Learning activity 1 – Workload and time management
How much work will there be? How will I keep up with it all? Who can help?
The highly structured nature of many schools contributes to students remaining (generally!) focused on the task at hand while at school. That is, they have teachers and classmates available to remind them of the classroom activity, provide academic instruction and peer feedback, and schools generally have the resources available that students require. After school hours, however, students return to a variety of home environments that have different ways of operating, and where students need to manage their own time for completing homework. Students’ home environments will also vary in the number of people available who can assist students with any challenges, and will vary in the resources available.
The purpose of this activity is to prepare students and their ‘support crew’ (family at home) to be aware of the student workload, particularly related to managing homework and other activities outside of school hours. Students and family members can also prepare to have strategies in place to access any resources they may not have in the home environment. This activity is suitable for both Year 6 and Year 7, and may be applicable across other year levels.
Research and support materials
Take the time to look through the following research excerpts and support materials to prepare for these sessions with students.
- Help with homework – NSW Department of Education
- How Parents Can Support Homework Completion in High School (PDF, 356KB) (Dawson, 2010)
- It is also useful to have the homework policy from your own school (primary or secondary), as well as from potential destination secondary schools (if you are in a primary classroom). These are often available via school websites, but if not, you may need to get in touch with your secondary school contacts.
Reflect
Reflect on the information provided in the materials above.
- How does your school currently communicate homework expectations?
- Is there anything in the materials that could be used to complement what your school already does?
- How can these homework concepts be discussed with students?
Classroom activity – Managing my time – complements and extends these concepts for activities with your class. The activity helps students to think about their school commitments as well as their own personal commitments, and to consider ways these will fit into their own personal timetables.
Parent resource – Managing schoolwork expectations – This is information for parents and carers that includes descriptions of the extension activities that might be sent home to parents and carers. The information and activities follow up on classroom conversations about managing time and extracurricular activities.