Student Logbook: Visual Self-Assessment & SMART Goals

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Introduction: When the student endures their journey instead of piloting it

Monday morning. You tell Emma: “This week, you will work on reading.”

Emma: “Okay…”

Friday evening. Emma has no idea:

What she was supposed to work on exactly
If she has made progress
What her next goal is

Emma ENDURES her school journey. She does not PILOT it.

The problem? The student is not an actor in their learning. They do not know:

Where they are
Where they are going
How they are progressing

Result: Demotivation, feeling of helplessness, “I am useless.”

The solution? A student logbook with visual self-assessment and SMARTies goals.

Logbook = a personal tool for the student where they:

Set their goals (with you)
Self-assess regularly
Visualize their progress
Become an ACTOR of their journey

In this article, we will explore how to create and use a student logbook: structure, visual self-assessment, SMARTies goals, progress tracking. Concrete, practical, so that the student takes back control. Ready to transform Emma into the pilot of her learning? Let’s go!

Understanding the student logbook

What is a logbook?

Definition: A personal tool for the student that lists their goals, progress, and successes.

Possible formats:

Paper notebook (A5 or A4)
Binder with sheets
Digital document (on tablet)

Content:

Page “My goals”
Weekly self-assessment sheets
Page “My successes”
Page “My strategies”
Visual tracking of progress

Why is it POWERFUL?

For the student:

✅ Becomes an actor: They PARTICIPATE in defining their goals

✅ Visualizes their progress: They SEE that they are advancing

✅ Develops self-esteem: “I am progressing, I can succeed!”

✅ Learn to self-regulate: They identify what works/does not work

For the teacher:

✅ Facilitated communication: The logbook is a support for exchange

✅ Personalized tracking: Each student has their adapted logbook

✅ Increased motivation: More engaged students

For the parents:

✅ Visibility: They see their child’s goals and progress

✅ Recognition: They can congratulate concrete progress

Principle 1: Create the logbook

Structure of the logbook

PAGE 1: COVER PAGE

“`

📚 MY LOGBOOK

Name: Emma Dupont

Class: CM1

Year: 2024-2025

“I am capable of progressing!”

“`

PAGE 2: MY SUPERPOWERS

“`

🌟 MY SUPERPOWERS (what I do well)

I am strong in mental math
I have a good memory for images
I am creative
I love science
I am courageous

“`

→ Start with the POSITIVE. Self-esteem.

PAGE 3: MY GOALS FOR THE TERM

“`

🎯 MY GOALS (September-December)

GOAL 1: READING

I want to read 2-syllable words without making mistakes.

GOAL 2: WRITING

I want to write 5 readable sentences.

GOAL 3: BEHAVIOR

I want to stay seated for 15 minutes.

“`

PAGES 4-12: WEEKLY SELF-ASSESSMENTS (1 page per week)

FOLLOWING PAGES:

My successes of the week
My strategies that work
Visual tracking of progress

Necessary materials

Paper version:

A5 notebook (small, easy to handle)
Colored pencils
Stickers
Plasticized pictograms

Digital version:

Tablet
Note-taking app (e.g., Notability, GoodNotes)
Images/pictos to integrate

Principle 2: Set SMARTies goals

What is a SMARTy goal?

SMART = classic goal-setting method.

SMARTy = version ADAPTED for children (more visual, more playful).

Specific: Precise, clear

Measurable: It can be checked if it is achieved

Achievable: Not too hard, but not too easy

Realistic: Feasible within the given time

Time-bound: With a deadline

→ Child version: SMARTy goal.

How to create a SMARTy goal with the student?

STEP 1: Identify the area

You: “Emma, what do you want to improve in?”

Emma: “In reading.”

STEP 2: Make the goal SPECIFIC

You: “Okay. In reading, what exactly do you want to improve?”

Emma: “Read better.”

You: “Reading better, what does that mean for you?”

Emma: “Not making mistakes in the words.”

→ Specific goal: “Read words without making mistakes.”

STEP 3: Make the goal MEASURABLE

You: “OK. How many words do you want to read without making a mistake?”

Emma: “10 words.”

You: “Words with how many syllables?”

Emma: “2 syllables.”

→ Measurable goal: “Read 10 words of 2 syllables without making a mistake.”

STEP 4: Check that it is ACHIEVABLE and REALISTIC

You: “Currently, how many 2-syllable words can you read?”

Emma: “3-4.”

You: “OK. So going from 4 to 10, how long will that take?”

Emma: “1 month?”

You: “Alright, we’ll give ourselves 1 month.”

→ Complete SMARTy goal: “By March 15, I will read 10 words of 2 syllables without making a mistake.”

