Title: How to Help Students Develop Hope
Headings: 
Education Articles & More
How to Help Students Develop Hope
According to research, hope is key to academic achievement--and it's a skill students can develop over time. Here's how.
About the Author
Vicki Zakrzewski
We believe happiness should be free.

Content: Set clear and attainable goals. Develop multiple strategies to reach those goals. Stay motivated to use the strategies to attain the goals, even when the going gets tough. For educators who want to help their students build these skills of hope, here are five research-based guidelines. 1) Identify and prioritize their top goals, from macro to micro. Start by having students create a “big picture” list of what’s important to them—such as their academics, friends, family, sports, or career—and then have them reflect on which areas are most important to them and how satisfied they are with each. Keep in mind that the goals must be what the students want, not what their parents or schools want. Otherwise, as studies suggest, they will quickly lose their interest and/or motivation, especially as they come up against obstacles. Next, using this list, teach students how to create goals that are both specific and take a positive, solutions-oriented approach. Their goals need to focus on accomplishing something in the future rather than avoiding something now—for instance, “I want to play on the basketball team” is a more effective, motivating goal than “I will stop drinking soda.”