Being organised is an important part of school life for students, but sometimes this can suffer as they grow up. For some pupils, it’s an issue of actually starting to get organised, whereas for others they may struggle to maintain an organisational system. The benefits of being organised are proven, so we’ve put together a list of how to improve organisational skills for students in your class.
Checklist
Having a checklist in all walks of life is a great tool for helping disorganised students. For example, when you set pupils homework it is important to ensure they write it down in their student planner before leaving the classroom – this will help them remember and prioritise what work needs to be done.
When making a checklist, SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-Based) targets should be used and is a great way to help teens keep focused and organised.
Visual Tools
A great way to facilitate organisational skills for students is to use visual tools and aids. Using things like stickers, colour-coded labels and post-it notes help students be organised in both the classroom and at home.
In our student planners, you can request bespoke visual aids in order to improve organisational skills for your pupils.
Parent/Guardian Support
Having a co-operative relationship with parents can lead to an increased support network for the student, as well as tangible benefits including sticking up those colour coded reminders for homework and a weekly agenda on the fridge and front door!
Routine
Students love routine. Making a daily routine is a great way to improve your students’ organisational skills as it creates a stable and predictable school life, and this can have great benefits for children of all ages.
For parents: include key points such as bedtime, wake-up-time, out-the-door time, and perhaps most importantly, homework/revision time. Structured time for study at home is the best way to ensure learners get the most out of homework.
School Planners
School planners are an essential part of school life and are a great way to teach students to stay organised. A school planner 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 better manage their time and increases parent involvement and communication.
At Penstripe, we believe in giving teachers the tools they need to help students at school and our student planners go some way in doing just that. With fully bespoke designs, you can be sure we can create just what you need to help students be more organised.
Tidy Up
Even though this may seem obvious, tidying up and keeping things in an orderly fashion goes a long way in being organised. Sorting existing homework, lesson notes and handouts into folders, binders and trays will be a good start, but encouraging students to keep this going will be sure to help them be more organised in the longer term.
Whether you’re a teacher in a primary or secondary school, incorporating these tips will be sure to help your students improve on their organisational skills. If you’re looking for ways to improve a disorganised students’ organisational skills, read our 8 fool-proof ways to help them, take a look at our example templates, or check out our planners below.
Bespoke Student Planners
Personalised Student Planners that support improvements in performance and mental health
Bespoke Teacher Planners
Teacher Planners designed to help with productivity, organisation and wellbeing for your team
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.
