A. Developing the Skills, Strategies, and Habits Needed to Succeed · Skills, Strategies and Habits for SuccessReflecting on and Documenting the Goal-Setting Process
A2.2About 65 minutes
Learning goals- I can document how I developed, monitored and revised a goal, with dates and evidence.
- I can write an evidence-based reflection using What? So what? Now what?
- I can assess how effective my decision-making and goal-setting strategies were.
- I can identify areas that need further work and plan next steps.
- I can explain how my Individual Pathways Plan (IPP) helps me keep track of my goals.
Words to know
reflection
Careful thinking about an experience in order to learn from it.
document
To record information (dates, actions, evidence) so you and others can look back at it.
evidence
Facts or items that show what happened, such as marks, logs, feedback, certificates or photos.
effectiveness
How well something worked to produce the result you wanted.
portfolio
An organized collection of your work and evidence of your learning and achievements.
Individual Pathways Plan (IPP)
The plan Ontario students keep from Grade 7 to 12 to explore who they are, their opportunities, who they want to become, and their plan for reaching their goals.
A question from the future
Two years from now, an application for a college program, a scholarship or a job asks: "Describe a goal you set, how you worked toward it, and what you learned when things didn't go as planned."
One student stares at the screen trying to remember what they did in Grade 10. Another opens a folder: goal statements with dates, a tracker, check-in notes, the reason they changed their timeline, and a short reflection. They write a strong answer in 20 minutes.
The Career Studies curriculum asks you to reflect on and document your goal-setting process. This lesson shows you how, and why it is worth the effort.
What to document
For each important goal, keep a record of:
- The goal (the SMART statement) and the date you set it.
- Why you chose it, and which decision-making strategy you used.
- Action steps and check-in dates.
- Progress at each check-in (your tracker, with numbers where possible).
- Revisions: what you changed (path, size, timeline or goal) and why.
- Evidence: marks, hours logs, feedback, certificates, photos of your work, emails.
- Reflections at check-ins and at the end.
Where to keep it: your Individual Pathways Plan (IPP). Every Ontario student from Grade 7 to 12 has one, and many school boards use an online tool for it (such as myBlueprint). A digital folder, a portfolio or a notebook also works. Some people prefer recording short voice or video reflections instead of writing; what matters is that you can find it later.
Reflecting with evidence
In Grade 9 English you learned that a strong reflection is specific, honest and backed by evidence, not vague. The same skill applies to goals.
- Vague: "My goal went okay. I tried hard. I'll keep working."
- Evidence-based: "I set a goal to raise my math mark from 64% to 70% by January 29. I did practice questions on 31 of 40 planned nights (my tracker), and went to extra help 5 times. My mark reached 69%. Extra help made the biggest difference: after each visit, my next quiz improved. Practising on nights I had shifts didn't happen, so next term I'll practise on the bus instead."
A simple structure is What? So what? Now what?
Assessing your strategies
The curriculum asks you to assess the effectiveness of your decision-making and goal-setting strategies. For each strategy you used (a weighted list, a mind map, asking advice, SMART goals, a tracker, if-then plans, check-ins), ask:
- Did I actually use it? (A strategy you didn't use can't be judged yet.)
- Did it help me make progress? What is the evidence?
- Was it worth the time it took?
- Would I use it again, change it, or drop it?
Then identify areas that need further work: a skill to build (time management on busy weeks), a strategy to try, or a gap in information ("I still don't know which programs need Grade 12 chemistry").
Think about what fits you. The curriculum encourages you to consider which decision-making and goal-setting approaches work best for you, including from a cultural perspective. Some people reflect best alone in a journal; some through conversation with family or a mentor; some in a talking circle or with guidance from an Elder; some by recording their voice. Notice what works for you.
Worked exampleLet's improve Noah's reflection
Noah's goal was: "By December 15, complete 15 volunteer hours at the community food bank." He ended with 15 hours on December 12. His first reflection: "It went good. I did my hours. Volunteering is fun." Rewrite it as an evidence-based What? So what? Now what? reflection, using his records: he made a mind map of volunteer options, then used a weighted criteria list to choose the food bank over two other options; his habit tracker for weekly Saturday shifts was ignored after October; he had an if-then plan for shift conflicts, which he used twice; his mother advised him to ask for a regular shift, which worked well.
