Introduction
Self-management is a process that revolves around behavioral intervention or change that teaches students to recognize their behaviors, strengths and set behavioral goals to improve their focus on their studies (Borich, 2007).
This plan targets 8th grade students between the age of 13 and 14 years. The strategy aims at helping students manage their time adequately, complete assignments on time, stay organized and learn how to record their grades.
However, this intervention plan becomes effective when there is the cooperation of students who need these skills to improve their studying programs.
Self-Management Strategy
Borich (2007) articulates that the strategy is to teach students how to become more self-directed learners through nurturing motivation and behavioral changes, which will enable them to attain study skills, and consequently, enhance self-management.
Time management is all about self-discipline whereby one sets a well-structured work schedule that they ought to follow.
The students should always prioritize activities in a way that the more demanding and difficult tasks are worked on first and the rest later (Slavin, 2009).
A student should come up with a strategy that is effective in helping them complete and return assignments on time. They also need organization skills and strategy that will help them in recording their grades.
The strategy revolves around a sequence of processes that will cultivate self-drive and desire for an individual to succeed academically.
All these processes are the ones that encompass self- management, which effectively helps students to master and practice purposeful learning and study.
Behavioral change is the major drive in this strategy; it involves changing one’s character and having a positive attitude towards life (Smaldino, Lowther & Russell, 2008).
Time Management
Creating a simple schedule like a “to do list” is effective in helping a student. For example, a particular student can plan, prioritize, and break things into smaller and manageable subprograms.
The student will ensure that all-important tasks are accomplished on time. It is through this that students will become time conscious since they are their own managers, and can be able to set time for their undertakings by themselves.
The teacher should teach students how to make the “to do list” telling them how it works. This would be like;
- Explaining the contents of the “to do list”, which are usually all the tasks to be undertaken.
- Showing them how to write down the tasks, which start by the more prioritized ones to the less prioritized ones.
- Moreover, the teacher should teach which tasks to prioritize; this should mostly be based on their urgency and complexity.
Assignment Completion
Student should prioritize their assignments. This strategy should help a student since the individual will have more energy to start with most difficult tasks.
Their utmost goal should be completing them, and, therefore, as a teacher I will assign them only the crucial tasks so as to avoid inconveniencing their other responsibilities especially since they spend most of their time in school.
The fact that one starts with the more prioritized assignments is just a way of balancing the energy that one has by utilizing the first fresh moment with harder task and going for the rest as one gets exhausted.
This in a way will help them maintain their composure until the completion of the assignments. In order to show students how it works, the teacher can assign students a test and demonstrate how the strategy works in improving efficiency, speed and accuracy.
The test will entail hard and easy tasks; by starting with the harder ones the teacher will demonstrate how this strategy works.
The teacher will allow some students to start with hard tasks and others with the easy ones just to make the point; it is obvious that students that start with hard task with finish quicker.
Organization Skills
Helping students with organization skills is essential as it makes them more responsible. Organization success results from a rigid routine. Students also need lessons on how to come up with checklists for time allocation and strictly following the schedules (Linn & Gronlund, 2009).
This should be like a diary whereby the teacher checks it on a daily basis to ensure it is filled out. The teacher will hold a one on one session with each student to show them how it works.
The task is meant to be performed by student and so the teacher only helps the student start up and get everything right.
With a time allocation checklist, students will develop a routine that has replaced bad habits such as unpreparedness and forgetfulness with proper ones (Slavin, 2009).
Recording Grades
Students should come up with a plan and a strategy that helps in recording their grades. A well-organized file is an effective strategy in recording their grades (Borich 2007). Keeping the grade record helps the student in tracking their class performance.
Students may not understand how important this is, but by explaining to them, it may help them become more responsible in matters affecting their future. The plan is to make them get used to using assessment form to record their grades where they can constantly monitor them.
As a teacher, all I have to do is help them learn how to use them and leave the rest to them to adopt and incorporate in their learning strategies.
Conclusion
The student according to his/her own personal attributes and character should devise specific methods of learning that will enhance academic success. The teacher should also provide guidelines of methods for learning to the students and discuss the importance of time.
Conclusively, it is through self-awareness that they are able to identify their strengths and weaknesses, and therefore know how to enhance their existing methods.
References
Borich, G. (2007). Effective Teaching Methods: Research based Practice. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Publishers.
Linn, R., Miller, M. & Gronlund, N. (2009). Management and assessment in Teaching. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Publishers.
Slavin, R. (2009). Educational Psychological: Theory and Practice. Boston, MA: Pearson.
Smaldino, S., Lowther, D. & Russell, J. (2008). Instructional Technology and Media for Learning. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Publishers.