In today’s rapidly changing world, education can no longer just be about academics. Schools have a responsibility to develop the whole student – fostering the skills and mindsets students need to thrive personally and professionally long after school.
This holistic approach calls for a shift in curriculum design that is more personalised, forward-thinking and centred around each student’s personal development plan. Student planners are pivotal in this transformative process.
The Shifting Role of Student Planners
Traditionally, student planners have been seen as tools for managing homework and deadlines. However, their true potential is unlocked when they are used as instruments for student goal setting, growth action plans and career planning for students.
These planners can become personal development plans, aiding students in charting their educational journey based on their ambitions, areas for improvement and long-term goals.
Personal Development Planning with Student Planners
Personal development planning is a structured approach to curriculum design that encourages students to:
- Evaluate their strengths and weaknesses
- Define what success means to them
- Set measurable short-term goals and long-term objectives
- Devise action plans like an academic achievement plan
- Monitor their progress and reflect on ways to improve
Integrating this process into the curriculum through student planners allows educational objectives setting to evolve from a narrow focus on grades to a comprehensive approach encompassing academic, social, emotional and physical development over time.
Key Planner Features Involved in Curriculum Development
These vital components of student planners facilitate curriculum design and personal development planning.
Reflection Pages
Dedicated spaces for regular journaling help students cultivate emotional intelligence by encouraging them to reflect on their emotions, consider academic growth strategies, build student resilience and celebrate their achievements.
SMART Goal Setting
Templates that guide students in setting SMART goals provide a structured approach to reaching personal growth milestones. These goals are:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Relevant
- Time-bound
These objectives should align with the student’s vision for their development across various areas, including academic performance, life skills education, healthy habit formation and community involvement.
Growth Planning Pages
Sections that outline action steps for enhancing specific skills over time empower students to create personalised skill enhancement plans. These could include:
- Time management techniques
- Digital literacy training
- Leadership skills development
Habit Trackers
Tools like student planner calendars allow students to track behaviours in line with their goals to facilitate tangible student progress tracking. These behaviours and tasks could include completing practice exam questions, exercising daily or practising growth mindset thinking.
Trackers help to reinforce important habits, improve self-discipline and motivate students.
Mentor Meeting Pages
Dedicated planner pages for note-taking during meetings with mentors or teachers help elicit meaningful discussions. Topics could include:
- Progress made
- Barriers to goal achievement
- Accessing necessary resources and support
- The student’s next steps
Open discussions along these lines considerably enhance the effectiveness of student mentorship programs.
The Far-Reaching Benefits of Student Planners
Student planners offer many benefits for building curriculums that incorporate structured personal development activities. These benefits include:
Ownership Over Learning
Students who actively evaluate their skills, define success and plan their education develop a sense of ownership, agency and intrinsic motivation.
Wider Definitions of Achievement
Planners that encourage goal setting across various domains help students:
- Value achievements outside of school
- Measure self-worth beyond just academic results
- Develop a holistic student success roadmap
Encouraging Growth Mindsets
Documenting goals and tracking incremental progress over time promotes student motivational strategies and a growth mindset, where students recognise that abilities can be developed through continued effort and practice.
Balanced Skills Development
Regularly setting objectives for both academic and soft skills development emphasises the importance of a balanced skill set. Essential soft skills include:
- Conflict management
- Leadership
- Teamwork and collaboration
- Active listening
- Critical thinking
- Problem-solving
- Empathy
Preparedness for the Future
Guiding students to consistently refine strengths while developing skills aligned with future aspirations prepares students to navigate life’s challenges with agility.
The Penstripe Difference: Student Planners for Curriculum Success
By encouraging self-improvement for learners, quality student planners empower students to take charge of their growth. At Penstripe, we create bespoke student planners catering to each school’s ethos, priorities and learner vision.
Packed with expertly curated content, like goal-setting tools, study skills tips and activities tailored to developmental needs, our planners nurture growth mindsets and long-term goal attainment.
To learn more about how our bespoke planners can benefit your school, call our friendly team at 0113 231 0995, email info@penstripe.co.uk or complete our online enquiry form. We look forward to helping your students on their path to success.
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.
