(Philosophy Link: Being organized and engaging as an instructor translates to better learning for students)
Perhaps one of the most important items of the teaching profession that I have come to know is the importance of organization. Having a prepared and organized lesson can speak wonders for the learning that takes place in a classroom. Furthermore, this applies to the teacher as well as the students in the sense that instructing your students the morals of being organized will create better learning environments further down the road. For example, during a lit circle unit that I did with my students I presented the class with a final comprehension project along with a checklist that they had to complete in order to fulfill the assignment. The checklist allowed students to visually see what needed to be done as well as what steps they should start with to begin their work. A link to a sample of the checklist is provided.
Comprehension Booklet Checklist
Providing a visual record of students’ progress in terms of complete work is essential. In my classroom there was a chart of all completed and handed in assignments that was kept on the wall so that students could check what work had yet to be turned in. This helped the students self manage and monitor their work that they had and had not yet completed. Checking the chart became a regular occurrence when students felt that they had nothing to do. The chart also helped the students stay on task and aided them in the ability to identify missing assignments that needed to be completed.