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.
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Managing homework effectively?
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Setting SMART Goals?
Communicating and self-advocating effectively?
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Planning, Backed by Science
By Matt Strickland
For most high school and college students, planning is either something new, something we heard about from a teacher, or something our Illuminos Coach is nagging us to do. The most common statements I hear from students when we breach the subject of planning are:
Why do I have to do this? I know my schedule in my head.
I don’t have time to sit down and plan; I would rather just do the work.
Oh yeah… I was given an agenda book by my [insert institution, parent, mentor, teacher].
Let’s start with some basic science. Students don’t have a plan in their heads. This reality dates back many decades and has robust empirical support behind it. Based on an article published by George A. Miller back in 1956, he described the human brain as having an information bottleneck, which he called channel capacity. The channel capacity is the upper limit on the extent to which the observer can match their responses to the stimuli we give them (Miller 1956).
The stimuli our students have, especially today, are enormous. I have trouble learning about a student’s schedule from mom or dad because they sometimes don’t know what’s on their student’s schedule. School portals are often inaccurate because teachers vary widely in how often they update the portals. Miller’s data revealed that, on average, people can only handle a certain amount of input that produces the desired output. Our capacity to handle pieces of information flatlines at about seven, plus or minus two (Miller 1956). This channel capacity is what directly affects our ability to make decisions, especially well-educated decisions.
How does this relate to planning? Our ability to make a well-educated decision is directly correlated to the result(s) we obtain. The more information we have, the more likely we’ll make the right choice. At Illuminos, we want our students to start to know not only the material that’s on the chemistry test this Thursday but also know how to talk to their math teacher about receiving some special attention after class that may offer a leg-up on the next quiz. Just these two pieces of school-related information alone can overload a developing mind. Imagine adding a learning disadvantage on top of that. How easy is it to really have a full understanding of what needs to get done during the week at school and balance practices, performances, and hanging out with friends? This is where planning comes into play.
I use the phrase, “clear your mind so you can use your brain” when I start to work with students on planning. The first step is to reduce the traffic at the brain’s information bottleneck. By dumping the information out of our heads and onto the planner, we make room for the other items and tasks that were buried under traffic. Once the traffic is cleared, we can look at all the information on the page and start making well-educated decisions. We can start to plan our day. When do I like to study? When do I want to hang out with my friends? What time do I need to be at practice after school? What do I need to do once I’m done with practice? If the answer is “I don’t know” to any of these questions, we can look at our planner page where we wrote everything down. Then we can insert our obligations for the day, the extra tasks we need to do, and the fun we want to have.
The fundamental science of planning is not new, but planning is new to some of our students. Learning to work with each student’s unique schedule is our specialty. Teaching students to plan is simple; getting students to sit down and plan on their own time is the difficult part. It’s not until then that the desired results start to show up. That’s when our students start picking up on the value of planning. Let your students grow and encourage them to clear their minds so they can use their brains.
At Illuminos, we provide the customized scaffolding your child needs while he or she learns to master organization, time management, note-taking, study and test-taking skills, self-advocacy, verbal and non-verbal communication, and social skills. To learn more about executive function and how it can help your child, please read our other resources or schedule time to talk with us.
Work Cited:
Miller, G. A. (1956). The magical number seven, plus or minus two: Some limits on our capacity for processing information. Psychological Review, 63(2), 81.
Importance of Executive Function Skills
Written By: Isabelle Saunders
There’s no debate that school is a world-class juggling act: you’ve got extracurriculars, homework, your social life, studying- it can be a lot to handle. The older you get, the more important it is to develop executive functioning skills. Executive functioning is, quite simply, the skill instrumental in academic success. It’s been boiled down by educators to seven attainable attributes:
Adaptable thinking: ie, flexibility. As challenging as it may be, you have to keep trooping when you encounter a problem. Adapt to problems- find a way around them and exercise your problem-solving muscles. It’s an asset to accept the fact that what you think won’t always be right, and you have to be open to new ideas and ways of accomplishing things.
Planning: Foresight is nothing short of necessity. Whether it’s mapping out a busy week or setting up your after-school routine, planning cuts your to-do list into bite-sized pieces that you can visualize and accomplish. Planning out a project before you do it gives you a template do that you go into it with rhyme and reason instead of blindly hacking away at it.
Self-Monitoring: Introspection and self-evaluation! Only you know what your personal best is, and only you can make sure you’re giving it. Self-monitoring is to grasp what you’re doing wrong and have the agency to pivot to another strategy. It’s to realize how you’re doing on the task at hand, and to know how to improve.
Self-Control: To keep a firm grip on your emotions and behavior is crucial in any social setting. You have to be okay with receiving constructive criticism, and to keep trekking when something undesirable happens. A good way to maintain self-control is not to take school feedback to heart: what a teacher thinks about your essay is not a reflection on what they think of your character. And besides, you are fully capable of taking that criticism in stride and improving.
Working Memory: Sherlock Holmes always referred to his memory as a mind palace. Think of all this acquired knowledge like that: you’re storing away information to bring out and out to use later. Some of us have better memories than others, and that’s okay. If you’re someone with a naturally poor memory and nothing seems to help, no matter how closely you pay attention, there are ways to work with that. A few possibilities are to take detailed notes, try using mnemonic devices for memory, and use flashcards for a deeper form of concept association.
Time Management: This one’s for the chronic procrastinators. Time is a force that should be filled wisely. To get anything done, you have to be time-aware enough to do it. Be it in the classroom or at home, time won’t stop for you to complete your work.
Organization: For some of us, organization comes naturally. For others, it’s a learning process. Keeping your binders, desk, locker, and other school supplies neat and organized is the key to enhanced concentration and lowered stress levels. Is that last week’s math homework, Tuesday’s notes, or the drawing you made during lunch? No one wants to navigate their way through a storm of mixed papers- the front pocket in your binder is best used for current work only.
An anagram to remember these concepts is:
Adaptable thinking
Introspection
Retain information
Planning
Organization
Self-control
Time management
Responsibility and self-advocacy are not traits that sprout overnight. Like every other skill, they have to develop and be put into practice. The attributes covered, of course, don’t just apply to school: they’re necessary for a well-rounded and capable person.
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.