Quick Guide
- Keywords: Brainstorming, giving reasons, prioritizing, learning goals
- Learner English level: Pre-intermediate and above
- Learner maturity: University and high school
- Preparation time: 5 minutes
- Activity time: 40-60 minutes
- Materials: Diamond Nine Worksheet (see Appendix) or sticky notes (10-15 per student)
The goal-setting activity asks students to brainstorm learning goals individually, then work in groups to rank their ideas using the diamond nine template (TES, 2024), which is an established approach to negotiating priorities. Negotiating group priorities encourages students to justify their thinking, listen to others, and discuss actively. The activity gives instructors valuable insights into students’ motivations, which can inform future lesson planning or course design.
Preparation
Step 1: Preview the diamond nine template (see Appendix) and decide how to share. It can be printed as a handout or displayed on a screen for students to recreate, or students can write each goal on a sticky note and use the notes to form the diamond shape. In this case, prepare 10-15 sticky notes per student.
Step 2: Prepare some examples of language learning goals, such as improving speaking skills for job interviews or improving reading for the TOEIC test (see Appendix for more examples).
Procedure
Step 1: Ask students to think about their language learning goals.
Step 2: Write an example goal on the board, in the format “I want to improve [skill/ language area] for [situation]. For instance, “I want to improve my speaking for job interviews”.
Step 3: Point to the [skill/ language area] section. Elicit other ways to complete it, such as writing, reading, listening, vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation.
Step 4: Point to the [situation] section. Elicit other situations in which students want to use the language, such as speaking to friends or getting a high TOEIC score.
Step 5: Ask students to work individually to write ten goals, or things they hope to improve in class. If using sticky notes, students should write on these; otherwise, they should make notes on paper. Monitor and help, as necessary.
Step 6: Put students into pairs or groups of 3-4. Tell them to explain why they chose each idea, and why it is important to them. Use the example on the board to elicit phrases for giving reasons: “I think this is important because I want to get a job in the travel industry using English.”
Step 7: Give students time to share their ideas.
Step 8: Introduce the diamond nine framework (if using a printed handout, distribute it now). Explain that groups will decide the most important learning goal and write it at the top of the diamond. Next, they choose two ideas that are quite important, and three ideas that are of moderate importance. Then, they add two less important ideas below, and finish with their “least important” idea at the bottom of the diamond.
Step 9: Use your example goal from Step 2 to elicit phrases for negotiating priorities: “I think this is the most/ the least important because…”, “For me, ____ is more/ less important than ___, because…”. For instance, “For me, improving my speaking for job interviews is more important than improving my reading for the TOEIC test, because I need to speak confidently to get my dream job.”
Step 10: Give groups twenty minutes to complete their diamond nine.
Step 11: Ask groups to present their top three goals to the class, with reasons. Allow a short time for preparation, if needed.
Step 12: Listen to student presentations. Make a note of any common goals.
Step 13: Thank students for their ideas. Wrap up with a comment about how to work toward these goals, or a commitment to incorporate relevant activities into future classes.
Conclusion
This activity encourages students to communicate their individual goals relating to a shared context. Working in groups to evaluate and provide support for their classmates’ ideas generates a sense of shared purpose and deepens student understanding of the learning process. This is especially effective in the early stages of a course, as a way to get to know each other and establish class goals, or as part of a broader focus on learning goals and strategies. The strategy is easy to repeat with different topics and requires minimal preparation.
References
TES. (2024, May 6). Diamond 9 (nine) template and activity: Pedagogy series. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/diamond-9-nine-template-and-activi...
Appendix
The appendix is available below:
