How to teach organisation in the classroom

As students navigate through school, they are faced with tasks, assignments, and deadlines that can become overwhelming without proper organisational skills. Being organised allows students to prioritise their tasks, manage their time effectively, and stay on top of their academic responsibilities.

Teaching organisation skills in the classroom can have a significant impact on students’ success in school and beyond. By providing students with the necessary tools and strategies to become organised, educators can empower them to take ownership of their learning and increase their chances of achieving academic success. But how can you do that if you’re already busy teaching everything else on the curriculum?

In this post, we will explore various strategies for teaching organisation skills in the classroom. We will discuss how educators can model and teach organisational skills explicitly, incorporate organisation into the curriculum, and support students who struggle with organisation difficulties—and how Penstripe’s student planners can help.

Understanding organisation in the classroom

Organisation is the process of arranging things in a structured and orderly way. In an academic setting, organisation skills are critical for success as they enable students to manage their workload, keep track of assignments, and meet deadlines. Being organised requires students to develop a system that works for them, which can include creating to-do lists, maintaining a student planner or diary, and using filing systems to keep track of papers and notes.

It is important to note that organisation skills differ from other related concepts such as time management and productivity. While time management is about using your time efficiently and productively, organisation involves the process of sorting, arranging, and keeping track of tasks and materials.

Why is organisation so important?

Being organised can have a profound impact on students’ success in school and beyond. In academics, being organised can help students stay on top of their coursework, prepare for exams effectively, and achieve better grades. Additionally, being organised can help students manage their extracurricular activities, social life, and part-time jobs, allowing them to balance their commitments successfully.

After school, successful individuals often attribute their success to their organisation skills. Entrepreneurs, for example, rely on their organisation skills to manage their businesses, while athletes use organisation skills to stay on top of their training and competition schedules.

Overall, being organised is an essential skill that can help students achieve success in school and beyond. By developing organisation skills, students can manage their workload, reduce stress, and achieve their academic goals more efficiently.

Tips and tricks for teaching students organisation

So how can you teach organisation in the classroom?

1) Modelling organisation

One of the most effective ways to teach organisation is to model it for students. Teachers can demonstrate organisation skills in the classroom by using tools such as checklists, calendars and planners. This approach not only provides students with an example to follow but also helps them understand the importance of being organised.

2) Teaching organisation skills explicitly

Explicit instruction is another effective strategy for teaching organisation. Teachers can define organisation skills explicitly and provide step-by-step instruction on how to develop them. This approach can include teaching students how to manage their time, prioritise tasks, and create an effective study schedule. Penstripe’s study skills diaries are ideal for laying everything out in an easy-to-understand way for students.

3) Providing organisational tools and resources

In addition to modelling and explicit instruction, teachers can also provide physical organisational tools and resources. Teachers can introduce and encourage the use of organisational tools such as planners, folders, and colour-coding systems. These tools can help students stay organised, keep track of assignments, and manage their time effectively.

Providing resources such as graphic organisers and templates can also be beneficial. These resources can help students visualise their ideas and plan their work more effectively. Additionally, graphic organisers and templates can help students with learning disabilities or those who struggle with organisation.

How to help disorganised students

For students who struggle with organisation, school can be an overwhelming and frustrating experience. As a teacher, it is essential to recognise the signs of organisation difficulties and provide support to help these students succeed.

1) Recognise the signs of organisation difficulties

The signs of organisation difficulties can be varied and may include difficulties with completing tasks on time, poor time-management, forgetfulness, difficulty prioritising tasks, and disorganisation. Teachers should be aware of these signs and take action to provide support to students who exhibit them.

2) Provide individual support to students who struggle with organisation

One effective strategy for supporting students with organisation difficulties is to provide individualised support. This can include developing individualised organisation plans that are tailored to the student’s specific needs. These plans can include strategies such as breaking down tasks into smaller, more manageable steps, setting reminders for important dates and deadlines, and creating checklists and schedules.

3) Provide ongoing support and check-ins

Ongoing support is also critical for students who struggle with organisation. Teachers can provide regular check-ins with these students to monitor their progress, offer guidance, and adjust their organisation plans as necessary. This ongoing support can help students stay on track and build the skills they need to become more organised over time.

In conclusion, supporting students with organisation difficulties requires a tailored approach that includes individualised support and ongoing check-ins. By recognising the signs of organisation difficulties and providing the necessary support, teachers can help these students succeed in school and beyond.

Choose Penstripe

At Penstripe, our goal is to create the perfect student planner for your individual requirements. With a huge range of sizes, bindings and contents, we can create a custom student diary that exceeds your expectations. With a wide range of bespoke pages to choose from, we’ll create the right planner for you. Our handy pocket size planners are becoming ever more popular amongst schools and are a particular favourite with sixth forms.

We create bespoke student planners that last the entire year. Guaranteed. Our team of experts are constantly innovating to produce useful new content that can be added to student planners. See our catalogue for a full breakdown of the options available. Regular engagement with student planners can help to foster a growth mindset, as students are encouraged to take ownership of their own achievements.

Penstripe has years of experience in producing both student planners and teacher planners, and a track record of excellent results. Order your free sample pack today.