Using a Planner Effectively
A planner is the most important tool a student can use to help them manage their time and plan for schoolwork. Online school portals are not planners, but rather one resource for students to get information for populating their planners. Teacher announcements in class and assignments written on the board are other resources for information. Every student’s planner will look different based on their unique needs. Read the tips below for ideas on using a planner effectively.
Planner Suggestions:
The best planner is the one a student will actually use!
School planners are ideal because they include school-specific holidays.
If your school does not provide a planner, use any academic planner.
Students should carry their planners with them throughout the day.
Students should write things down in their planners immediately upon learning about assignments.
Students should check their planners right when they get home and dedicate 10-15 minutes to making an action plan for the day.
Students should check their planners again before bedtime to be sure everything has been completed.
6 Steps to Using a Planner:
Write something next to every class every day.
Write “none” if there is truly no work in a particular class.
Write the specific assignment rather than something categorical.
Break longer-term assignments into more manageable entries.
Star tasks that are due the next day.
Cross out items as they are completed.
When students learn how to use their planner effectively, they improve self-monitoring and organizational skills. This helps them plan ahead to turn in assignments on time and allot the right amount of time to study for tests and quizzes. Watch our video tutorial from Illuminos CEO & Co-Founder Evan Weinberger for more information on how to effectively use a planner.
Get the Illuminos Executive Function Planner
Could your student use help with:
Managing homework effectively?
Creating a study plan?
Setting SMART Goals?
Communicating and self-advocating effectively?
Then our Executive Function Planner is for you. Order yours today!
How to Encourage Teens to Make Better Choices
By Dr. Cam, Family Success Coach
The other day I had this thought...
Teens are wired to establish autonomy which is why they don't like us to tell them what to do, right?
They push back.
That's because when we tell them what to do, we claim "ownership" of that choice. It becomes untouchable to our teen. It's tainted with our parenting cooties.
Even if they agree with what you say 100%, their instinct to separate themselves from you is even stronger. They must if they're ever going to move out of your house!
They are left to choose something different, which is inevitably not the "right choice."
And we get annoyed, frustrated, angry, hurt...
So, what if we didn't claim the right choice? What if we left it available so our teen could own it? Would they choose it?
Instead of telling them what to do, ask them what they think they should do. Invite them to come up with a solution.
I can't guarantee they'll get it "right" every time, but I can guarantee it's far more likely. I've tried it with my own teenager, and she chooses well most of the time (of course, sometimes we disagree on what the right choice is.)
Truth is, our teens typically know the right choice, even want to make the right choice. They crave your approval and are crushed by your criticism.
I encourage you to try it. If they were going to push back anyway, what do you have to lose?
Here's my biggest takeaway…
Teens are wired to do their own thing. When we tell them the "right" thing to do, we claim it as our choice, not theirs. If you want your teen to make the "right" choice, give them the chance to claim it.
Cameron (Dr. Cam) Caswell, PhD, the “teen translator,” is an adolescent psychologist, family success coach, host of the Parenting Teens with Dr. Cam podcast and Parenting Teens Power Hour, and is the author of Power Phrases for Parents: Teen Edition. For over a decade, she has been helping parents build strong, positive relationships with their teens through improved communication, connection, and understanding using her PRIME Parenting Method. Dr. Cam is the mom of a teen too, so she not only talks the talk, she walks the walk!
Visit Dr. Cam’s website: www.askdrcam.com
Thank you for your insightful guest blog, Don't forget to check out Wendy Weinberger's, President and COO of Illuminos Academic Coaching & Tutoring, interview with Dr.Cam on the Parenting Teens with Dr. Cam podcast. The Facebook Live podcast can be found on Dr. Cam's Facebook page.
College Readiness and Academic Self-Advocacy
Written By: Laura Lorenzen, MSW and Andrea Malkin Brenner, PhD
Anticipating the transition from high school to college can feel overwhelming for parents and teens, and especially so for teens with executive functioning challenges. Simply possessing strong academic competence is not enough to thrive in college. Students need strong academic self-advocacy skills in order to successfully navigate this life-changing transition.
For parents, approaching the shift from high school to college as a gradual process of moving your child from dependence to independence -- and beginning this process well before the transition to college -- can make this change far less daunting..
Understanding the differences between high school parenting and college parenting
You may be communicating closely with your child’s high school, discussing everything from the accommodations your child needs to their grades and even their homework assignments. Colleges, however, are prohibited by law from providing parents with any information regarding student accommodations, grades, or academic progress.
