Looking for some tips on helping your disorganized students get organized? If so, keep reading.
- Inform the student at the end of the class period of learning materials required for specific learning activities the next day (e.g., note sent home, oral reminder, etc.).
- Give the student a schedule of daily activities so that they know what and how much there is to do in a day.
- Designate shorter tasks for the student. As the student shows success in organizing academic learning activities, slowly increase the length of tasks over time.
- Support the student in beginning each task to lessen impulsive behavior.
- Give the student a checklist (e.g., routine or schedule learning activities, learning materials needed, and steps to follow).
- Give the student stated criteria for acceptable work (e.g., neatness, etc.).
- Praise those students in the classroom who are prepared/organized for specific learning activities.
- Give the student more workspace (e.g., a bigger desk or table at which to work).
- Give the student only those learning materials they need to finish a task (e.g., pencil, paper, dictionary, handwriting sample, etc.). Be sure that the student has only the appropriate learning materials on their desk.
- Limit learning materials that need to be kept inside the student’s desk.
- Give the student the structure for all academic learning activities (e.g., specific instructions, routine/schedule format for tasks, time units, etc.).
- Get the student to keep a task notebook that indicates those learning materials needed for each class.
- Give time at several points throughout the day for the student to organize their learning materials (e.g., before school, beginning of the class period, break time, recess, lunch, end of the day, etc.).
- Make sure that the student is not accidentally reinforced for losing learning materials. Give the student used learning materials, copies of the learning materials, etc., rather than new learning materials if they fail to care for the learning materials suitably.
- Establish a time each week for the student to organize their locker.
- Converse with the student to explain (a) what they are doing wrong (e.g., failing to bring appropriate learning materials for specific learning activities ) and (b) what they should be doing (e.g., having appropriate learning materials for specific learning activities ).
- Require that tasks done incorrectly, for any reason, be redone.
- Get the student to create monthly calendars to keep track of essential activities, due dates, tasks, etc.
- Observe the student while they are doing schoolwork to monitor quality.
- Give storage space for learning materials the student is not using.
- Consider using an education app to help the student sharpen their organizational skills. Click here to view a list of apps that we recommend.
