tables of contents so that you can quickly find the activities you want to use. You can use these warmups and activities to supplement your existing program, or to build a goal-setting process that works for you.
It’s definitely possible to introduce a student to goal setting and planning without completing all six of these activities exactly as described, with warmups and wrapups etc. States should review all the activities carefully and make decisions about how to implement goal-setting work in their own contexts. This state-specific plan can then be detailed in the training.

27. Activity 1. Discovering our Vision
Objective: Strong(er) relationships between facilitator and OSY, as well as among OSY (in group setting), will begin to form and everyone will start to think about the bigger picture/vision of their life and develop a long-term goal.
Icebreaker/Dinamica
Main Activity
Wrap Up
Icebreaker questions that all participants answer
Provides different dynamic ways to facilitate the activity
Questions are general, fun, and written to get everyone comfortable and learning more about each other
Can be written/drawn in Student Book
Dream Big questions
What do you believe you are capable of doing in your life?
The greatest things you could accomplish given the right circumstances, resources and motivation
This is where I see myself/my life when I am 40 years old
Reflection on the main activity
Sharing out the student’s vision/long-term goal

28. Activity 2. Documenting our Vision
Objective: OSY will learn different ways that a vision/long-term goal can be put on paper - and that this is an important part of goal setting for accountability and motivation.
Icebreaker/Dinamica
Main Activity
Wrap Up
Memory game that can be played individually or in a group
Demonstrates that you can remember more when you write/draw something and refer to it often
Provides five different ways that the OSY can record their vision/long-term goal
The five different options provide a range of options to appeal to different kinds of folks (art, words, technology, etc.)
Sharing out the student’s project
Placing project in the individual student books
Provides opportunity to practice appropriate feedback

29. Activity 3. Short-, Medium- and Long-Term Goals
Objective: OSY will develop the skill to break down a long-term goal into short- and medium-term goals.
Icebreaker/Dinamica
Main Activity
Wrap Up
Quiz that examines the different habits of goal oriented and non-goal oriented people
Can be played as a movement game to energize and get folks moving
Examining different long-term goals and some of the activities that help one reach the goal
Discussing what is a short-, medium-, and long-term goal via a sorting activity
Brainstorming some short- and medium-term goal activities to accomplish the student’s vision/long-term goal
Sharing out

30. Activity 4. Mapping Out The Way
Objective: OSY will understand that there are events along the way to reaching a vision/long-term goal that can help, set back, and/or potentially change the plan - and that is okay.
Icebreaker/Dinamica
Main Activity
Wrap Up
Discusses how it can feel to make mistakes
Students learn that there is a tremendous amount learned from mistakes
The brain develops and strengthens through mistakes
Playing a game similar to ‘chutes and ladders’ but in the context of goal setting
End of the game is the vision/long-term goal
OSY will place ‘helpers’ and ‘setbacks’ on the board and decide whether they are big, medium or small helpers/setbacks
Brainstorming potential helpers and setbacks to individual vision/long-term goal
Discussion of what is in our control and what is outside of our control (optional)

31. Activity 5. Planning Step-by-Step
Objective: OSY will be able to sequentially plan how to realize their vision/long-term goal through short- and middle-term activities, including the supports they can use and the setbacks they will need to overcome.
Icebreaker/Dinamica
Main Activity
Wrap Up
Reading and Reflection activity
Choice of a short statement or two paragraph reading
Open ended/discussion questions are included
Individually completing the Making a Plan in their student books
Transition to Activity 6
Activities can be combined and done as one activity

32. Activity 6. Putting it All Together
Objective: OSY will be able to document their plan in a format that they can refer to frequently to guide their progress.
Icebreaker/Dinamica
Main Activity
Wrap Up
Origami
Demonstrates that it is important to have a plan/instructions/guidance when doing a project
The more details/information the better!
Explores different ways to document a plan
Determine which plan works best for the person and the vision/long-term plan
Take the work from Activity 5 and put it into a format of the student’s choice
Celebrate the goal plan
Start working on making it happen!

