Goal Setting

In work and school we are set goals that we must achieve and are assessed on how well we have done so, and yet in ringing this does not seem to happen.

So why set goals?

Simply in order to try and maintain progress. Sometimes it is easy to get to a point, say ringing plain bob doubles and think you have arrived and then not prgress any further.
Why are you ringing what you are ringing now and where do you want to get to? Without a specific goal we can sometimes wander along with a vague momentum pushing us along.

What sort of goals should be set?

Goal setting should be done SMART as George Doran would say. This is a mnemonic for goal settings.

S - Specific
The goal should be defined specifically, so "I will ring better" is not a specific goal, "I will improve my striking" is more specific but still not great, or "I will ring Plain Hunt from the 4th". This is what you are hoping to achieve.
M - Measurable
The specific goal should have some concrete way of determining when you have achieved it, this links to Specific, "I will ring better" is very hard to specifically measure, whereas "I will ring plain hunt" is measurable you can either do it or not.
A - Attainable
This is more specific in terms of ringing, with personal goals, whether or not it is attainable is purely down to you, in ringing though quite often it is the band which provides the limit. Afterall, there is no point in having a goal of ringing suprise if the band you ring with cannot ring it, or of ringing plain hunt 12 in a 5 bell tower. Similiarly, they also need to be within reach, picking that you want to ring plain bob when you are still learning to handle might not be the best of goals.
R - Relevant
This is more common sense, the goal needs to related to what you are doing. A goal of "I will bring cake to every 4th practise" while it will be popular with your commardes probably does have little to do with you improving your ringing.
T - Timed
When is this to be achieved by? Open ended goals tend to get pushed back but with a fixed date for completion. Again this should be tied into how attainable it is, if you have just started ringing a goal to ringing rounds unaccompanied within 6 months is perhaps realistic, a goal to ring splice surprise in that time frame is probably not.

What does a SMART goal look like?

For example a ringer who has mastered plain courses of bob doubles in a strong band might choose:
"I will be able to ring unaffected touches of bob doubles without needing to be put right within 3 months"

Or generally "I will be able to [ Goal ] within [Time]"

Summary

SMART goals help people focus on where they are and what they want to do. These do not need to be formally kept by the tower captain and such structure might not be a welcome addition to all, as for some the idea with the excercise is just to move along at a comfortable pace without feeling pressurised to attain. Also bear in mind some ringers have a niche, they get to where they can ringing what they want and do not see the need to go further.
When reviewing the sucess/failure of the goal remember to provide clear feedback and do not be put off giving the same goal again but with a different time scale or perhaps choose a different goal similiar to the stretch/consolidation excercises.