Action Planning

This covers at least 2 criteria's You will be required to identify personal targets Then review the targets Hopefully meet the targets Collect evidence along the way Cross reference

Why make an Action plan? An action plan is a working document It is developmental It allows you to plan for the future Identifies targets that have been met Identifies targets which need more effort Time management

Goals and Targets Goals are statements of what you intend to achieve Sometimes known as objectives Some may be specific (like achieving a GCSE) Some may be general (like contributing in class)

Short and Long term Goals ShortLong Maybe what you want to achieve this term- up to 6 months May even be what you want to achieve in a week or so This maybe what you want to achieve by the end of the course May 2015

Priorities Some maybe easy to achieve Some may be more important Thought- if you are overwhelmed with your workload what do you do? Panic and ignore? Prioritise most important or easiest? Make a plan

Timescales Not all targets will be completed at the same time Some will be short, medium or long Can you think of an example for each? Some may NEED to be done in order, can you think of an example?

Activity Hand-outs Personal plan

Activity In groups can you think of some goals and targets Divide them into short and long term

Achieving your targets Each target will need to be broken down into smaller achievable targets Why? More attainable To ensure that you can take different actions at different times To ensure you do not miss anything Allow time for each activity To allow flexibility

To make targets achievable they need to be SMART SSPECIFIC Each action should be a short, clear statement of what is to be done MMEASURABLE The outcome or result of each action can be specifically measured AACHIEVABLE Each action should be something that can be put into practice; the action may need breaking down into smaller, more realistic steps so it becomes achievable RRELEVANT Each action should help you towards one or more of your goals or targets you have set for yourself TTIMELY A deadline date is set for each action and the timing of each action and the timing of each deadline is appropriate for other actions needed within the plan.

How SMART are you? Think of an activity you have been involved in, either inside college or outside Did you use SMART targets? Use you tables to evaluate the effectiveness of the plan Does it help to explain why it went well or why it didn’t? If you are not able to measure your progress, you may abandon the plan and therefore not meet your goals.

Activity- Case study on Jim Read the case study 1. Write 3 aims for Jim’s career plan 2. Break down each aim into specific actions. 3. Identify suitable targets for Jim to achieve within three months, one year and two years and draw up a detailed and SMART action plan for him 4. Compare with others, this should raise awareness of priorities and timescales.

Activity Write a brief report about your own situation or someone else that you know, detailing school, career options and any other issues 1. Swap reports with someone 2. Make some short and long term targets (make sure they are SMART) 3. Break down each target into specific actions.