Why should I do it:
- Teaches students important skills that will be necessary more and more as they get older and progress through school
- Reduces wasted time with students looking for things
- Increases instructional time
- Improves work completion
- Students can find their materials and assignments faster and more easily
- Improves students’ self confidence
- Increases attending behavior
- Helps students stay aware of what their assignments are, which are completed, and which they still need to do
- Improves homework completion and return
When should I do it:
- When a student is disorganized
- When a student loses a lot of work
- When a student frequently fails to turn work in
- When a student spends an abnormal amount of time looking for materials and assignments in their desks or bags
- When students have ADD/ADHD
- When students have poor home support
- When students have trouble remembering what their work is, what they had to do, and what they completed
How do I do it:
- Have a student, a select group of students, or your entire class organize their materials in their desks and bags once a day
- Set up a standard routine and teach your students how to organize, for example using folders and putting work to do on one side and finished work on the other side, etc.
- Help students having difficulty organizing their things and provide one on one support, showing them how to do it and then having them show you
- Try a visual checklist for students that are more visually oriented, like those on the Autism Spectrum or those with ADD/ADHD
- Have the student organize their locker or desk at the end of the day
- Ask parents to assist their child at home organizing their backpack, materials, folders, work, etc
- Create a visual organizational checklist for the student to use before leaving for the day
- Have the student keep their things in a small crate or box either by their desk or somewhere else in the room
Resources & Support for technique: