What is goal setting, Importance of goal setting

Goal setting

Smart

          Due to the global competition it is expected that the employee shall be a very goooq human resource who know very well his abilities and strengths and shall be able to associate them to accomplish personal as well as organizational goals. He must have the ability to distinguish between personal goals as well as organizational goals and he shall be able to deal with them without having a clash of personal goals with organizational goals.
          Goal is an essential part of human life. The goal set for oneself determines the essence of the life. Setting goals is the first step to turning dreams, ideas, wishes, into reality. In this article focus is given on the need of goal setting, smart goal, steps to attain a Goal.

Goal, Aim and Objective

Goal

           It is a statement containing the information about where you want to see yourself or' what you want to become or what you want to achieve in life etc. However the statement of goals also indicates the time period. Usually the goal statements indicate time frame which‘is long term may be 8-10 years.

           e.g. My goal is to become the general manager of a reputed multinational company.

Aim

           It is a statement containing the information about where you want to see yourself or what you want to become or what you want to achieve in life etc. However the time period prescribed in the statement of aim is lower as compared to goals. Usually statements of aim indicate time frame which is medium term may be 3-4 years.  

 Objective

          It is a statement containing the information about where .you want to see ' yourself or what you want to become or what you want to achieve in life etc. However the time period prescribed in the statement of Objectives is lower as compared to Aim statements. Usually the objective statements indicate time frame, which is short term, ' may be 6 months to 1 year.

         The most important thing is that even though the time frame varies in Goals, Aims and objectives still they should be on the same lines.

The following example will clear the difference between Goals, Aims and Objectives. 

Goal : My goal is to start my own work shop with modern machines. 

Aim : My aim is to complete the diploma in Mechanical Engineering in three years.

Objectives : My objectives are to get first class' In every semester.

Why Goal setting?

           Goal setting is the process in which an individual has to identify the goal, plan and decide the strategy to achieve the goal. Follow the decided strategy with any modification that is necessary to move on the correct path towards the achievement of an identified goal. 

• Goal setting focuses efforts and improves direction in life. 
• Goal setting causes to set priorities and becomes more organized. 
• Goal setting turns wishful thinking into reality. 
• Goal setting can improve self-esteem.
• Goal setting makes you responsible for your own life. It helps to define your own value system.
• Goal setting makes aware of strengths, which can be used to overcome obstacles and Salve problems.
• Goal setting points out your weaknesses. You can begin setting new goals to improve in those areas and convert them into strengths. 

Characteristics of Goal setting

           In order to succeed, one needs to plan out his work and work out his plan . It is often observed that good intentions and desires are not equally supported by sincere efforts. Achievement of success is the result of judicious combination of desire and relevant action. To start one needs. synergy between the head, heart and the hand in achieving his goals. The goal should be SMART.

        Specific , Simple, Significant, Stretchable.

        Measurable , Meaningful, Motivational Manageable. 

        Attainable, Appropriate, Achievable, Agreeable, Assignable, Actionable.

        Realistic, Relevant, Result-oriented, Result-focused, Resourceful, Rewarding. 

        Timely, Time-based; Time -boxed, Time-specific, Time-tabled, Tangible, Traceable.

Specific

         Specifics help to focus efforts and clearly define what we are going to do. To set a Specific goal you must answer the following questions: 

Measurable

          Establish concrete criteria for measuring progress to stay on track, reach your target dates, and experience the exhilaration of achievement that spurs you on to continued effort required to reach your goal. “I want to read a book of 100 pages before my birthday" , shows the specific target to be measured. "I want to be a good reader“ is_ not as measurable goal.

Attainable

          After identifying the goals that are most important to you, begin to figure out ways you can make them come true. Develop the attitude, abilities, skills, and financial capacity to reach them. Begin to see previously overlooked opportunities closer to the achievement of goals.

Realistic

         Your goal is probably realistic if you truly believe that it can be accomplished. Additional ways to know if your goal is realistic is to determine if you have accomplished anything similar in the past or ask yourself what, conditions should exist to accomplish this goal.

Timely

       A goal should be grounded within a time frame. With no time frame tied to it there's no sense of urgency. If you want to lose 10 kg, when do you'Want to lose it? t'Someday" won't work. But if you anchor it within a time frame, "by May 1st“, then you've set your unconscious mind into motion to begin working on the goal.

