Are you looking for strategies to help students who have trouble completing assignments independently? If so, keep reading.
1. Create classroom rules: • Remain on-task. • Complete assignments quietly. • Request assistance when needed. • Remain in your seat. • Finish tasks. • Meet task expectations. Examine rules often. Praise students for following the rules.
2. Establish time limits for finishing tasks.
3. Praise the student for performing tasks independently.
4. Get the student to prioritize tasks by importance (e.g., task A must be done today, task B can be done today, and task C can wait until tomorrow).
5. Organize their surroundings to enable task conclusion (i.e., make sure the student’s tasks are on their capacity and ability level, be sure that instructions are clear, and keep frequent interactions with the student to enable success).
6. Urge parents to set aside and enforce a consistent period at home for the student to finish homework. All family members should work on tasks (e.g., correspondence, balancing accounts, reading, etc.) during this time.
7. Give the student structure for all academic learning activities (e.g., specific instructions, routine (schedule) format for tasks, time limits, etc.).
8. Praise the student for beginning, working on, and finishing tasks.
9. Make sure that directions, explanations, and instructions are delivered on the student’s capacity and ability level.
10. Assess the appropriateness of giving the student tasks that require copying if the student’s capacity and ability level make it impossible for him/ her to finish the task.
11. Let the student have additional time to finish tasks when working independently.
12. Give the student a selection of tasks and require them to select a minimum number of tasks to perform independently (e.g., present the student with 10 academic tasks from which 6 must be finished that day).
13. Explain your expectations to the student for the successful conclusion of tasks.
14. Give a written list of instructions for a long-term task.
15. Plan leisure activities at the end of the day. Make participation in these learning activities dependent upon the conclusion of tasks.
16. Connect with the student’s parents to disseminate information about their child’s progress. The parents may reinforce the student at home for finishing tasks independently.
17. Assess the degree of task difficulty concerning the student’s capacity and ability to perform the task.
18. Be firm, fair, and consistent, expecting the student to finish tasks. Do not let the student fail to finish designated tasks one time and expect tasks to be finished the next time.
19. Praise those students in the classroom who finish tasks independently.
20. Urge the student to follow a less desirable task with a more desirable task. Make the conclusion of the first appropriate to perform the second.
21. Consider using an education app to help the student sharpen their organizational skills. Click here to view a list of apps that we recommend.
