Personalized Learning Strategy:
Provide learners with tools to prioritize their time
NOTE: This strategy is part of the self-paced Develop Learner Agency Course
Personalization can not just be made up of decisions that the educator makes for students. Educators must empower learners to make decisions about their learning and that takes new prioritization and decision-making skills, especially when learners are in charge of their own time. Providing tools such as blank planners, schedule templates, timers, and frameworks for prioritization, along with explicit modeling, practice and support, can empower learners to use their time wisely.
Bright Spots
Gain inspiration from authentic examples of this strategy shared by teachers who have used them with their learners.
Creating your own Bright Spots? Let’s get them out into the world! Share yours here.
Student Created Schedules
Students at Embark Education, a middle school in Denver, CO, have agency in deciding when they do what work during certain work blocks throughout the week. At the start of each week they set goals, review what needs to get done, sign up for lessons with their teachers and schedule their time, on paper or in Google Calendar.
To-Do Lists
Oregon state provides students with different tools to help them prioritize their time and create a schedule to complete all of their tasks.
Graphic Organizers
Timers
Source: Eastern Washington University
Provide visual timers for the class or ones learners can use individually so they know how much time they have to work on something.
Eisenhower Matrix
Using frameworks like the Eisenhower Matrix can help learners think about when to work on which tasks.
Resources
Inspired? Use the resources below to bring this learner-centered strategy to your learning community.
🖥 Create priority lists with students
📖 Explicitly teach prioritizing as an executive function skill
📖 🧰 Explicitly teach decision making skills using a Decision Matrix
📺 SOAR Planning method
📖 Help learners select a planner
Related Learner-Centered Content
If you found this helpful, try this related strategy:
Learn More in this Learner-Centered Course:
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