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Year 11 - Physical education

Goal Setting

Sport psychology: goal setting, guidance and feedback

Unit Summary

This unit develops understanding of how goal setting and SMART targets can be used effectively to improve performance as well as unpicking the different types of guidance and feedback that help us learn sporting skills.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to set and evaluate effective goals using the SMART target method.

Key Notes

  • Goal setting is an important strategy for increasing motivation and focus and the opportunity to assess progress.
  • SMART targets help set specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound goals.
  • SMART targets should be evaluated for their effectiveness and adjusted where necessary.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • Specific: a goal should be relevant to the sport or activity or component of fitness aiming to be improved
  • Measurable: being clear about what is going to be achieved with a quantitative measure
  • Achievable: ensuring a goal is challenging, yet possible
  • Realistic: ensuring a goal is within the person's capabilities
  • Time-bound: stating when a goal will be achieved by

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • It is common to see variants on the SMART acronym, for example R = recorded, from other exam boards or sources. Some sources may extend the acronym to SMARTER.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain the lesson in two key points.

Goal setting is an important strategy for increasing motivation and focus and the opportunity to assess progress. SMART targets help set specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound goals.

2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'Specific'

a goal should be relevant to the sport or activity or component of fitness aiming to be improved.

3. Correct this common mistake.

Mistake: It is common to see variants on the SMART acronym, for example R = recorded, from other exam boards or sources. Some sources may extend the acronym to SMARTER. Correction: Ensure it is understood that with the Edexcel exam board, SMART only ever refers to Specific, Measurable, Achieveable, Realistic and Time-bound.

More Lessons In This Unit

Browse all guides in the Year 11 Physical education guide library.