How to become an active learner, Guidelines for effective learner

Guidelines for effective learner

Effective learner

Know yourself

              Consider when (morning/ evening/ night) and where (bright room with noise or quiet corner) you are at your best for learning.

Manage your time

             The first step in learning to manage your time, you have to identify what your goals are and then to establish priorities to achieve the goals. 

Improve your concentration 

            Learn to keep your attention focused on the task at hand-concentrate. When you are ih' class or ready to study, give. it your full attention.

Know what study means & how to do it

             Learning takes more than just going to class and doing home work. It is really a four-part cycle: 

                           Preview>>class>>review>>study

            When you establish a learning-cycle routine you will be able to learn more in less time with less stress.

Develop a thinker's vocabulary

            To develop a thinker's vocabulary, you must become sensitive to'words and develop, strategies for unlocking the meanings of new words and a process for remembering the new words and their meanings.

Become an active reader 

          To learn from study or reading material, you must be an active, thinking participant in the process, not a passive one. Always preview the reading and make sure you have a. specific purpose for each assignment. Read actively to fulfill your purpose and answer questions about the material. Keep involved by giving yourself frequent tests over what you've read. 

Become an active writer 

           Your writing must have: 

• A purpose 
• A controlling idea or thesis  
• Organized development of your idea with major and minor supporting. details, and 
• A logical conclusion.

Build listening & note taking Skills

         Accurately listening to a lecture and deciding what is important are two skills that must be mastered before you worry about how to write the Information m your notes. Taking notes demands that you: 

• Prepare for class
• Become an active listener
• Distinguish major from minor points
• Use a note-taking system
• Participate in class, and 
• Review often. 

Know how to study and prepare for examination

         Examination indicates how much you've learned. Preparing for examination will give you a better understanding of the material, reduce anxiety, and improve scores.

Master Every Course 

         True education IS not about cramming material into your brain. True education is the process of expanding your capabilities, of bringing yourself into the world.

How information is processed in our mind, General guidelines to improve memory

How information is processed?

      When information is processed it passes through three stages as shown in Fig.

Encoding

              Not all the information that comes through our five senses is likely to be remembered The selected information is deposited into short term memory which is processed for encoding.

               Unless the information is significant to you it will be lost before it can be passed to long term memory. As information passes-from the senses into STM and onwards LTM it must be encoded to make it memorable.

                Try this exercise. Read these numbers once and see how many you can remember.

Now read the following set of numbers once and see how many you can remember

              You probably remembered fewer numbers from the second list. This is due to a limitation of our short-term memory to the "magic" number of seven bits oi information. Items 5, information in excess of seven are likely to be lost and may even displace any remembered items. Try the following puzzle comprising a matrix of twenty-five letters.

             Although the number of items here exceeds the magic seven, you may well have been able to recall the puzzle by using a technique called Chunking. Chunking relies on grouping items together using pattern recognition strategies and is enhanced by associating items with other scraps of information that reside in LTM and using these as a cue to recall.

           By using Chunking you can associate a word‘ ZOMBIE, with other information RAMBO. This associative "key" to memory is known as a ”mnemonic“.

Store

           Short Term Memory is very temporary and any information placed there is likely to be lost unless active steps are taken to transfer the learned data to Long Term Memory. In order to make the transition to LTM, a process called Rehearsal is required. You probably used rehearsal to remember items in the exercises from the previous page. Rehearsal is an operation through which information is systematically reviewed. Any information that is used regularly becomes well rehearsed (remembering your phone number) and is more likely to be committed to LTM. Less useful information will require a greater conscious effort to become a part of LTM. Greater conscious effort means Concentration.

Retrieval

        The learning and retrieval process is Influenced by a number of factors including the. complexity of the material. Following are the tips for learning and retrieval of information:

• Things that are relevant or interesting to you. are much easier to learn.
• Use what you already know to aid your understanding of hew information.
• Learn only’what needs to be learnt. 
• Identify the type of material to be learnt. 
• Adjust your rate of teaming to the material. 
• Test yourself'.
• Use what you have learnt regularly. 
• Avoid studying similar material consecutively. 

