Take an A4 sheet of paper and divide it into three columns.

At the top of the first column write ‘Date’.

At the top of the second write ‘Target’.

And at the top of the third write ‘Date Achieved’.

You now have a target tracker.

It’s as simple as that.

Stick this sheet in the front of learners’ books and you have an effective way to keep track of their targets.

This avoids the risk that targets get lost as time progresses; superseded by the next piece of work, the next lesson, the next topic.

It also makes it easier for you to redirect learners towards their targets.

For example, you might ask them at the start of a lesson to look at their target trackers and, once reminded of these, to focus their energies accordingly.

Another option is to ask learners to check their target trackers midway through a lesson.

For example, you might get to the main task and then say:

• ‘Just take a moment to have a look at your target tracker. What’s your current target? How do you think you could work towards that during this activity?’

There’s no great innovation here.

It’s just a simple system through which to keep tabs on targets.

One that makes referencing them easy and straightforward.

An added benefit comes from the ‘Date Achieved’ column. By including this you indicate to learners that the implementation of targets is an ongoing process. Something they should be working towards.

And something that you will be keeping an eye on.

In terms of your planning, this can involve identifying lesson sections during which you circulate through the room and ask learners to show you how close they are to meeting their targets.

Another option is to use the target tracker sheets to focus your marking.

As you read through learner work, do so with their current targets in mind.

If you feel they have met or surpassed these, sign off the tracker sheet.

If not, tailor your feedback accordingly and give the learner additional guidance on how to effectively meet their current target.

Here are two examples to illustrate.

Example 1: A History Teacher Gives All Their Learners a Target Tracker

Learners use this to record the targets they receive.

The teacher plans to take learners back to their target trackers at the start of every lesson.

How they do this varies.

In some lessons, they simply ask learners to remind themselves of their current target and to think about how they might work on this during the session.

In other lessons, they explain to learners what activities are coming up and ask them to discuss with a partner how these activities might give them good opportunities to implement their targets.

And in still other lessons, the teacher turns the starter into a reflection activity during which learners review their target trackers and discuss with a partner what they have achieved, how they have done this, where they are going and what they need to do next.

Example 2: A Primary Teacher Gives All Their Learners a Target Tracker for Science Lessons

When planning, the teacher identifies specific lessons during which learners will have opportunities to work on their targets.

In these lessons, the teacher asks learners to review their tracker sheets at the start of the session.

During the lesson, they prompt learners to go back to their trackers and remind themselves of their targets.

They also ask learners to make a judgement about how successfully they are currently implementing their targets.

Finally, they lead the class in a plenary at the end of the session during which reflection on target implementation – and the tracker sheets – is everyone’s focus.