- What? "I completed 15 volunteer hours at the food bank by December 12, three days before my goal date. I listed options with a mind map and chose the food bank with a weighted criteria list. I volunteered on Saturdays, and twice used my if-then plan to switch to a Wednesday evening when I had a work shift."
- So what? "The mind map helped me find options, and the weighted list helped more, because it showed that being close to home mattered most to me. Asking my mom for advice was the most useful strategy: her idea of asking for a regular Saturday shift made it a routine. My habit tracker didn't help; I stopped filling it in after October, because the regular shift was already a habit."
- Now what? "I'll set a new goal of 10 more hours by March. I'll keep the regular shift and the if-then plan, and drop the habit tracker for this goal. An area for more work: I said yes to extra shifts during exams and got stressed, so I'll write an if-then plan for exam weeks."
The new reflection gives facts with numbers and dates, explains which strategies worked and why (and which didn't), and ends with specific next steps and an area for further work.
Rating each strategy (with evidence) shows what to keep. Noah's habit tracker rated lowest, so it is an area to rethink.Just for funWhy did the mirror get promoted at work?
Because it was excellent at reflection. (It also always showed up looking exactly like itself.)
Hands-on activityStart your goal file
You need: a folder (paper or digital), your goal plan, tracker and if-then plans from the last two lessons, and 30 minutes.
- Make a goal file with sections: Goal, Why, Strategies used, Check-ins, Revisions, Evidence, Reflections.
- Fill in everything you have so far for one goal. Add the date to every entry.
- Gather or photograph evidence: a tracker, a mark, an email, a log of hours.
- Write a What? So what? Now what? reflection on your progress so far (at least 6 sentences, with at least two numbers or dates).
- Rate three strategies you used from 1 to 5, with one piece of evidence for each rating.
- Name one area that needs further work and one specific step.
- If your school uses an online IPP tool, upload or copy your goal and reflection there. Ask a family member or mentor to read your reflection and ask you one question about it.
What to look for: dated entries, real evidence, a reflection with numbers that explains why, honest ratings, and a specific next step.
Your turn
1List four things you should document for an important goal.
Any four: the SMART goal and the date it was set; why you chose it and the strategy used; action steps and check-in dates; progress at each check-in; revisions and why; evidence; reflections.
2What are the three questions in the reflection structure from this lesson?
What? (what happened), So what? (what it means, what worked and why), Now what? (next steps).
3Is this reflection vague or evidence-based? "I studied a lot and did better." Explain.
Vague. It has no numbers, dates or details about which strategies helped or why.
4Name four questions to ask when assessing a strategy's effectiveness.
Did I actually use it? Did it help me make progress (what's the evidence)? Was it worth the time? Would I use it again, change it or drop it?
5What are the four questions behind the Individual Pathways Plan?
Who am I? What are my opportunities? Who do I want to become? What is my plan for achieving my goals?
6Give two examples of evidence you could keep for a goal of getting a part-time job.
Examples: a copy of your résumé, a list of applications with dates, emails from employers, interview notes, feedback you received, a job offer letter.
7Why is it useful to document why you revised a goal, not just that you did?
So you (and others, such as an admissions officer or employer) can see the reasoning, learn from the pattern, and show that the change was a thoughtful decision, not giving up.
More practice: warm-up
1What does document mean in this lesson?
To record information (dates, actions, evidence) so you can look back at it later.
2Which reflection question asks "What will I do next?"
3Name one place you could keep your goal records.
Your Individual Pathways Plan (often an online tool), a digital folder, a portfolio or a notebook.
4True or false: a reflection should include numbers and dates when possible.
True. They make it evidence-based.
An organized collection of your work and evidence of your learning and achievements.
More practice: on your own
1Rewrite this as an evidence-based reflection (invent reasonable details): "Running went okay."
