to do lists
I am a believer that creating "to do lists" and reviewing them on regular basis is an important aspect of managing one's time. I feel it helps me manage the class more effectively because I can prioritize and organize my students learning needs within given deadlines.
Having a "to do list" does have it's advantages, at times, and I do agree that order must be maintained. BUT, what do you do with a revolving #1 slot? When your priorities must change with the course of the day. When interacting with students directly in a non-traditional classroom, situations arise that often forces new direction.
A "to do" list can be an important component in organizing and manage one's on-line teaching life.
It sounds like you have built a system over the years that works for you James. A to do list might only benefit you if you are tasked with starting something new - like teaching a new class.
I am not really a believer in todo lists. My wife is constsantly creating them and panicking as she falls behind/does not complete them. I have the advantage(?) of teaching a class that has not changed curriculum in years. So my days are planned.(Working around a changing shift schedule is more difficult.) Outside of classtime my schedule is fluid and I try to work what I need to. At this time my free work time is spent keeping up with my job requirements. But I am also taking the time to fix the lesson plan as quickly as time allows. When the rest of life needs attention my schedule allows me to deal with most task as they appear.
The to do list is a great time saver when organizing many tasks.
I too am a believer is to do lists. I find that it helps me to keep focused.
This is great Joslynn. As educators, we must lead by example with to do lists. Our students can benefit from them greatly.
Speaking of to do lists, I was just telling my students how important they are. In all aspects. When they come to class with out their production lists they are sent to the library to do it. It gets them in the habbit of making to do lists.
Sounds like you have a great system in place William. Yes, in the world of culinary arts, list making and planning are key.
I do a prep list everyday. It is crucial in the field of culinary arts. Chefs live by prep sheets and order guides.
As an instructor my days are filled with thing I need to do. Designing a organized, priority list helps. this way as i enter the classroom everyday i know exactly where to get started. at the days close i assess, and develope tomorrows list.
I also am a huge fan of "to do" lists. I have my students prepare a "Mise en Place" list at the begining of each day prioritizing there production for that day to help get their minds wrapped around the idea put to help get them organized to accomplish everything that needs to get done
I value to-lists for all of the reasons mentioned but also to avoid forgetting important tasks. We are always doing the small stuff and overlook major tasks and responsibilities sometimes. Often, I find myself accomplishing other tasks while I am suppose to be on task doing something else. How can I avoid doing that? I think I am beating the system by just adding the task to the list perhaps as a sub-task. It is too easy to accomplish the quick jobs versus doing the important ones. We learned about ABC taskings in other management courses. Breaking tasks down into managable tasks usually helps in that area.
Indeed, to do list are great because they help us better serve our students and their learning needs.
I agree with so many t5hings going on in our lives it is very important to have a to do list so we dont forget things and we can also prioritize our tasks better
