What Teachers Can Do To Help With Time Management

Contents of this article are excerpted from:
Rief, S. The ADHD Book of Lists. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass (a Wiley publication), 2003.

Time Awareness:

• Lack of time awareness is very common among individuals with ADHD, as they often underestimate how much time they have to complete a task or to arrive somewhere on time.  In addition, ADHD students tend to be oblivious to deadlines and due dates.  Remember that this is part of the disorder and not apathy or deliberate misbehavior.
   

• Any opportunity to practice time estimation is very helpful towards increasing such awareness.   For example, challenge your students to estimate how long it takes to walk to the office and back (without running), or any other task.  Make a game out of predicting, timing, and checking the students’ time estimates for various activities.
   

• Encourage self-monitoring during independent seatwork time by recording the start time on the paper.  When the work period is over, record the time (regardless of how much work the student actually produced).  This is helpful documentation, as well, with regard to how well the student is able to stay on-task and work productively. 

Assignment Sheets, Calendars, Student Planners/Agendas:

• Communicate and maintain the clear expectation that all assignments are to be recorded on students' assignment calendars, and monitor that this is occurring
   
• Model the writing of assignments on the calendar using a transparency of the calendar.  Take a few moments at the end of the subject period or school day to lead students in the recording of assignments on their calendars
   
• When using an assignment calendar, teach students to write the assignments on the day they are DUE.  Walk them through recording on the correct date
   
• Monitor the assignment calendars (particularly monthly calendars of ADHD students.)  They tend to write things on the wrong date
   
• Provide assistance to students who have difficulty recording assignments in their calendar/planner/assignment sheet
   
• Routinely ask table partners or groups seated together to check each other that everything is accurately recorded on calendars
   
• Assign “study buddies” so students can help each other.  These partners can be responsible for checking each other to make sure assignments are recorded on calendars; and when absent, to have the buddy collect all handouts, notices, and assignments.  Buddies exchange phone numbers to call each other when the other is absent and communicate about what was missed that day in class
   
• Be sure to select a well-organized, tolerant, and helpful partner/study buddy for your ADHD student
   
• Keep a master monthly calendar posted in the classroom, containing all the activities and assignments given
   
• If using a daily agenda or assignment sheet, also provide students with a single or double-page monthly calendar.  Have students transfer due dates of any projects, tests, class trips, or important activities/events onto their monthly calendar
   
• Have students keep the monthly calendar clearly visible and easy to locate in the notebook.  In addition, a class calendar should be posted and referred to

Schedules:

• Establish a daily routine and schedule for the classroom
   

• Post all schedules and refer to them throughout the day
   

• Walk through the schedule each day and point out any changes in the daily/weekly schedule or routine that will be taking place
   

• With younger students, use a pictorial schedule depicting the daily routine
   

• For students receiving special education/related services, write down their weekly schedule and tape it to their desks.  Keep accessible each of your students’ special schedules so that you know at all times the days and times they are pulled out of class, or when service providers are coming to the classroom to work with the student
   

• Encourage students and parents to carefully plan a weekly schedule, including an established homework/study schedule.  Ask parents to first help their son or daughter become aware of how much time he/she spends in a typical day on all activities from school dismissal until bedtime

Long-Term Projects:

•  Structure any long-term assignments (e.g., book reports, research projects, science fair projects) by breaking them into smaller, manageable increments
   
• Make sure students have access to needed materials
   
• Assign incremental due dates to help structure the timeline towards project completion.  For example, assign separate due dates for stages of the project (getting a topic approved, outline submitted, research notes/resources listed, turning in first draft, etc.)
   
• Call close attention to due dates.  Post those due dates and frequently refer to them as reminders
   
• Call some parents to make sure they are aware of the projects, and have at least one copy of the handout explaining project guidelines, with its timeline and scoring rubric to keep posted at home
   
• Suggest to parents that they closely monitor timelines and help with pacing (e.g., get started promptly on going to the library and gathering resources)
   
• Monitor progress by asking to see what the student has accomplished so far, and provide a lot of feedback along the way
   
• Consider providing some of your ADHD students and their parents advanced notice about upcoming projects and reports, enabling them to have a “head start” (especially with planning and research)

Other Ways Teachers Can Help with Time Management:

• Provide students with a course outline or syllabus
   
• Assist with prioritization of activities and workload
   
• Teach students how to tell time and read a non-digital clock
   
• Teach students how to read calendars & schedules
   
• Make sure that ALL assignments, page numbers, due dates, etc. are presented to students both verbally and visually
   
• Post all assignments in a consistent place in the room (e.g., corner of the board, separate assignment board)
   
• Utilize “things to do” lists, modeling for the class and teaching how to write down and cross off accomplished tasks
   
• Attach a “things to do” list on students’ desk, and monitor the practice of crossing off accomplished items
   
• Provide enough time during transitions to put material away and get organized for the next activity
   
• Set timers for transitions.  (First state:  "You have 5 minutes to finish what you are working on and putting away your materials.”  Then set the timer.)
   
• Teach students how to self monitor on-task behavior so that they are using class time effectively for getting work done
   
• Include “seated by beginning bell time,” or some behavior, indicating student’s punctuality on any home/school monitoring system (e.g., daily report card or daily/weekly monitoring form)
   
• If tardiness is an issue with the student, try an individual contract to motivate the student to improve behavior
   
• Provide extended time as needed, and consider more flexibility with regard to accepting late work
   
• Encourage your school to establish a schoolwide expectation and organization/study skills program for consistency
   
• Use frequent praise and positive reinforcement.  Reward for meeting deadlines, finishing in-school assignments, etc.
   
• Encourage students' taking medication at school to have a beeper watch set for the time they need to go to the nurse's office
   
• Allow for bypass strategies when writing speed is a problem

 

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