General guidelines to improve memory

               There are some basic things you can do to improve your ability to retain and retrieve information from memory.

• Pay attention

             You can’t remember something if you never learned it, and you can’t learn that is encoded into your brain if you don’t pay enough attention to it. It takes about eight seconds‘of intent focus to process a piece of information through your hippo campus (area of brain associated with memory) and into the appropriate memory center. 30, no multitasking when you need to concentrate! If you distract easily, try to receive information in a quiet place where you won't be interrupted. 

• Acquisition of information

            Most people are visual learners; they learn best by reading or otherwise seeing what it is they have to know. But some are auditory learners who learn better by listening. They might benefit by recording information they need and listening to It until they remember it. 

• Involve all senses

           Even you’re a visual learner, read aloud what you want to remember. It you can recite It rhythmically, even better. Try to relate information to colors, textures, smells and tastes. The physical act of rewriting information can help imprint It onto your brain. 

• Relate information

          Connect new data. to information you already remember Whether it’s new material that builds on previous knowledge, or something as Simple as an address of someone who lives on a street where you already know someone. 

•  Organize information

           Write things down in address books and datebooks and on calendars; take notes on more complex material and reorganize the notes into categories later. Use both words and pictures in learning information. 

• Understand and interpret 

             for more complex material, focus on understanding basic ideas rather than memorizing isolated details. Be‘able to explain it to someone else in your own words. 

• Rehearse and over-learn 

            Review what you’ve learned the same day you learn it, and at intervals thereafter. What researchers call “spaced rehearsal” is more . effective than “cramming.” If you’re able to “over-learn” information that recalling becomes second nature, so much the better. 

• Have positive attitude 

           Tell yourself that you want to learn what you need to remember, and that you can learn and remember it. Telling yourself you have a bad memory actually hampers the ability of your brain to remember, while positive mental feedback sets up an expectation of success. 

How to make your memory strong by using this simple tips

Strong Memory

                Memory is the ability to remember information, experiences and people. It is the ability to recall the information: which has been previously learnt through experience. in context of memory structure, it is the location where learned information is stored. There are some specific skills that can be developed to enhance memory. In this chapter focus is on explaining types of memory and processing information. It also includes some tips to enhance memory.

Strong memory

Learning and memory:

          “Learning is defined as a relatively permanent change in mental association! behavior due to experience.” Learning begins with the experiences of the senses; namely seeing, touching, smelling, hearing & tasting. A basic model of |earner consists of components.

Stimulus

        Anything which activates learner’s senses is stimulus. it maybe external or internei. External stimulus may include ‘people, objects, events, symbols etc.

Sensory Register

        All the information received by various sensory organs is first stored in sensory register: only fer brief duration. if it is not attended by the learner, it is lost. Therefore it is necessary that learner attends to the information for further processing. 

        Attention is a conscious process. To attract students attention, we can modify size, intensity .etc. depending-upon importance of keywords. Also factors like Novelty, incongruity, emotion, and personal significance affect learner’s attention.

       As attention has limited capacity, it can't be focused on the entire. stimulus at e time. Learner attends to one feature which becomes ‘figure’ & rest goes to background celled ‘ground'. This phenomenon is known as ‘figure ground rule'.

Cognition

       This deals with mental activities of learner triggered due to stimulus. It involves study of memory, its components, structure of knowledge in memory, and various processes in memory. 

Emotional centre

        It deals with effect of emotions on learners. Stimulus elicits either pleasant or unpleasant . feelings. This decides whether learner will approach to stimulus situation or avoid it. 

Response

        It is reaction by learners to stimulus. This response may be mental response like reflection; motor response like physical movement or verbal response like communication. Response always aims at changing the stimulus situation. 

Feedback

       Information of changed stimulus situation provided after response by learners. Feedback helps learners to compare changed stimulus to expected change in stimulus.

How to enhance the listening skill, How to be a good listener, How to take notes

Listening Skills

            Listening refers to a conscious, deliberate activity which assigns meaning to aural stimuli. Difference between hearing and listening:

Listen

•  Hearing is a physical response whereas listening. is semantic and mental response of sound.
• Hearing involves processing sound, while listening means processing meaning.

Listening is a complex activity that can be defined as ‘the process of receiving, interpreting and assimilating ideas from verbal messages involving literal and critical 'comprehension of ideas / information. 

