Students & Time Management
What can you identify as the number one time management issue that students have? How can you coach them to eliminate or reduce this challenge?
I agree Chuck. I too will "tell a story" of the mistakes I have made regarding poor choices. Most students enjoy the story which generally includes a moral or lesson. There are a few students that get it sooner rather than later. I have had students that did not get it until much later...like after school when they are working in the field. Many students have emailed me to say "thanks" for all the info and that now they get it! It's nice that they take the time to let me know. And it is encourges me to continue.
Great examples Ricky! Thanks so much for sharing. These sound like wonderful techniques to teach students when trying to help them get the very most out of their experience in your learning environment.
I try to get accross to them about time management when it comes to studing. They don't have to study for longs periods at a time. They shorter the study period is better it is. Try to study in 15 minute intervals. The mind will reconize more within that 15 minutes than 1 hour. If the information refers to a picture then try and remember the picture. Draw it out on the back of the answer sheet and then you can use it during the test and not considered cheating especially when you take it from your mind and not out of a book or someone elses paper.
I have had students that set aside a specific time every week, whether it is weekday or weekend, and they seem to be much more comfortable with the material when they use that time.
Yes, students are still in the process of learning to estimate how much time their tasks will take. We can help them by asking them to break tasks down into subtasks and estimate for those. Also, we can ask them to build in buffers (5-10%) to give themselves some much needed wiggle room.
It seems that most students are not good at a realistic expectation of how long a given task will take them. They get distracted and waste their time and then don't have enough time remaining for the important "stuff". I try to stress the importance of making a good plan and sticking to it.
Yes, breaking tasks into smaller deliverables is a great way to make completing assignments manageable. It makes grading a little more manageable too.
I think managing their lab task is a huge issue that students have. If you assign them all at once they become flustered and stressed. By breaking them up and assigning due dates they seem more managable. It also helps to remind them throughout the week where they should be at as far as task completed.
That's definitely a great approach in this economy Steve. Multitasking while eating lunch is yet another.
It seems that there Half hour lunch seems to not be long enough for some students. I advise my students to bring there own lunch, this saves them time from running to a lunch line and ends up saving them money.
Yes, a student's context is something that's very important to consider when approaching them from a place of understanding. School quality, family unit and income levels all have an impact on their focus and chances for success.
I've witnessed this as well with our students. It appears that though they have decided to take on a new direction in their future career, they are unable/incapable of making decisions that move them toward their goal. The lack of focus, concentration, prioritzing, etc. The local culture from which they come,I believe, has been a determining factor. I.E. the quality of schooling, family unit, income levels, etc. It's a commentary on how society views education in the early critical stages.
Yes, these are all great points Michael. I particularly like the part about guiding students through problem solving instead of solving problems for them. It's key that we teach our students to fish as they won't be with us forever.
All of the responses to this question have been right on. In fact as an instructor I am having some of the same issues in my life that I see my student’s dealing with right now.
When a student comes to me or I overhear a conversation between students about an issue I try to get that student aside and share how you overcame the problem from your experience. If you never had a problem like what your student is having try to listen to them with empathy.
For those who do not know what empathy is it is the projection of one’s own personality into the personality of another in order to understand them better; ability to share in another’s emotions or feelings.
Would you react the same way? If so then share that with them. If you would have had different reactions share that with them also.
We are not here to solve their problems for them only to suggest alternate options that they may have not thought about. Your student’s look to you as a role model and how we personally deal with the same issues are giving them an insight as to the proper way to handle them.
What a great instructor you must be Brian. When we give students adequate time to familiarize themselves with the course material, they are better off. This is especially true for students who otherwise struggle with time management.
Our students work and attend class full time. I have some students that work 45 hours plus attend class. I reach out to all of my students when the time comes to perform on a test. A lot of students do not have time to study, due to work. I will always give my students time to focus and study the day of the test and help them through any question thay may have. I find something as simple as this may be to an instuctor is huge to our students.
Students do not know how to use their time wisely. This is the number one time management issue I see with students. I try to help them prioritize their time from most important to least. Usually these students don’t have the discipline to prioritize their time and talking to someone who has their best interest in mind usually helps.
Yes, it's important to remind our younger students about the importance of goal setting and prioritization. Focusing on long term goals can be hard for our students. Finding ways to show how important they are is key.
Young people today have not been taught patience and how to prioritize to reach goals. They live for the immediate. They will miss school to be home with a sick girlfriend. I try to explain that they need to find the balance with school, work and social life. They need to understand that there will always be sacrifices in life if we want to reach our ultimate goals. Our family is not benefited when school is sacrificed.
