Need to Know Activities Guide

Session 07

 

This session has extra time for discussion and addressing students’ questions. You can also use it to catch up on activities from previous sessions.

 

For every activity, the focus of discussions should be on how students will apply that information or those skills to their experience in college.

 

Note to facilitators: In each session, the timing of the activities is less than the 2 ½ hours of the session. This allows for time for transitions between activities, a short break, and time to just talk to students about your experiences, along with their questions and expectations. You may find that some activities take more or less time depending on the group, so be aware of timing and make adjustments as needed. Early sessions have more activities. If you don’t think you will have enough time, use discretion and choose the ones that best meet the needs of your group. Make sure to read over ALL session guides before starting the workshop to get an overview and to plan for the best approach. Then re-read each session guide before you meet with students. Make sure to have needed materials. You might be able to carry some activities over to later sessions if you run out of time.

 

01.               Planning and Time Management

 

Timing: 25 minutes

 

Description: Draw a chalk or taped line in the middle of the room and have students stand on it facing in the same direction. Tell them that for statements 1-8, each time a statement is true for them, they should take a step forward. If the statement is false for them, they should stay still. Then read questions 9-16 and instruct students to take a step backwards for every statement that is true for them. After you finish, have the students look around and see how far they are from the starting point. Then have students consider what this shows them about their own time management patterns and answer the questions provided.

 

Objectives:

·       To help students consider and assess their time management patterns

·       To help students understand how they control their time management

·       To help students consider ways they can improve time management

 

Materials: writing utensils, chalk or tape to make line

 

 

 

 


X  X  X  X  X  X  X  X  X

 

 

 

Notes:

 

 

02.               Start Planning

 

Timing: 20 minutes

 

Description: The idea is to have students think about planning due dates from multiple classes, along with their regular responsibilities. Each student should schedule in his or her real-life commitments first. Then have them add in due dates for Week 5 from the syllabi in this activity and from Activity 06. Make sure they plan for what will need to be prepared for Week 6, too, since they will have to start working on that during Week 5. Then have students convert the weekly schedule into To-Do lists.

 

Objectives:

·       To help students learn to plan effectively

·       To help students consider commitments from multiple sources and how to balance them

·       To help students develop a system for planning so they don’t feel overwhelmed

·       To help students develop To-Do lists to manage multiple tasks without feeling overwhelmed

 

Materials: writing utensils, syllabi

 

Notes: Talk about juggling multiple commitments and how it can be done with a system. Emphasize that students need to find a system that works best for individual needs.

 

 

03.               Calendar and Scheduling Apps

 

Timing: 15 minutes

 

Description: If this was assigned at the previous session, students can come in and report on the apps they investigated, and everyone can take notes in the chart to help decide which app suits their needs. Otherwise, have students take a few minutes to look over apps and try them out if they want—or they can just use the reviews of the apps. Have them fill out the chart and decide if any of the apps will help them manage their schedules more effectively.

 

Objectives:

·       To help students find the best apps to suit their time management needs

·       To help students develop skills to research and find the best apps for their purposes

 

Materials: writing utensils, smartphone with app store

 

Notes: it’s a good idea to have a list of apps that students sign up to review. Here are some, but the list will change as new apps are developed and others are eliminated. Make sure to tell the students that they shouldn’t incur costs to do this activity https://www.topuniversities.com/blog/best-time-management-apps-students

 

 

04.               Typical Day for a College Student

 

Timing: 15 minutes

 

Description: Students often have distorted ideas of how college students spend their time. This is an opportunity to compare expectations with reality. As a whole group, come up with a list of different things college students are likely to spend their time on. Then have students work individually to determine what proportion of the day college students spend on each. OR have students work individually to come up with lists of what they think college students spend their time on and determine what proportion of the day college students spend on each. Compare the students’ charts to the one from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (link below).

 

Objectives:

·       To help students develop realistic expectations for college life

·       To helps students consider how they want to spend their own time

·       To help students gain tools for researching practical issues

 

Materials: colored pencils or markers, writing utensils, BLS chart (link below), laptop and projector for displaying chart—or print copies or poster

 

Notes: https://www.bls.gov/tus/charts/students.htm

 

 

05.               Procrastinator’s Delight

 

Timing: 15 minutes

 

Description: Show the scene from Spongebob Squarepants (links below—choose one based on preference and time availability). Discuss why people procrastinate and what they do to put off unwanted tasks. Have students come up with their own lists of what they do and then consider how they can counteract their tendencies.

 

Objectives:

·       To help students understand that everyone procrastinates and they shouldn’t feel bad about it—but they should find solutions

·       To have students consider their own behavior and what they want to change

·       To help students uncover reasons for procrastination so they can better deal with situations

 

Materials: writing utensils, laptop and projector OR smartphone, tablets, or laptops for students to watch video individually

 

 

Notes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2y6i8KAuBaM Procrastination 2 ½ minutes

               https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlfMe0Fz5aM Deleted scene 1 ½  minutes

The section on procrastination in Session 7 discusses why some people procrastinate. Have students consider their own reasons.

 

06.               Online Class Time Management (possibly move to 03 and change instructions if needed)

 

Timing: 20 minutes

 

Description: Have students work individually to plan out their weekly assignments for the course. The more specific they can be about WHEN they will do the work, the more likely they are to keep on track. You can have them do the entire class, or just pick a few weeks—especially if you want to save on printing out a planner a day for each student. They have already done Week 5 for Activity 02.

 

Objectives:

·       To help students get an overview of a typical college class schedule

·       To help students understand how to plan for getting their work done

·       To show students that planning and breaking up workloads can keep them from feeling stressed and overwhelmed

 

Materials: writing utensils

Weekly planner printouts

 

Notes: While students won’t plan for a whole class at once, it’s a good idea to let them know they should look through the entire schedule when the class begins so they can get an idea of the workload and an overview of patterns of assignments.

 

 

 

07.               Wrap Up: Gist and List

 

Timing: 5 minutes

 

Description: Students should be able to summarize what they learned in the session under the “Gist” column. Then they can pick out specific points that are important and list them under the “List” column.

 

Objectives:

·       To help students digest and think about material

·       To serve as a memory aid

 

Materials: writing utensils

 

Notes: This is an opportunity for students to process the information they learned and put it in their own words. This will facilitate learning and let students control their use of information. If you run out of time, this can be assigned as homework—it should only take a few minutes and will serve as a reminder for students of what they learned before moving to the next session.