While students who have a diagnosed disability such as ADHD, a learning disability, or autism, are able to obtain accommodations in college, parents are not part of this process. Your child is viewed as an autonomous adult by the college and will need to independently ask for help, seek campus resources, and request learning accommodations.
Parents whose children have executive functioning challenges often provide support in other ways. You may currently help your child stay on top of homework assignments, manage time, and plan out when and how long-term assignments will be completed -- or work closely with your child’s teacher to do so. In college, that type of support can be provided by academic support staff or through the campus tutoring center, but your child will need to seek it out.
Steps you can take now to prepare your child for the transition to college
It’s never too early (or too late) to start preparing your child for this transition. There are a number of essential skills your child will need and that you can help them learn.
Ensure your child understands and can talk about their learning needs and the accommodations they will require to succeed in college.
Openly include your child in discussions about their needs and ask for their perspective on what tools help them learn.
Ensure your child can identify and seek out sources of information and help. Many teens are not familiar or comfortable independently asking for help; this is a critical skill that takes time and practice to master. Help your child practice this skill now, so that they are comfortable self-advocating later.
Build your child’s capacity to independently problem-solve and make sound decisions. Ask how they would solve a problem that arises, and help them think through the pros and cons of their solution.
Before they enter the college setting, allow your child to try and fail, as long as no lasting harm would occur from that failure. This will give your child crucial practice and an opportunity to safely learn from their mistakes.
Though it might be tempting to jump in to iron out difficulties your child is having, they’ll learn more and be better prepared for the future if instead they are guided and supported to find answers and solve problems on their own. Helping your child take charge of their academics doesn’t mean they have to do it alone. With the right self-advocacy skills, your child will be able to request accommodations in college, find needed campus resources, and comfortably ask for help -- the critical skills they will need to thrive on their own.
For more information about this topic, join us for our upcoming webinar:
College Readiness: Your Neurodiverse Teen and Academic Self-Advocacy
Tuesday, April 13, 7:00-8:00.
Register Here: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMqdeyvqjssGNEdv66j5gqqLZFlYCpCldon
Andrea Malkin Brenner, PhD, co-author of How to College: What to Know Before You Go (and When You’re There), is a college transitions educator and a former college professor and first-year administrator. Laura Lorenzen, MSW, founder of District Special Education Partners, provides parent coaching and IEP advocacy services. Her next parent class on “Supporting Your Disorganized Child” launches in late April.
How to Form Routines
Students with ADHD tend to struggle in school due to a variety of factors including but not limited to their lack of Executive Functioning skills. The ability to stay organized, plan ahead, and manage their time effectively can become overwhelming which can impact behavior and performance. As educators, it is beneficial to have tools that can be used within the classroom to ease anxiety and motivate students to be successful. Let’s take a look at some useful tips!
Forming structured routines within the classroom can establish reliable expectations for students which can support remaining on task and focused. Examples can include writing the homework assignment in the same spot on the board every day and working with the student to ensure important items and tasks are written in their planner. This will provide consistency and relatability which can ease confusion and stress which often impact the ability for a student to identify what needs to be done.
Disorganization is another area of executive functioning that has a significant impact on a student's success. When a student is in a rush and unable to get situated or organized prior to a transition throughout the day, they start the next phase of their day already in a state of stress, confusion, and at times, frustration. This disorganization can have a ripple effect and carry over into the students home life and responsibilities. Allowing students an extra five minutes at the end of class to put their items away in the proper place will allow for organization throughout the day. Therefore, when they sit down at home to start on their homework, they know exactly where everything is, rather than spending time searching for their assignments and can start on their homework.
Being clear and concise about the expectations of an assignment can help to minimize misunderstandings. When assignments have a grey area, confusion tends to happen which can result in incomplete work or lack of focus. In an effort to reduce this, make assignments clear and check back to see if the student understands what is being asked. Work to keep assignments short and straight forward, not long, repetitive, and abstract, which will have the potential to increase focus.
Lastly, positive reinforcement is the key to motivating students. If the student makes the effort to complete a task from start to finish, even if there is difficulty along the way, a positive statement can go a long way. Empowering our students to be successful is half the battle. Just like adults receive a paycheck for their hard work, students need some form of incentive as well. Sometimes using small incentives to form routines can help with positive feedback.