Advantages/ Benefits of active listening

• Avoids misunderstanding and hence conflicts. 
• Save time, as the speaker need not repeat the things /data. 
• Works out better relationship.
• Identification of problems becomes easier. 
• Ensures better learning in classroom.

           For good listening one needs positive attitude attention, openness to new ideas and different points of view and lack of bias or prejudice.

Do's and Don'ts of good listening

Do's:

• Give time and effort to listen.
• Remove all distractions and give proper attention ( Focus / Concentration).
• Notice both verbal and body language of speaker (use Ears and Eyes).
• Give feedback and use reinforcement. 
• Ask questions, clarify details, attitude, Recall 'and rephrase what is said before evaluation.
• Acknowledge feelings and attune to them.
• Notice the contradiction and discrepancies Both verbal and non-verbal clues.
• Effect on key point and understand.
• Listen out, don’t select.
• Decide the purpose of the speaker.

Don'ts:

• Don't advice 
• Don’t misunderstand 
• Don’t interrupt

Notes taking

• While attending any lecture or speech one must be habitual to Write down the notes from the speech. One must keep in mind that if you want to use whatever knowledge or information you are going to receive through lecture you must be a good listener as well you must know good techniques of writing down the notes too. Here are some tips of writing down the notes from a speech or lecture. 
• The purpose of notes is to get key points from reading and the lectures. Generally‘in normal lecture or speech of one hour duration there are five'to ten key points. However you also mention other points, which are emphasized by the speaker.
•  Try to design your own questions from the key points so that you will be able to explore your understanding and you may ask relevant question to the speaker so that your doubts or difficulty regarding the topic can be cleared by the speaker. 
•  Phrases, anecdotes, thoughts or quips and quotes are very helpful to understand . various aspects of the topic. It also adds to 'our knowledge. Sometimes idioms and phrases help us to understand the topic in more easy way.
•  Try to write down the notes as short as possible. It should be Outcome of understanding. 
• Read and rewrite the class notes as soon as possible after class or session. Try to explore the matter or points discussed.
•  Arrange the notes in such a way that at any time you will be able to access any point from your notes at the earliest. Leave big margins, skip lines, underline words if necessary. 
• For reviewing your notes try to remember key words and key points. Just thirty to thirty five minutes are better than'pouring over them for two hours at a stretch.

study smart not hard, the simplest & effective study strategy (SQ3R Method)

    The SQ3R method has been proven way to sharpen study skills. SQ3R stands for Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review as shown below.

SQ3R Model

 1. Survey 

         Get the best overall picture of what you're going to study BEFORE you study it in detail. It's like looking at a road map before going on a trip. If you don't know the territory, studying a map is the best way to begin.

2. Question

          Ask questions for learning. The important things to learn are usually answers to questions. Questions should lead to emphasis on the what, why, how, when, who and where of study content. Ask yourself questions as you read or study. As you answer , them, you will help to make sense of the material and remember it more easily because the process will make an impression on you. 'l’hose things that make impressions are more meaningful, and therefore more easily remembered. Don't be afraid to write your questions in the margins of textbooks, on lecture notes, or wherever it makes sense.

3. Read

         Reading is NOT running your eyes over a textbook. When you read, read actively. Read to answer questions you have asked yourself or questions the instructor or author has asked. Always be alert to bold or italicized print. The author intends that this material should receive special emphasis. Also, when you read, be sure to read everything, including tables, graphs and illustrations. Often' time-tables, graphs and illustrations can convey an idea more powerfully than written text.

4. Recite

         When you recite, you stop reading periodically to recall what you have read. Try to recall main headings, important ideas, concepts presented in bold or italicized type, and what graphs, charts or illustrations indicate. Try to develop an overall concept of what you have read in your own words and thoughts. Try to connect things you have just read to things you already know. When you do this periodically, the chances are you will remember much more and be able to recall material for papers, essays and objective tests.

5. Review

         A review is a survey of what you have covered. It is a review of what you are supposed to accomplish, not what you are going to do. Rereading is an important part of the review process. Reread with the idea that you are measuring what you have gained from the process. During review, it's a good time to go over notes you have taken to help clarify points you may have missed or don't understand. The best time to review is when you have just finished studying something. Don't wait until just before an examination to begin the review process. Before an examination, do a final review. If you manage your time, the final review can be thought of as a ”fine-tuning" of your knowledge of the material. Thousands of high school and college students have followed the SQ3R steps to achieve higher grades with less stress.

