No matter what their age, students often struggle with long-term assignments, even when those assignments are grade-appropriate. It's important for teachers to remember that most students are not born with good time management skills. Like so many other skills, time management must be taught.
One great way to teach time management is by introducing the "installment plan." Break large projects into smaller pieces or steps, and set deadlines for each "chunk" of work. That way, no student will leave everything for the last minute. Monitor students' progress: collect, evaluate, and return the assignments so that the students can continue to develop their projects until they are complete.
The "installment plan" is a great way to catch would-be procrastinators before they fall through the cracks.
Article by Cara Bafile
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