33. Goal Setting Rubric
After working with an OSY on goal-setting, whether through the complete six lesson sequence or a shorter intensive, you should be able to complete this rubric, and the OSY should be able to receive the acceptable score of at least 8 points, indicating that they are well on their way

34. Example Scenario 1: Abigail
Abigail finished primaria (elementary school) in Mexico, and she is interested in continuing her studies at the level of secundaria (middle school). She lives and works on a rural Vermont dairy farm, and has no transportation. She has a good internet connection, and the support of an MEP staff mentor who visits every two weeks. MEP can loan her a laptop computer. There is a HEP program available to her, but she doesn’t feel academically ready to make the jump to US high school content without secundaria under her belt.
Initial long-term goal: Complete secundaria
Initial medium-term goal: Enroll in secundaria
Initial short-term goal: Figure out how to enroll in secundaria via the Mexican adult ed online program, or find out what other options there are

35. Example Scenario 1: Abigail
Goal-Setting Plan for MEP staff and Abigail: Meeting 1: Activities 1 & 2 to help her put her dreams into a visual format. What does completing secundaria mean for her? But then: You go back to the student’s home and she is not there. Her number is no longer working. No one at the farm knows where she went. The next week you get a call from the program in South Carolina who lets you know they found your contact information in the Student Book. You let them know where you left off, and they continue from there. Meeting 2: Activities 3 & 5 virtually, to set up short- and long-term goals and get started with an initial plan, since this plan will need to develop over time Meeting 3: Activity 4 in person to identify and plan for setbacks and opportunities As time permits: Meeting 4: Activity 6 in person or virtually to document the plan
Disclaimer: This is not meant to be an exact plan that you must follow, but rather an example of how to take real instances that we all run into and use these materials as they work best for you.
This student already has a clear goal of completing her next level of education, but she hasn’t articulated yet why that is important, or if there are bigger dreams that this level of education will make possible. Goal setting activities 1&2 will help her to articulate and document this so that she will have motivation to continue. During this lesson she discovered that she has a dream to have a career in Mexico that will give her and her family financial stability, and she documented that with a combined drawing/collage that showed a comfortable house, abundant food, motorcycles, and happy children and elders.
Resources are different in South Carolina than in Vermont, so the provider there will need to consider options based on the student’s new situation. However, they also want to get to know the student better before deciding how to proceed.
The student is anxious to get started, so the provider meets with her virtually to explore short-, medium-, and long-term goals (Activity 3), and to make an initial plan (Activity 5).
The first step of the initial plan is for both the provider and the student to do some research into different options. The next step is to consider the pros and cons of each option to identify needs for additional information and to decide on the next steps of the plan. This discussion happens at an in-person meeting. After the review of options and decision about the next steps, the provider and student will do Activity 4, which will help the student anticipate possible helpers and setbacks that she may encounter as she progresses towards her goal. Then they will agree to work on next steps, with the understanding that the plan will change and develop according to circumstances.
At this point, the student is already at work on developing and completing a plan that will bring her to her goal. At her next check-in with her provider, they will decide on a way to document the plan and a schedule for reviewing and revising it.

36. Abigail’s Action Plan
Research Mexican online secundaria for adults. Questions:
Is it available to me in the US?
If so, how do I enroll?
Is there a test that I can take to get my secundaria diploma?
Research other options for education below high school level
What are HEP recommendations for ways to prepare academically?
Are there other ways to take classes online in Spanish?
What would it be like for me to enroll in US high school?
Compare options and decide on one to pursue
Plan additional steps
Disclaimer: This is not meant to be an exact plan that you must follow, but rather an example of how to take real instances that we all run into and use these materials as they work best for you.
This student already has a clear goal of completing her next level of education, but she hasn’t articulated yet why that is important, or if there are bigger dreams that this level of education will make possible. Goal setting activities 1&2 will help her to articulate and document this so that she will have motivation to continue. During this lesson she discovered that she has a dream to have a career in Mexico that will give her and her family financial stability, and she documented that with a combined drawing/collage that showed a comfortable house, abundant food, motorcycles, and happy children and elders.
Resources are different in South Carolina than in Vermont, so the provider there will need to consider options based on the student’s new situation. However, they also want to get to know the student better before deciding how to proceed.
The student is anxious to get started, so the provider meets with her virtually to explore short-, medium-, and long-term goals (Activity 3), and to make an initial plan (Activity 5).
The first step of the initial plan is for both the provider and the student to do some research into different options. The next step is to consider the pros and cons of each option to identify needs for additional information and to decide on the next steps of the plan. This discussion happens at an in-person meeting. After the review of options and decision about the next steps, the provider and student will do Activity 4, which will help the student anticipate possible helpers and setbacks that she may encounter as she progresses towards her goal. Then they will agree to work on next steps, with the understanding that the plan will change and develop according to circumstances.
At this point, the student is already at work on developing and completing a plan that will bring her to her goal. At her next check-in with her provider, they will decide on a way to document the plan and a schedule for reviewing and revising it.

