Provide learners with tools to prioritize their time

NOTE: This strategy is part of the self-paced Develop Learner Agency Course

A powerful way for learners to build their agency and determine priorities, self-management skills that are crucial for learners to build, is for them to plan and prioritize their time. First educators must provide opportunities for learners to do this instead of planning learners’ time for them. Educators can scaffold these skills by providing tools such as blank planners, schedule templates, timers, and frameworks for prioritization. Along with explicit modeling, time for practice combined with coaching and support, can empower learners to manage their time and build their own learner agency.

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.

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