Reflection and Continuous Improvement

Video Transcription

In this tutorial, I'll share with you some tips for reflecting on your SMART goals, and action plans, and their impact on continuous improvement efforts. I'll recommend methods for reflecting on implementation, capacity building, and sustainability, since these three elements are all essential to successful continuous improvement efforts. For the purposes of this reflection, I'll refer to these three SMART goals that support an initiative focused on creating educational opportunities that will allow students to develop 21st century skills using technology.

First, you should consider whether the use of SMART goals helped you to understand your unique roles in carrying out action plans and meeting site-based initiatives. In the case of my sample goals, I might indicate that I felt that these SMART goals clearly outlined the expectations I had to meet in working towards the site-based initiative. If I had played a specific role on the school improvement team or site-based initiative team, I might also reflect on how my role on that team was impacted by the SMART goals.

Next, you'll want to reflect on whether the SMART goals helped your team, to build your capacity to understand and implement the initiative. Since my three sample goals are very much focused on teachers implementing instructional strategies and technological resources, teachers in this district might reflect on whether the district provided training related to the goals that helped them to build their understanding and capacity in those elements.

Finally, you'll reflect on whether the continued use of SMART goals will allow you to sustain the initiative. We've seen how SMART goals may need to be modified based on reflections and evaluations of the current reality. In the context of my sample goals, I might indicate that I feel the goals will need to be re-evaluated for the upcoming school year to reflect the fact that teachers have now implemented a wide range of strategies that support the initiative, and we might be wondering what the next steps will be.

Will we be expected to focus on assessment, or will we be asked to implement even more strategies? But in more general terms, I would likely indicate that, yes, I believe that the continued use of SMART goals will indeed allow us to sustain the initiative as the goals and the associated action plans make sure that the expectations are clear for all of the stakeholders. So now it's your tread to stop and reflect. How have SMART goals and action plans impacted the implementation, capacity building, and sustainability of your continuous improvement efforts?

For more information on how to apply what you learned in this video, please view the additional resources section that accompanies this video presentation. The additional resources section includes hyperlinks useful for applications of the course material, including a brief description of each resource. Thanks for watching. Have a great day.