Dear Parents,
As students enter high school, they can find the transition quite challenging. A common problem students face is learning to manage their time effectively and efficiently.
One of the ways we are helping our students develop these skills is by providing them with a series of worksheets about Time Management Techniques. These worksheets start with a checklist for students to complete and then work through the essential skills of time management: setting goals, prioritising tasks and scheduling time. It then steps students through ten specific techniques that they can immediately implement and benefit from. Each worksheet explains the technique and lists steps for students to take to start using this technique.
We have enclosed some further information for you about the techniques students will be encouraged to implement. With many of these techniques parents can be a key contributor to helping students become effective managers of time.
Sincerely,
Year Coordinator.
One of the areas we are focusing on in our year group this term is Time Management Techniques. Over the next few weeks we will include some tips that you might like to discuss with your child.
Time Management Tip # 1 Goal Flowcharts
A goal flowchart can be a great way to work out where you are, where you want to go to and what is currently stopping you from getting there. For this exercise, draw three large circles down the page. In the last circle, write down what you are trying to achieve. It might be completing homework well before it is due or starting assignments earlier or having a set period of time that you do schoolwork in each day. In the first circle, fill in what the current situation is: with respect to this goal, what are you doing right now? For example, you might be staying up late to finish assignments or not starting homework until 8pm. In the middle circle, fill in the obstacles that are preventing you from achieving your goal. Maybe you come home from school and sit in front of the TV for hours. Or maybe you don’t know how to go about breaking your assignments into manageable pieces. Once you have completed the goal flowchart you have a clear picture of where you are, where you want to reach and what is in the way. The last step is to brainstorm ideas as to how to remove these obstacles that are blocking your path to your goal. This is a great exercise for parents and students to try together.
Time Management Tip # 2 Who’s in Control?
Television can be an amazing window to all sorts of worlds to which we would not otherwise have access. When used sensibly, it is a tool to help us learn and help us relax. But if we are not careful, television can take over and before we know it TV is in control, not us. To see who is in control for your student, on a sheet of paper have them write down all the days of the week and the programs they watch on a regular basis. Also have them write down how much time they’d spend each day just flicking and sitting in front of the TV even if they are not focusing on a particular program. Add up the hours. It is an interesting exercise to have everyone in the household complete this activity. Agreeing on what is a ‘fair’ amount of TV to watch each day is the first step. This will vary widely in households. Decide together how much television is realistic so that your student is in control and able to complete all their other commitments. Once this is decided, students should give their TV viewing a ranking and then not view the lowest ranking shows. Another good technique is to tape shows in prime time and watch them after homework is completed rather than before.
Time Management Tip # 3 Survival Steps
One mountaineer who dragged himself down a mountain through wind and snow with a broken leg explained that he knew that to reach safety was such a huge undertaking that initially the thought absolutely overwhelmed him. It was only when he forced himself to break what he needed to do into a series of manageable chunks that he was able to focus on completing one step at a time and so reach his goal. When students are given a big piece of work like an assignment, a more manageable approach is to break the assignment into chunks of work. Sort of like taking bites of an apple rather than trying to fit the whole thing in your mouth! If your student has an assignment, spend some time discussing what steps they need to take in order to complete it. Encourage them to focus on completing the first step before worrying about the next. Before they know it they’ll be off the mountain and have eaten the apple!