Self-management skills are vital for empowering students to take ownership of their learning and behavior. These skills, which include emotional regulation, goal-setting, and time management, are pivotal for academic success and personal growth.
Research, including that conducted by Berkeley’s Greater Good in Education, demonstrates the strong connection between self-management and academic achievement. For example, students with growth mindsets tend to approach learning with greater persistence and adaptability, empowering them to go further. When students believe their abilities can improve through effort and learning, they are more likely to engage in behaviors that enhance their self-management skills, leading to better outcomes.
Ultimately, teaching self-management is about equipping students with the tools to take charge of their lives, both inside and outside the classroom. By fostering emotional regulation, goal-setting, and time management, you can empower your students to become independent, resilient, and successful learners. The skills listed below help form the foundation for lifelong achievement, making them an invaluable part of any education!
1. Teach Goal-Setting Strategies
Encourage students to set SMART goals—Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. SMART was originally coined in 1981 by George T. Doran, a consultant and former Director of Corporate Planning for Washington Water Power Company. He published a paper titled "There's a S.M.A.R.T. Way to Write Management's Goals and Objectives" that outlined clear ways for their management at the time to set goals and meet objectives within their workplace.
Today, many individuals and institutions utilize the acronym to similarly set goals for themselves or their teams. The SMART principles outlined by Doran can also be used by your students to set attainable goals as they move through middle and high school to help keep them organized and help their confidence.
When helping your students implement SMART goals into their routines, start with small, attainable objectives to help students experience success. For example, guide students in setting a goal to complete their homework by a specific time each day. Encourage students to use visual aids, like goal trackers or journals, to help them monitor progress and reflect on achievements.
Specific - Goals should have a clearly understood desired outcome, such as a sales number or product rollout goal. For your students, this can be a desired grade in a course (an A in history for example), or a targeted number of goals they want to score in their next soccer game.
Measurable - Goals should have an objective way to measure them, such as a deadline, number, or percent change. For example, your students can set a goal to complete an end-of-year project or essay within a 2-month time frame or they can set a goal to hold an 80% or higher grade in their most difficult course (we hear math the most).
Achievable - Goals should be within your students’ capabilities and defined well enough that they can achieve them. For example, a student’s goal to earn an A in their math class cannot be achieved if they’re currently averaging a D and there are only two weeks of school left.
Relevant - Goals should matter to your students and align with broader objectives. For example, if you were looking to focus on financial literacy with your students this semester, suggest to your students to set a goal of saving part of their weekly allowance or learning about banks and opening a savings account.
Time-bound - Goals should have start and end-points, or a collection of timed parameters or milestones. Your students’ time frames could be as simple as by the end of their current semester or school year. For smaller goals, students can also aim to accomplish their goals by the end of their summer or winter break.
Incorporating SMART goals into your classroom starts with your encouragement; however, the beauty of SMART is that it allows students to take charge. Have your students share their goals and plans with each other, pair up to check on each other throughout the semester or year, and share their progress. Or, have students turn in a goal progress report to you directly every other month to help keep them on track.
Having students set goals using the SMART method at the beginning of the semester - if they reach a goal reward them with a small prize such as some extra credit points or have them start focusing on a new goal that they can reach by the end of the semester.
2. Introduce Time-Management Techniques
Time management is a critical component of self-management. A 2015 study found that students who develop and adhere to daily routines with prioritized tasks tend to achieve higher academic standards. Tools like planners, to-do lists, or digital apps can help students organize their day. In addition to keeping track of homework in the assigned areas, many planners and journals come with pages where students can reflect upon their goals and progress. For tech-centric students, they can download free planner apps that will send them reminders to help them stay on top of their milestones.
For younger learners, using visual schedules with breaks incorporated can make time management obtainable and engaging. Modeling effective time management during lessons using the tips below is also a great way to reinforce these skills!
Introduce Tools to Develop Daily Routines
Allocate 5 minutes at the start of the day or lesson for students to write down their goals and tasks in a planner or digital app. Dedicate time each week for students to review what worked and what didn’t in their schedules, encouraging them to refine their approach and reflect upon what tasks they want to prioritize the next week. To make the process more engaging, encourage students to use color-coded to-do lists or sticker systems to make organizing tasks more engaging.
Model Time Management in Your Lessons
Share your lesson plan or daily schedule with students, explaining how you prioritize tasks to stay on track. For example, during lessons, use a visible timer to show how you allocate time for specific activities (10 minutes for group discussion, 15 minutes for individual work). Model reflective practices for students by discussing how you adjust when something doesn’t go as planned (“I didn’t have time for X today, so I’ll shift it to tomorrow and adjust my plan”).
Incorporate Breaks and Flexibility
Introduce short, engaging breaks like stretching or quick games between tasks to reset attention spans. Teach older students to work in focused 25-minute intervals with 5-minute breaks, adapting the timing for younger learners as needed. Have students try this during independent study time and encourage them to try this method at home and use the 5-minute breaks to step away from an assignment and come back with a fresh brain!
3. Practice Emotional Regulation
A study by the National Institute of Health found that emotion regulation was positively associated with teacher reports of children's academic success and productivity in the classroom. Help students recognize and manage their emotions through mindfulness exercises or emotion check-ins. Techniques like deep breathing, journaling, or even a classroom "calm corner" provide students with tools to regulate stress and refocus. Try some of the tips below in your classroom!
Incorporate Mindfulness Exercises
Begin each day or transition period with 2-3 minutes of guided mindfulness. Use prompts like "Close your eyes and notice your breath" or encourage students to use "box breathing" (inhale for 4 counts, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4). For a more entrenched option, introduce mindfulness themes such as gratitude, patience, or kindness, with corresponding exercises such as short weekly yoga sessions and having students share what they are thankful for in their lives each week.
Use Emotion Check-Ins
Create a "Mood Meter" with emojis or descriptive words (happy, anxious, calm) that your students can use to self-identify their emotions upon entering the classroom. Additionally, provide short, open-ended prompts like "How are you feeling today, and why?" or "What is one thing that made you smile this morning?" to help students further reflect upon their feelings and experiences.
Teach Students to Identify Triggers
Have students create a visual chart where they note situations that lead to specific emotions (for example, feeling frustrated when interrupted or disappointed when they get a lower grade than they wanted on an assignment). To help students visualize, have them act out common scenarios to help them practice recognizing and managing their responses (for example, what to do when feeling left out in their friend group).
Encourage Positive Self-Talk
Share examples of how you use positive self-talk (e.g., "I can handle this; I just need to take it one step at a time"). In addition, work with your students to create personalized affirmations and display them around the classroom. Examples can include: "I am capable of learning from my mistakes," or "I can stay calm and try again."
By integrating these practices into your daily classroom routine, you can foster a supportive environment where students feel safe to express and manage their emotions.
When students learn to set goals, manage their time, regulate emotions, and reflect on their actions, they gain the tools to navigate challenges and succeed in diverse settings. Utilizing resources such as Nucleus’ SEL course, you can improve students’ performance in class and give them the tools they need to better function outside of the classroom!
Nucleus offers fun, activity-based courses, teaching real-life skills like Entrepreneurship, Financial Literacy, and Robotics & Coding. Nucleus courses, workshops, and tools are engagement-optimized and have more than 50,000 5-Star Reviews. To see Nucleus courses in action, click here.
Komentar