Time Management Routines

In the previous post, we shared research about time management and its potential implications. We believe it is important to make sure our work is grounded in research and not anecdotal evidence. We do believe teacher experience is critical to helping students understand the importance and different approaches, but it is critical that the work is centered on replicable research findings that give students the opportunity to build their own understanding.

Below are several discussions of different classroom routines that teachers may consider using to develop and refine student time management skills. This is not an exhaustive list of processes because we firmly believe that teacher autonomy is important for integration into regular classroom practice. Our Postsecondary Success Skills (PSS) Model utilizes explicit skill development, reflection on practice, goal-setting, and refinement. These routines are designed to help teachers begin the process of integrating these skills into classroom practice.

Potential Time Management Routines

1. Goal-setting
   • Set long-term goals
   • Establish short-term goals that support long-term goals that align to time management/organization, like using the To-do list with a specific set of actions (i.e. 5 before 10)
   • Monitor goal through intentional reflection/analysis
2. Daily To-do Lists 
   • Learn to use them effectively by reflecting on usage during a unit of study and prior to the summative task. 
     • On-going reflection allows students to adjust practice or at least create a viable plan that may help them to better achieve their goals if needed. 
     • If students are on track to achieve their goals, this reflection can help build confidence they are influencing their success through their efforts. 
   • Learning to prioritize tasks (i.e. Eisenhower’s Urgent/Important Principle)
   • Paper lists versus computer tools
3. Use of a calendar to organize activities
   • Laying out a month of activities
   • Revisiting at the beginning of each week to plan and revisit daily
   • Monitoring progress
4. Reflecting on the effectiveness of tools
   • Weaknesses/Strengths of a tool
   • Keeping an activity log- Date/Time, Activity description, How I feel, Duration, Value (high, medium, low, none) to help analyze the effectiveness of the strategies you are using
5. Reflecting on organization and cleanliness of workspaces
   • Students reflect on their own practices
   • Students set goals around classroom organization when organization has caused a problem for the student (i.e., missed assignments, missing notebooks, does not bring writing utensils etc.)

Time Management Routines in a Mathematics Classroom- While we believe these skills work in every classroom. We take the opportunity to explore some ways skill development may change for a specific content or grade.

1. Students establish goals for each unit of study that reflect their aspirations, and help them problem solve situations that have arisen previously
   • Goal setting should include longer-term goals (getting an A) for the class as well as shorter-term goals (unit goals) and routine goals (studying for vocabulary quizzes). 
   • Students establish expectations to help them achieve their goals
     • Establishing set times for studying
     • Create flashcards for each set of vocabulary words, with sentence, definition, and word and study for 10 minutes/day on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday
     • Work through problems on homework and when a problem I don’t know how to do appears, identify 1 thing I know about the problem and 1 thing I don’t understand yet to share during class. 
   • Students routinely reflect on progress toward their goals
2.  Use a calendar to help students keep track of assignments and assessments. 
   • Have students keep track of assignments for each unit of study in a calendar or planner
     • Teach students to set appropriate reminders (i.e. 1 week in advance, 1 day etc.) for longer-term assignments
     • Help students think through the process for checking the calendar and to-do list (i.e. at the beginning of the school day or set aside time at the beginning of class to discuss)
   • Set aside 2-3 minutes at the end of class for students to review classroom assignments and mark progress toward tasks for the unit
   • Schedule time in class for students to reflect on their progress towards unit-goals. These checks can take as little as 5 minutes if they are intentionally designed, routine, and students have a chance to get feedback from a peer or teacher.  
   • Daily have students create to-do lists, monitor progress, and adjust 
   • Have a BB section in the classroom with reminder information and celebrations of students who have set specific goals and achieved them (use student pictures, attach their goals, attach the results)
   • Gamify results by allowing students to earn points toward badges for different skills in Time Management

Here are some additional tips for teaching time management skills in the classroom:

• It is OK for the teacher to choose a tool to start with (i.e. we will all do a To-Do List) and build the routine into a student’s daily experience. 
• Be explicit about the time management skills that you are teaching. Don’t assume that students know how to set goals, prioritize tasks, or use a calendar.
• Provide regular opportunities for practice. The more students practice time management skills, the better they will become at using them.
• Provide feedback. Help students identify their strengths and areas for improvement.
• Be patient. It takes time to develop good time management skills. Don’t get discouraged if students don’t master these skills overnight.

By teaching time management skills in the classroom, you can help students improve their academic performance and reduce their stress levels.

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