STEP 5: Visualize the goal

Create a visual sheet with Emma:

“`

🎯 MY SMARTY GOAL – READING

[Picto : livre]

By March 15, I will read 10 words of 2 syllables without making a mistake.

HOW AM I GOING TO ACHIEVE THIS?

I practice every day for 10 minutes
I use the Alphas method
I ask for help if I get stuck

I WILL KNOW I HAVE SUCCEEDED WHEN:

✅ I read a list of 10 words and I don’t make a mistake.

MY REWARD WHEN I SUCCEED:

🎁 5 extra minutes of COCO play!

“`

Examples of SMARTy goals

READING:

“By February 20, I will read a sentence of 5 words without help.”

WRITING:

“By March 10, I will write 3 readable sentences in 10 minutes.”

MATH:

“By January 30, I will know my times tables of 2 and 3 by heart.”

BEHAVIOR:

“By February 15, I will stay seated for 15 minutes.”

ATTENTION:

“By March 1, I will finish my exercises without being distracted.”

Principle 3: Weekly visual self-assessment

Weekly self-assessment sheet

Every Friday, Emma fills out her self-assessment sheet.

“`

📅 SELF-ASSESSMENT – Week of February 10 to 14

🎯 MY GOAL FOR THE WEEK:

Read 5 words of 2 syllables without making a mistake.

💪 DID I SUCCEED?

☐ 😃 YES, I succeeded!

☐ 😐 ALMOST, I’m almost there

☐ 😟 NOT YET, it’s still difficult

[Emma coche 😐 PRESQUE]

📝 HOW MANY WORDS DID I MANAGE TO READ?

☐☐☐☐☐ ☐☐☐☐☐

[Emma colorie 4 carrés]

✅ WHAT HELPED ME THIS WEEK:

Using the Alphas
Mom who made me repeat in the evening

⚠️ WHAT WAS DIFFICULT:

The words with [ou] and [an]

💡 WHAT I WILL DO NEXT WEEK:

Practice more on [ou] and [an]

🌟 MY SUCCESS OF THE WEEK (other than my goal):

I succeeded in my mental math! 10/10!

DRAWING OF MY WEEK:

[Espace pour dessiner]

“`

→ Complete, visual, positive self-assessment.

Visual self-assessment scale

Use child-friendly smiley/visual scales.

Examples:

SMILEY SCALE:

😃 = I succeeded

😐 = I’m almost there

😟 = It’s still difficult

STAR SCALE:

⭐⭐⭐ = Super well done

⭐⭐ = Well done

⭐ = A little done

COLOR SCALE:

🟢 = Goal achieved

🟡 = Almost achieved

🔴 = Not yet achieved

THERMOMETER:

“`

🌡️ MY PROGRESS THERMOMETER

|████████| 10/10 → GOAL ACHIEVED!

|███████▒| 9/10

|██████▒▒| 8/10

|█████▒▒▒| 7/10

|████▒▒▒▒| 6/10

|███▒▒▒▒▒| 5/10

|██▒▒▒▒▒▒| 4/10 ← Emma is here

|█▒▒▒▒▒▒▒| 3/10

|▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒| 2/10

“`

Principle 4: Visualize progress over time

Tracking chart

Create a chart where Emma visualizes her progress week by week.

“`

📊 MY READING PROGRESS

Number of words read without error:

10 │ 🎯 GOAL

9 │

8 │

7 │

6 │

5 │ ⭐

4 │ ⭐

3 │ ⭐

2 │⭐

1 │

└─────────────────────────────────

Week1 Week2 Week3 Week4 Week5

“`

→ Emma SEES that she is making progress. Motivation ++.

Page “My successes”

A page where Emma pastes/writes all her successes.

“`

🌟 MY SUCCESSES

Week 1: I read 3 words!

Week 2: I read 4 words!

Week 3: I succeeded in my mental math 10/10!

Week 4: I wrote 2 readable sentences!

Week 5: I read 5 words! GOAL ALMOST ACHIEVED!

“`

→ Constant positive reinforcement.

Page “My winning strategies”

Emma notes the strategies that help her.

“`

💡 MY STRATEGIES THAT WORK

READING:

Use the Alphas (it helps me remember the sounds)
Break words into syllables (cat → ca-t)

WRITING:

Use the computer (less tiring)

BEHAVIOR:

Use my dynamic cushion (I move without getting up)
Take breaks every 15 minutes

ATTENTION:

Set a timer (I see the time remaining)

“`

→ Emma identifies what works FOR HER. Metacognition.

Principle 5: Involve the student and parents

Weekly ritual with the student

Every Friday, 10 minutes individually with Emma:

1. Emma fills out her self-assessment form (5 min)

2. You exchange (5 min)

You: “Emma, you checked 😐 Almost. That’s great! You read 4 words. Last week, it was 3. You’ve made progress!”