37. Example Scenario 2: Marcos
After meeting with a parent, you go around the camp to see if anyone is new and you meet a new 20-year-old OSY named Marcos. He was born in Georgia but was raised most of his life in Mexico. He asks for help getting his driver’s license. He will be here until the end of June (it is currently February). He lives at a camp that might be hard to use as his permanent address. The camp receives summer English classes, but this spring you have some time to pop by for a few classes. He says he is skeptical about school, so you don’t want to start off with a 7-week class plan. Initial long-term goal: Get Driver’s license Initial medium-term goal: Pass permit test Initial short-term goal: Figure out what paperwork he will need
Goals do not have to be academic to be valid. We want to work with students’ actual current goals to help them understand how to set goals, makes plans, and follow through.

38. Example Scenario 2: Marcos
Goal-setting plan for MEP staff and Marcos: Meeting 1: Combine Activities 2 & 3: Since you know what the goal is, help student to understand goal planning and the importance of writing it down. Meeting 2: Combine Activities 5 & 6: In Lesson 5, choose the shorter reading, since the student is not enthusiastic about school. Now he has a plan to get his license! But then: Student moves to Kentucky. Since you had written your name and contact information in the Student Book, he was able to call you and let you know. You call KY MEP to hand off the referral. Meeting 3: Activity 4, as part of reviewing and updating the plan to suit the student’s new situation. Meeting 4: Activity 1, if the student has been enjoying this and seems inspired to go back to school and/or pursue other goals, to show how they identify new dreams and can start the process over again.
This student had a clear, concrete goal in mind when he met the MEP staff person. He also expressed skepticism about the idea of school or education, so the provider was concerned that the full set of goal-setting activities would be off-putting. The provider responds directly to his request for assistance on his current goal of getting a driver’s license, but incorporates the goal-setting activities that will assist him in clarifying the steps he needs to take in order to achieve this goal.
When the student moves, the new provider takes advantage of the disruption caused by Marcos’ move to do Activity 4, which focuses on working with setbacks and opportunities. This seems very relevant now that Marcos needs to re-do his research on the paperwork he needs to apply for a permit. At this meeting they also update the plan according to the student’s new situation.
At a later check-in, once Marcos is well on his way to getting his license, they can do Activity 1 to help him think about his dreams for the future. How could the license help him get closer to those dreams?

39. Marcos’ Action Plan
Go to DMV website to find information about how to apply for a license
Get all the documents together that I will need
Photo identification
Proof of residency
Get a copy of the driver’s manual (MEP provider will send by mail)
Study for the permit test
Schedule an appointment for the permit test
Arrange for time off to go to the permit test
Arrange for transportation to go to the permit test
Pass the permit test
Find someone to practice driving with and set a schedule with them
Practice for driving test
Schedule an appointment for the driving test
Pass the driver’s test
Receive license!!!
This plan is a simple sequential to-do list, but more sub-steps may be needed. For example, he may need to find out how to get a copy of identification documents he can use, or he may need to take a driver’s education class.

40. Example Scenario 3: Kisenya
Kisenya is a 21-year-old OSY who recently arrived in your state. She works on a veggie farm and doesn’t speak much English. She went to school in her home country, but she didn’t like it and left to start working when she was 13. She would like to stay in the US and eventually get a better job, so her priority is to improve her English as quickly as possible. She is a single mother of two young children, one an infant and one just about to start kindergarten. Initial long-term goal: Get a better job in the US Initial medium-term goal: Be able to understand and speak enough English to have a job interview Initial short-term goal: Learn the basic English words and phrases that are important for my current job

41. Example Scenario 3: Kisenya
Goal-setting plan for MEP staff and Kisenya: Meeting 1: Activity 1, including dreams for herself and for her children; short survival English lesson Meeting 2: Activity 2, to make something she can refer to when she needs to remember why she is working so hard at learning English! Activity 3 without the warmup, including learning the English for the different goals in the activity. And then: Another family moves to the farm and the children are enrolled in MEP. The mothers share the same native language, and both want to learn English. The other mother has older children who already speak some English. Meeting 3: Group meeting with Kisenya and the other mother, to do Activity 4. Meeting 4: Activities 5 & 6 with both moms, and reading bilingual books together with the children.
In this scenario, we have some group dynamics: children, and two students. English is incorporated into all the meetings so that they feel they are getting some immediate support towards their goals. The second student comes in during the middle of the process and is rolled right in. Their levels may be different, but they can support each other with figuring out the best ways to meet their goals of increasing their English proficiency.

