College/High School Course Assignment
Planner: This is best used by students operating under a
syllabus. For each class, the student lists all individual
assignments due for the semester/term. A row might read "Read
chapter one of Far from the Madding Crowd," "3/3/2010,"
"__." The next line might read "Answer chapter one questions on
Far from the Madding Crowd." The idea is to go in
sequential order and to be very specific.
Students who lump "read chapter one and answer the questions and
come up with topic for paper" tend to forget to do at least one
of these items. This can lead to a feeling of being overwhelmed
and cause students to fall behind. By listing assignments
line-by-line, as these items are checked off as complete, the
student feels a real sense of progress. Students are
recommended to keep a sheet for each course. Every weekday, the
student aims to check off at least one item on each list.
The average college course boils down to around 30 small
assignments. This equates to six weeks of "homework" (one
assignment row per day, five days per week) and a student being
ahead of the class. Use of this type of planning technique is
proven (including by our own experiences) to keep students on
track. Remember to look at the syllabus as an apple, with the
individual assignments in their tidy little rows as bites you
can chew. |