Emma: “Yes, but I still struggle with [ou].”

You: “Okay. We’ll work on that together this week. You can do it!”

3. You set the goal for the following week

You: “Next week, we’re aiming for 5 words. Okay?”

Emma: “OK!”

→ A rewarding, personalized, motivating moment.

Share the notebook with the parents

The notebook circulates between school and home.

Format:

Every Friday evening, Emma brings her notebook home
Parents review it, congratulate Emma
Parents can write a message of encouragement
Monday morning, Emma brings the notebook back

Message from the parents in the notebook:

“`

💬 MESSAGE FROM PARENTS (February 14)

Emma, we are super proud of you! You read 4 words this week,

that’s awesome! Keep it up, you will succeed!

We love you ❤️

Dad and Mom

“`

→ Strengthened school-home link, double recognition.

The COCO program and the tracking notebook

The COCO THINKS and COCO MOVES program can be integrated into the tracking notebook.

Usage:

Notebook page: “My COCO progress”

Emma pastes a screenshot of her COCO dashboard each week:

Score in mental math
Number of successful games
Concentration time

COCO SMARTy goal:

“By March 1st, I will improve my mental math score from 50% to 70%.”

Self-assessment:

“This week, I played COCO 3 times. My mental math score went from 55% to 60%. I’m making progress!”

→ COCO provides objective data that feeds the tracking notebook.

Adapting the notebook to different profiles

For dyslexic students

Adaptations:

Little text, lots of pictograms
Adapted font (Arial 14, line spacing 1.5)
Use voice dictation to fill out the notebook

For dyspraxic students

Adaptations:

Digital version on tablet (less handwriting)
Stickers to paste (no writing)
Dictation to an adult to fill out

For ADHD students

Adaptations:

Very visual, colorful notebook
Short sheets (no blocks of text)
Very short-term goals (1 week maximum)
Frequent reinforcements (stickers, stamps…)

For autistic students

Adaptations:

Very clear, predictable structure
Massive use of pictograms
Fixed rituals (always on Friday, same time)

Training on the student tracking notebook

Training: Supporting students with learning disorders

This training covers:

Creation of tracking notebooks
SMARTies goals
Self-assessment of students
Involvement of parents

Training: DYS disorders: identify and adapt

Testimonials: When the student becomes an actor

Sophie, CM1 teacher

“Since my students have a tracking notebook, they are TRANSFORMED. Emma, who was unmotivated, is now highly engaged. Every Friday, she eagerly awaits filling out her self-assessment form. She SEES her progress, and that changes everything!”

Emma, 9 years old, dyslexic

“I love my tracking notebook! Before, I thought I was useless. Now, I see that I’m making progress! Every week, I read more words. And when I color my graph, I see that I’m going up, I’m going up! It makes me want to keep going!”

Emma’s parents

“The tracking notebook is great! We finally see what Emma is working on, her goals, her progress. And we can congratulate her specifically. ‘Emma, well done, you read 5 words this week!’ Instead of ‘Work well at school.’ It’s concrete, and Emma is so proud!”

Action plan: Launch the tracking notebook in 6 weeks

Week 1: Create the notebook

Prepare the notebook with Emma: cover page, superpowers…

Week 2: Set the first SMARTy goal

With Emma, define her first goal. Create the visual sheet.

Week 3: First self-assessment

Friday, Emma fills out her first self-assessment form. Exchange together.

Week 4: Involve the parents

Emma brings her notebook home. Parents write a message of encouragement.

Week 5: Create the tracking graph

With Emma, create the graph. Add the data from previous weeks.

Week 6: Review and adjust

Check in with Emma: is the notebook useful? What can we improve?

Conclusion: The student is the pilot of their journey

Emma must no longer ENDURE her journey. She must be the main ACTOR.

The 5 ingredients of an effective logbook:

1. SMART goals: Clear, measurable, achievable

2. Visual self-assessment: Smiley, graphs, colors

3. Visualization of progress: Emma SEES that she is making progress

4. Parental involvement: School-home link

5. Weekly ritual: Special moment between student and teacher

The goal is not to “control” the student. The goal is to give them TOOLS to become autonomous, confident, and active in their learning.

When Emma fills out her logbook, colors her graph, and sees that she has gone from reading 3 words to 8 words, she tells herself: “I CAN do it. I AM PROGRESSING.”

That’s the magic of the logbook.

So, ready to launch the logbook with your students? Create the first logbook this week. Set a SMART goal. Launch the first self-assessment. Observe the spark in Emma’s eyes.

Because a student who is an actor in their journey is a student who succeeds!

—

Resources for further exploration: