9 Ways to Model Organization
Posted In Teaching On July 28, 2023
Organization is a critical executive function skill that empowers students to effectively develop and use systems to manage materials and information. When educators model organization in their daily routines, they demonstrate the practical benefits of staying prepared and organized. Students who struggle with organization often misplace their belongings, arrive unprepared, or spend valuable time searching for what they need. These challenges can interfere with their ability to focus on learning and completing tasks effectively.
By making a deliberate effort to model organization, you can equip students with the tools and mindset they need to incorporate these skills into their own routines. Demonstrating how you organize materials, prioritize tasks, and track ideas not only provides clear examples but also inspires students to adopt similar strategies. Here are 9 simple and effective ways to model organization for your students and help them build this essential skill for success.
Model Organization of Your Workspace and Explain Your Process
- Demonstrate how setting up a tidy, functional workspace helps you work more efficiently. Show students the steps you take to declutter, categorize materials, and ensure everything you need is within reach.
Assign “Homes” to Items
- Explain how giving every item a specific place to live makes it easier to find what you need when you need it. For example, show how you store frequently used supplies and label them for quick access.
Annotate to Organize Ideas While Reading
- Share a book or article you’re reading and walk students through how annotating—highlighting key points, jotting notes, or marking questions—helps you organize and retain ideas.
Organize Concepts While Watching Videos
- When watching a video with your class, verbalize how you take notes to organize the key concepts. Explain your method, whether it’s using bullet points, summarizing ideas, or creating diagrams.
Prioritize Daily Tasks
- Show your students how you prioritize tasks by breaking them down and assigning them a level of importance. Explain why you chose to tackle specific tasks first and how prioritization keeps you on track.
Use Graphic Organizers for Brainstorming
- When brainstorming thoughts on a topic, demonstrate how a graphic organizer (e.g., a mind map or flowchart) can visually structure and arrange ideas. Encourage students to use similar tools for their own work.
Plan for Projects
- With an upcoming project, share how you organize its various components. Walk through your planning process, including dividing the project into smaller tasks, setting deadlines, and gathering resources.
Use a Checklist to Stay Prepared
- Show students how you create a checklist to ensure you have everything you need before starting your day. Explain how this simple tool helps you stay prepared and avoid forgetting important items.
Manage Papers and Digital Files
- Explain your system for keeping track of important papers and digital files. Show how you use folders (physical or digital), labels, and categories to store and retrieve documents efficiently.
By consistently modeling these behaviors, you provide students with concrete examples of how organization supports success. Encourage them to try out these strategies, adapt them to fit their needs, and reflect on how organization can make their learning journey smoother and more productive.
Helping students develop organizational skills is not just about teaching systems—it’s about showing them how these systems can make a real difference in their daily lives. By sharing your practices, you empower them to build habits that will benefit them now and in the future.
Additional Resources
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