Calendar Use: How to Make It Work for Your Student's Success
Guest Post by Max Mitchell
Using a calendar helps students keep track of important dates, like assignment due dates, tests, quiz dates, and other activities. This article suggests tips to help teachers educate students to make the most of a calendar.
1. Create a Specific Time for Calendar Use
Designate a specific time each day when students must use their calendars. It will help them develop good habits and stick to them.
To set up a particular use of calendar time for students, the teacher will want to find a time in the school day for this activity.
For example, at the beginning of each period, the teacher can block off five minutes for students to check their calendars for upcoming activities and due dates.
2. Teach Students How to Set Goals
Encourage your students to set specific goals. Help them identify what they need to do each day and when it should be done to reach their goals.
When students are given an overview of weekly or monthly objectives for the class, they can set manageable goals for each day or week.
Additionally, teachers can use checklists for group activities so that all students can work together to complete tasks in an organized manner.
By using these strategies for goal setting, teachers can help their students stay on track for success.
3. Check in With Students Regularly
Set regular check-ins with your students, asking how they are progressing with their goals and helping them adjust accordingly.
By doing this, teachers can connect with each student at least once a week and quickly identify which students need additional support.
How to do it?
For this system to be successful, teachers should set aside at least 10-15 minutes for each student for check-ins, and the frequency of the check-ins may vary depending on the individual needs of each student.
You can do it remotely, too; here are the tips on how to do it. They ask open-ended questions to understand how students feel, what they're struggling with, and any areas for growth.
Teachers may also use the check-ins as an opportunity to provide feedback and guidance on upcoming assignments or tests.
4. Model Calendar Use
Show your students how you use a calendar in your own life and explain why it is vital for them to do the same.
Then, pose questions to your students that require them to look up certain events or dates in the calendar.
Teachers can tell their students how to create a calendar that includes all relevant dates for the school year. It can help them stay on track for completing assignments and tests on time.
A student calendar should include extra-curricular activities, such as sports practices and school events. It will ensure that they attend all important dates for these activities.
Furthermore, teachers should use the calendar to remind their students of deadlines for upcoming assignments.
5. Reward Good Habits
When students accomplish something or show good habits, they celebrate it with rewards. It will encourage them to stay on track with their goals and continue using their calendars.
There are several methods for rewarding these positive behaviors and setting the right incentives for continued success.
Give signs of approval
One strategy is providing tangible rewards for each milestone achieved by a student.
It could include anything from small gifts and treats for completing a certain amount of tasks in a week to more significant rewards for achieving long-term goals, such as finishing a school project or passing an exam.
This tangible reward system encourages students to stay on track with their work and motivates them to continue working hard while also providing the satisfaction of being acknowledged for their efforts.
Say if your students did a good job
Another way for teachers to reward good habits for students working with a calendar is through verbal praise and recognition for their achievements.
It could be done individually or in group discussions, praising each student's accomplishments for completing tasks on time or being proactive about setting goals for themselves.
Positive reinforcement like this can help boost students' self-confidence and improve their attitude toward learning.
6. Make Calendar Use Fun
Use fun activities to help students learn how to use their calendars effectively while also having a great time.
Use the calendar to explore connections between different events or topics in your lessons.
For example, use the calendar to discuss how seasons change or how celebrations are recognized throughout history.
It will help make the calendar more relevant to student's lives and help them better understand how the calendar works.
Incorporate technology into your lessons by using an interactive calendar app or program.
It can help make the calendar fun for students by allowing them to manipulate and interact with content more engagingly than simply writing out dates on paper.
7. Get Creative With It
Try different approaches to calendar use and see what works best for your class!
Whether you try games, role-play, or another activity, find something that will engage your students and make calendar use an exciting part of their day. In addition, it reduces stress levels and makes one cope with challenges.
Have your students create their calendars or design new ways to use the calendar for learning.
It will allow them to be creative, engage in problem-solving, and explore different aspects of the topic.
8. Provide Resources
Equip your students with the necessary resources to help them stay organized, such as daily planners or weekly agenda books.
One way for teachers to provide resources for calendar use for their students is to create a shared calendar for the classroom.
It can be done using online tools, such as Google Calendar or Outlook, that allow for easy collaboration between teachers and students.
The calendar should include essential project deadlines, tests, quizzes, field trips, meetings, etc.
9. Monitor Progress
Keep track of each student's progress and help them make adjustments if they need to catch up or struggle. Here are some examples of how you can monitor calendar use:
Review calendar entries regularly.
Take the time to review calendar entries at least once or twice per week.
It will help to ensure that dates, times, and other details remain accurate and provide an opportunity to review upcoming tasks and events.
Utilize calendar reminders
Many calendar applications offer the ability to set reminders for upcoming calendar entries.
These reminders can be set for a specific time or date, ensuring that no calendar entries are forgotten or missed.
Create calendar reports
Many calendar applications can generate calendar reports, which provide a snapshot of calendar usage over some time.
It can help track trends or identify areas that need improvement.
Monitor calendar sharing
If calendar events are shared with other users, it's essential to monitor calendar sharing periodically to ensure calendar entries are not modified or deleted without permission.
By monitoring calendar use regularly, individuals can stay organized and productive while ensuring that calendar entries remain accurate and up-to-date.
Conclusion
By following these tips, teachers can help their students become more organized, stay on task, and reach their goals using a calendar. Not only will this help them learn the concepts better, but it also helps to keep their spirits up and engages them in the learning process.
Good luck!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Max Mitchell is a content marketing specialist who works with TopWritingReviews. He is very passionate about typing, creating complicated spreadsheets, and consuming an inhuman amount of caffeine. Nevertheless, he is also the creative type of individual who will always find a new perspective on topics of interest.