In recent years, I have noticed that many of the students who come to us are weaker academically and lacking in organizational skills. I am convinced that if they can improve their organizational skills, then a significant part of their problem is addressed ... but how do you teach organizational skills? What better way than to model it!
So, in order to help them cope better, I have created a website for them. In fact, this is the second time I have done this, improving on the product of my first attempt. Please click Mathematics of Data Management to visit this website. This website is work in progress and is updated along with the progress of the course material. It helps the students look at the whole picture more clearly. For instance, since accurate homework completion is important for success in mathematics (Cooper, 1989), I have a 'Homework' page where the list of homework items are compiled. This assists my students to have a check list at hand, which I think helps them keep track on their work. The 'Word Wall' page functions as a reminder to the students of all the terms/concepts they need to know for each unit of study. For some of the more challenging concepts, I added either extra examples, links to other reading materials or videos to help students understand the concept better. Besides, some of the online work that they submitted are also attached. Students have told me that it really helps them do their revision more effectively. In the 'Projects' page, all the documents that they need to do the project are also attached for easy access. Students can also do their reflection of one of their projects online, using the link provided. I sincerely hope that this initiative has given them an inkling of how they should organize and compartmentalize their work.
So, in order to help them cope better, I have created a website for them. In fact, this is the second time I have done this, improving on the product of my first attempt. Please click Mathematics of Data Management to visit this website. This website is work in progress and is updated along with the progress of the course material. It helps the students look at the whole picture more clearly. For instance, since accurate homework completion is important for success in mathematics (Cooper, 1989), I have a 'Homework' page where the list of homework items are compiled. This assists my students to have a check list at hand, which I think helps them keep track on their work. The 'Word Wall' page functions as a reminder to the students of all the terms/concepts they need to know for each unit of study. For some of the more challenging concepts, I added either extra examples, links to other reading materials or videos to help students understand the concept better. Besides, some of the online work that they submitted are also attached. Students have told me that it really helps them do their revision more effectively. In the 'Projects' page, all the documents that they need to do the project are also attached for easy access. Students can also do their reflection of one of their projects online, using the link provided. I sincerely hope that this initiative has given them an inkling of how they should organize and compartmentalize their work.
While at it, I have also given them a 'lecture' about the importance of a positive attitude. Research shows that specific strategies for school success too have great influence on students' academic success. Attendance (Faro-Schroeder, 1995), taking notes (Eades & Moore, 2007) and students' ability to ask questions effectively (Chin, Brown & Bruce, 2002) are proven to be key factors to students' success.
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