free homework planner template

free homework planner template

The Importance of Using a Homework Planner

1. Introduction

One of the most difficult aspects of college is essentially the whole issue of planning. It all starts with the college student’s schedule. Trying to visualize it can be a real pain when there may be few or no times when the student doesn’t have something to do. However, the real hard part is that of coordinating with the college courses, the majority of which have several assignments that need to be done. If the student hasn’t tried to keep the schedule straight, there may be important projects that the student doesn’t remember should be completed. Using a good homework planner can help eliminate the confusion and lighten the burden.

Homework can be particularly frustrating because it takes place at home, outside of the teacher’s direct sphere of influence. Getting students to complete those assignments can be difficult enough, but what can make the job even tougher is when students don’t even know what those homework assignments are. It is quizzes, papers, and projects. Learning happens in so many students’ college or AP classes, it can be tough to stay on top of all of them. Luckily, using a homework planner can make life much simpler. In fact, using homework planners can lead to a decreased level of anxiety, more free time, and better grades.

2. Benefits of Using a Homework Planner

Educators need to increase their knowledge so that they can teach and promote the use of a homework planner that offers the best possible opportunities of success. But, to our knowledge, subject-specific studies of homework planners as pedagogical tools in the framework of the educational system still remain to be published. Thus, one of the objectives of this research is to propose a homework planner facilitating an effective management of homework for high school students while promoting the necessary educational competences. To obtain this, we did not evaluate the positive or negative impacts of providing a set of homework planner tools to the students. We implemented a mixed sample study to analyze the effect of each category of activity on each set of data. Our first objective is the production of a tool which is both effective in helping students accomplish their work to the best of their abilities, and able to develop or consolidate educational competences. For as long a time as possible in high school, adolescents lack the knowledge and expertise that will enable them to accomplish their vital task, as emphasized constantly within a variety of theory-related areas.

A homework planner can be a useful tool for a student, as it provides a much-needed overview of the work to be done. This can prove very beneficial for a student who is still trying to find his or her way in the labyrinth of high school and all its subjects. There are numerous forms of homework planners which already exist. These planners offer an assortment of different tools intended to help students: calendars, tables, daily planners or task lists, to name but a few. Although these planners can be very beneficial, the student who uses them can encounter certain difficulties, particularly in terms of organization, that result from his or her insufficient experience. The use of such tools, usually starting from a relatively high grade, may not provide enough time to the adolescent and his or her education of organization, which calls on specific competences. But a planner that is more complex, such as that of Zimmerman (2005), could prove as beneficial to a student simply on how it narrows down its utilisation domain, and the subsidiary competences which are called upon.

3. How to Use a Homework Planner Effectively

Some of you may be wondering why I use the Pilot brand instead of cheaper alternatives. The Pilot pens are smooth on paper and actually make less of a mess than other pens when it comes to erasing. They can easily slice straight through the paper as well. Wink in the direction of the hole puncher to make the hour-long Creative Writing course you are forced to take a productive one. Sometimes, the ink itself will even pull the paper inward, in the correct spot, thank you very much. Other pens can do this also, but they are rare to find and fragile. The advertising for Pilot pens is no joke. Now you know why the expensive pens are worth it to me. That is the main reason why I believe Pilot pens should be used instead of just any ordinary pen. For the people who are not in college, it is a good idea to just use colored pens or make it up as you go depending on where your education takes you. For those of you who are below the age of twelve, you may just want to use stickers as they are easier to manipulate but skip the pencil if you can. Make it look fun and make it unique to you.

Instead of filling in each line using the color coding, you have a few choices. Some people like to paste a small colored label next to each homework item using colored jewels, foamies, or stickers. Other students find that using colored pens to write the homework is the most effective. I prefer to get colored pens by Pilot, but since they tend to be a bit expensive, I have also used Pura Vida or AmazonBasics to reduce the amount of money spent on more expensive pens. If you are using Pilot pens, you have to be careful when writing over pencil marks and/or using an eraser. Not all Pilot pens are compatible with heavy erasing – some may smear in the process and you don’t want that to happen. The only time I really use pencils is when I am writing down a rough draft essay. When revising my work, I use Pilot pens to make any necessary corrections. Erasing can be a pain, but it is a lot less of a hassle than having to scribble outside of the margins or tearing the paper in the process.

4. Tips for Creating a Personalized Homework Planner

In case you’re busy but still want to make your planner look interesting, you can draw a simple doodle in between your two-week schedules. You can use checklists for comparison. Optimize it for yourself!

You can write reminders, important dates, or when you plan to practice or start an assignment. Although you only want to plan a day or week in advance if you’re afraid of adjusting the further schedules, it’s still nice to get an overview of when your workload is more intense and plan accordingly. You can create a section to rate your understanding of the concepts learned in class and track your study hours. This will tell you what areas you need to focus your studying on and if you’re studying enough. Additionally, you can set goals on a daily basis, e.g. exercises, quizzes, tests, etc. to keep you motivated, along with a reflection when you’ve accomplished it. If you just finished an exam or quiz, you can write reflection notes about what you should’ve done differently, time spent, whether or not the exam was fair, etc. Finally, you can evaluate if you’re on track with your workload and adjust your schedules (if necessary).

If you’ve decided that a homework planner is right for you, you can find ways to customize a planner to help you use it better. It’s hard to find a planner that does everything you need, so why not create one? A bullet journal style planner gives you all the customization you need. Label each page as you go, or number the pages to create a table of contents. Pick different colored pens and use highlighters to make your events and assignments easy to navigate on each page. Add things to your planner as the semester progresses. Don’t wait until you’re in the middle of finals week to start a planner. You should use it when things are slow and you can get into the habit of occasionally jotting down upcoming events. It takes time and habit to use a planner effectively, and ideally, you want to be fluent at utilizing it in your daily activities by the time finals approach. The most basic thing you can do with your homework planner is write down when assignments are due. However, there are many ways to tweak and personalize your planner to make it even more useful.

5. Conclusion

Regarding the results obtained with the sample of students analyzed in the first one and a half academic years, we find that educational practices, such as the implementation of a homework planner supervised by teachers, bring positive outcomes. This serves as a mirror to encourage professionals involved in the processes of teaching and learning to continue improving the quality of educational practice. The homework planner is a fundamental didactic tool that helps achieve a balance between profession and science, working towards the common good. It not only contributes to the creation and improvement of our own profession, but also acts as an active educational agent.

This conclusion is based on the results that reinforce the need for a homework planner at all educational levels. It focuses on time management and indirectly works on the development of study habits that lead students to acquire independence. Objectives were met through theoretical and methodological content and student teaching practice. As a natural research, it will allow the dissemination and comparison of scientific data, favoring the acquisition of knowledge about the importance of the homework planner. This reaffirms the universality of its use not only in Spain, but also in countries of the Mediterranean area and in those of the Hispanic-speaking continent. It is even more important in non-regulated education, a culture that has been influenced by professors for years.