As another year winds down, reflections and questions arise.

How did I engage with others this year?

What, if anything, did I learn from my experiences?

What would I like to continue or do differently moving forward?

New years often carry associations with renewed focus on personal development and big goals. However, without some form of supportive structure to lend direction to and sustain them, those aspirations tend to crumble to figurative dust by early February.

You may already be familiar with the concept of SMART goals. Understanding mastery goals might help you further clarify development of your own objectives for the coming year.

An Ask IFAS publication from the UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural Education and Communication provides a fascinating overview of goal theory, discusses the importance of mastery goals, and examines the interactions among attainable and realistic mastery goals, learner needs, engagement in learning environments, motivation, and achievement. Example scenarios in the publication illustrate potential ways to offset learned helplessness through the development of opportunities and concrete plans of action for small successes.

Interested in learning more about planning and goal setting? Remember to Ask IFAS!

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