Once short and long-term goals are identified, potential barriers are anticipated and plans are made, our students need to engage in many rich experiences to make things happen and experience positive outcomes. Based on these outcomes, students can then determine whether they want to make minor adjustments in their plans, whether they’re ready to move forward to the next step in their plans, or whether they need to re-evaluate their plans and re-prioritize their goals.
As our students engage in activities that promote self-determination and as they achieve successful results, they begin to view themselves differently. They begin to see themselves as capable individuals, effective in their ability to set achievable goals. They develop plans to work towards their goals in smaller steps, to monitor their progress in achieving goals, to work through problems that may arise and to adjust their plans and actions accordingly. Those around them view them differently as well based on what they can express about themselves as individuals who have aspirations, who have opinions, who want to be thought of as smart, capable and intelligent. They are seen as individuals who want to communicate what they know and think, who want to be good at something, who want to be able to show or teach something they are good at and who want to feel like they make a difference.
