Is your student constantly missing assignments? Are they constantly surprised by quizzes they didn't even know were coming? We know all about it!
With all these new homework apps and portals available nowadays, students have to look in five different places to find all their homework. I'm not even exagerating. This was the situation for one of my former student:
• his math teacher put the homework one the board in class
• his french teacher provided handouts
• his bio teacher put the homework on a personal website
• his english teacher kept all assignments in a Google Classroom
• his history teacher assigned homework through the school portal
This student had to check five different places to find all his homework. Five! No wonder he was missing assignments!
Our solution is simple: keep it all in one place!
Whether your student prefers to use an old-school planner, a planner app on their phone, or my personal favorite, a large white board above their desk, encourage them keep everything in one place! Every day, before your student starts studying, have them write down all the upcoming homework for each class in one place. Make sure they include upcoming quizzes, tests, and due dates!
At first you can support your student by doing this with them; going through every class and finding the homework together. It can be tedious, but with students struggling with organization, it's important to get everything down.
Once everything is all in one place, your student can easily determine what to work on and what to expect in the upcoming days. This will also help you check in with them, make sure they are on track and staying focused.
Good luck!