Whether you’re new to teaching or a teaching professional that has years of experience, you may be wondering how school planners actually help your students in the classroom as well as at home. School diaries have developed over the years to include several features such as Study Skills sections, Wellbeing areas and much more, but how does all this benefit your pupils?
In this guide, we outline the top 5 benefits school planners present to students both in and out of the classroom.
1. Improves mental wellbeing
Being aware of your students’ wellbeing, as well as their academic progress, is critical for any teacher regardless of how experienced they are.
Having a school planner gives a shape to students’ week and helps them to be in the right place, at the right time with the right equipment. In Penstripe’s school planners, we provide an eight-page student wellbeing section in all student planners ensuring that the interactive content really adds value to the conversation on mental health within schools.
2. Encourages the development of organisational skills
Being organised is an important part of school life for students, but sometimes this can suffer as they go through the school system. School planners are an essential part of school life and are a great way to teach students to stay organised and manage their time.
A school diary is a great resource for students of all ages (even primary learners benefit from this). Parents can place their signatures to confirm that their child completed a homework task and other assignments – this helps students to manger their time better.
See our guide for other ways to improve organisational skills amongst pupils.
3. Sets reminders
Writing and listening utilises different parts of the brain – so when both are actively working, memory is enhanced.
How does this benefit students? When they write their homework down when it’s announced in class, they are far more likely to remember it and be aware of certain deadlines. Having it written down acts as a reminder – no excuses for not doing homework!
4. Increases productivity
A school diary helps pupils better manage their time and increases their productivity. Procrastination is a big problem amongst students as the digital world provides them with many distractions.
However, if children know what work they need to be doing because they have written it down, it will provide them more incentive to actually do it. A student planner ultimately reduces the desire to procrastinate and enhances productivity.
5. Develops good study habits
Creating good study habits in students early on can only help them in the future. Whether that be planning their time for weeks to come or encouraging note-taking, developing habits they can use when they leave school will benefit them for adult life.
Olaf Surtees has been with Penstripe for ten years; what he doesn’t know about teacher planners, student planners, and lesson planners isn’t worth knowing! He’s in charge of creating our blog content, helping teachers and administrators with helpful hints and tips, as well as our socials — see the links below to find out more.