Example: "My goal was to run 5 km without stopping by May 31. I ran 3 times a week for 8 of 10 weeks (my running log). On May 28 I ran 5 km in 34 minutes without stopping. The training plan app helped most; my if-then plan for rainy days (an indoor workout) kept me going in April. Next I'll aim for 5 km in under 32 minutes by August."
2Noah rated his habit tracker 2 out of 5. Does that mean habit trackers are a bad strategy? Explain.
No. It means it didn't help Noah for this goal, because the regular shift was already a habit. A tracker might help him (or someone else) with a different goal, such as daily reading. Effectiveness depends on the person and the goal.
3Why might a student choose to record voice reflections instead of writing them?
They may think and express themselves better by speaking; it can be faster; some people come from traditions where oral reflection and storytelling are valued. What matters is that the reflection is honest, specific and saved.
4Identify an area for further work in this reflection and suggest a step: "I reached my goal of applying to 5 jobs, but I got no interviews. I used the same résumé for all of them."
Area: the résumé (and possibly how applications are tailored). Step: ask a guidance counsellor or family member to review the résumé, and adjust it for each job to highlight the most relevant skills.
5Explain how documenting goals in Grade 10 can help in Grade 12.
In Grade 12 you'll make postsecondary decisions and may write applications, interviews or scholarship essays that ask about goals and growth. Records with dates and evidence make it easy to give specific examples, and they show patterns about what you enjoy and what strategies work for you.
Challenge
1Write a full What? So what? Now what? reflection (8 to 10 sentences) on a real or realistic goal, including one revision and the reason for it, ratings for two strategies, and one area for further work.
Sample: What? "In September I set a goal to raise my science mark from 66% to 75% by January 29. I used SMART goals, a weekly checklist and extra help. At my November check-in I was at 69%, so I changed the path: I added practice quizzes on Sunday. I finished at 74%." So what? "Extra help (5/5) worked best: my marks went up after every visit. The checklist (3/5) helped in October but I stopped in December. I fell 1% short, but my target was ambitious and I improved by 8%." Now what? "Next term I'll aim for 76% and keep extra help weekly. Area for further work: keeping routines during exam weeks, so I'll write an exam-week if-then plan." Look for numbers, a revision with its reason, ratings with evidence and a specific next step.
2A classmate says, "Reflection is a waste of time. I already know what happened." Write a convincing response.
Knowing what happened isn't the same as knowing why, or what to do differently. Reflection turns experience into lessons: it shows which strategies are worth your time and which to drop, so future goals go faster. Memories fade and get less accurate, so documented reflections are reliable evidence for applications, interviews and your IPP. Ten minutes of reflection can save weeks of repeating a strategy that doesn't work.
3Compare two ways of reflecting: alone in a written journal, and in conversation with a mentor or Elder. Give a strength of each, and explain how a student could use both.
Journal: private and honest, easy to look back at with dates, good for spotting patterns over time. Conversation: brings another perspective, questions you wouldn't ask yourself, and wisdom from experience; in many cultures, learning through conversation and story is a valued way of knowing. A student could journal at each check-in, then bring the journal to a conversation with a mentor or Elder each term, and record what they learned from it.
Quiz
1. Which reflection is evidence-based?
2. In What? So what? Now what?, which part explains what worked and why?
3. Which is the best example of evidence for a volunteer-hours goal?
4. What is one of the four questions behind the Individual Pathways Plan?
5. A student rates a strategy 1 out of 5 but never actually used it. What is the best conclusion?
6. Why should you document the reason for revising a goal?
Big idea: Expectation A2.2 asks students to reflect on and document how they developed and revised their goals, assess the effectiveness of their decision-making and goal-setting strategies, and identify areas that need further work. The curriculum suggests recording this in the student's Individual Pathways Plan (IPP).
How to help: Ask to read (or hear) their reflection, then ask one curious question: "What would you do differently?" or "Which strategy surprised you?" Help them keep evidence (a folder for certificates, volunteer logs and feedback is very useful by Grade 12). Ask whether their school uses an online IPP tool and look at it together.
Common difficulties:
- Vague reflections ("it went good"). Ask for one number and one reason.
- Only reporting success. Normalize honest reflection on what didn't work; that is where the learning is.
- Forgetting dates. Encourage dating every entry.