How to be an effective reader?

        We have already noted that reading has a purpose. Also the text material might be difficult on account of several reasons: The language may be unfamiliar to the reader or it may be technical; the concepts may be complex or the vocabulary may be difficult or the sentence structure may be difficult. Reasons such as. these merely indicate that there is very little that the writer and reader share between them. However, difficulty in reading may be due to poor design of the message also. In any case, the reader has to make a sincere effort to decipher the meaning, before he or she arrives at any conclusion. Depending upon the purpose in reading and the difficulty of text material, an effective reader adopts an appropriate strategy and uses a suitable technique of reading. We shall consider some such strategies and then proceed to practice a couple of them.

  

How to read fast & effectively

Reading is one single activity which is our major tool in life-long learning. There has been tremendous explosion of information. Our generation is facing the problem of information overload. Hence the need for learning reading skill: We need right information, at right place and at right time, to take appropriate actions. Speed-reading and efficient reading can quickly provide us the needed information and is therefore considered an essential attribute in most work environment. We shall Study what reading really means, what are the different purpose for which we read, what techniques we should learn to read effectively. We shall not be dealing with the aspects of speed-reading.

Reading

 look at list of things we often read:

•  telephone directory 
• label on medicine bottle
•  street map
•  thermometer 
• timetable
•  notice
•  statistics
•  engagement diary 
• letters 
• instructions leaflet 
• application form

                 If I ask you to write down what reading means for you, probably you would come out with a definition in which words like 'understand', 'comprehend', 'interpret', 'decipher', 'identify' might be used by you. For most of us reading is an activity through which we derive meaning out of written text, symbols, graphics or body postures and gestures. However, in our discussions we will restrict the term to reading of text.
                 Reading is an activity in which the reader attempts to perceive the potential meaning in the written message and then tries to relate the perceived potential meaning to his or her cognitive structure.

Techniques of reading 

             Readers often have different purpose for reading written messages; written text themselves might be less or more difficult to understand. Therefore one has to adopt Different techniques suitable for the situation. For example, we do not read telephone directory or a direct dictionary the same way, we might read a prescribed textbook; we do not read newspapers and magazines the way we might read a book for review; reading fiction is different from reading a technical treatise. Getting specific piece of information of viewing, comprehension, interpretation, understanding, evaluation, memorization, amusement and entertainment are some important purpose of reading.
            There are some techniques of reading text material to concentrate on some specific procedures for reading. These techniques are known as

1. Skimming 
2. Scanning 
3. Glossing
4. Questioning
5. Mapping

skimming

          It is a technique of reading to get the 'cream' or gist of the text. Skimming or browsing is useful when time available is short and the reader wants to quickly form some tentative impression about the text or the message.

Scanning

           It is the technique of locating specific information,like a telephone number, name, date, and definition etc., Needed by The Reader. Scanning is used to search specific information from reference book. Before using the techniques the Reader is required to acquaint him or her with the kind of reference system used for classifying information in the text.

Glossing

           It is writing in the margins of the text brief comments, cross references, explanations, observations etc. Glosses are useful while reading the text for the second time; they mark information useful for The Reader, help connect ideas, and also remind about his study plans.

Questioning

           This means writing questions in the margins while reading. The questions might simply indicates what the text tries to answer and assist comprehension, or raise issue beyond the text or simply indicate how The Reader is reading to the text. The questioning also point out the key points in the text.

Mapping

          This is a technique of representing graphically the concept and propositions discussed in the text: A concept map is schematic device for representing a set of Concept meaning amended in a framework of prepositions. Mapping not only indicates the ideas discussed in the text, but also their relationships. Concept maps are useful tools of learning: They can help memorization of Concept structures and also indicate where the learners are making wrong connections, thereby allowing the teacher to correct them. You would certainly realize the 'skimming' and 'scanning' techniques are more useful for in extensive reading for texts; whereas, "Glossing", "questioning" and "mapping" are more appropriate techniques in intensive reading type.

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