42. Kisenya’s Action Plan
Things to do all at the same time, as frequently as possible:
Greet co-workers in English
Listen to music in English (at least 1 song)
Watch television in English (at least 15 minutes)
Attend English class (once a week at ABE center)
Read bilingual books to children (at least 1 book)
Practice English conversations with co-worker
Review flashcards
Practice with DuoLingo (at least 5 minutes)
Make a sticker chart and get a reward after doing each of these things 5 times!
These items could be arranged into a tangram-type drawing, with larger pieces for the things Kisenya thinks are more important or that will take more time.

43. Example Scenario 3: Edgar
You have an OSY, Edgar, in an H2A contract who contacts you via WhatsApp and tells you that he is interested in buying some laptops but does not know where to start. He wants to buy 2 laptops to take back with him to his home country. The second laptop will be a gift for his niece’s 15th birthday. Due to time and distance, you know that you will not be able to accompany the student to make these purchases. Initial long-term goal: buy 2 laptops Initial medium-term goal: save enough money to buy the laptops Initial short-term goal: figure out what laptops to buy and how much they cost, including any needed accessories

44. Example Scenario 3: Edgar
Goal-setting plan for MEP staff and Edgar: Meeting 1: Modified Activity 2 via video chat with screen sharing to clarify and document the details of the goal. What kind of laptops does he need, and why? The warmup emphasizes the need to write everything down in this process, and the main activity helps him to explore his motivation for wanting to buy the laptops. Meeting 2: Activity 5 via WhatsApp text messaging. Send a picture of the Making a Plan page in the Student Book, and ask the student to respond to each question. Discuss as necessary. Combine with Activity 6 to emerge with a To-do list for the student and the MEP staff. Meeting 3: Regular check-ins to see how the savings are coming along and to support the eventual purchase and shipping.
This is another very clear goal that the student is asking for assistance to plan for and achieve. In this case he has a vision, which is that he and his niece will have new laptops that they can use to study, but needs assistance making decisions about what his actual goal is. What is the budget? What will the laptops be used for? What are the options to consider when buying a laptop? Is there a deadline to make the purchase? Any add-ons for the laptops, such as a computer bag, cables, Microsoft Office, virus protection plan and/or any other software for specific use? This goal may not seem “academic,” but in fact, a plan to achieve it will include a significant amount of reading and vocabulary building to learn about computer specifications and options, and math to calculate the cost of different options and the timeline for saving the money needed for the purchase. The student’s initial short-term goal of figuring out which laptops to buy and how much they cost may actually be quite complex, since there are so many options.

45. Edgar’s Action Plan
Decide on a budget. What’s my limit for this purchase?
What’s reasonable? Research the range of prices for laptop computers, and the average price for laptops used by students.
Decide on specifications. What do I want in a laptop?
Find a good reference guide online for purchasing laptops.
Review the specifications and learn what they mean.
Decide on the specifications of my ideal laptop. What do I want to use them for?
Decide on any software or accessories I want to make sure to get.
Review budget in light of ideal laptop + extras. Do I need to revise either my budget or my ideal?
Make a plan to save the money I will need. How much do I need to save from each paycheck, and for how long?
Compare prices for laptops at local retailers. Is there a shop that has better prices? Should I buy online instead?
Once the money is saved, buy the laptops!
Research the safest way to send one laptop to home country, and send it!

46. Follow-up and Follow-through
Set regular check-ins with the student so that you can review the plan document and compare it to real life. Alter target dates and steps as necessary. This is persistence! Frame activities with goal-setting (see Instructor Guide appendix). At the start: What is the point of this activity (i.e. objectives, goals)? How do those objectives relate to your (the student’s) goal(s)? At the end: What was the point of this activity? Did you achieve it? How did this activity help you get closer to your goal? What is the next step? The step after that? Celebrate! Help the student recognize their progress and achievements as they complete steps in their plans.

47. Goal Setting: A Skill for Life
While it may be easy to ignore or postpone the process of goal setting with our students, it is important to remember that this set of activities, which may take only a couple of hours, can “set the stage” for their future learning.
They will move on to other settings where they may or may not have learning support. Without a strong sense of themselves and their goals, students can lose their motivation to continue.
A student who comes to English (GED, Job Skills) class with goals in mind will have a much greater chance of success.
This framework is for life, not just for the time they are with us.
Many times, we hear people say, “My students are with me for such a short time, I don’t have time for this. I want to get right into teaching my English classes.” While there may be situations in which this is the case, it’s important to always keep in mind that our students, especially those who are with us for a very short time, need to learn to provide context for all their future learning. If they can develop the skills of goal-setting and self-monitoring, they will keep themselves moving toward their goals, no matter the obstacles they encounter.

48. Resources/Contact Info
This page can be the wrap up for State Specific wrap up