Submitted by: Heath Stewart
Lesson Title: Time Management

Goals/Objectives:

Student Preparation:
Students should read Chapters 4 and 8 in The Elements of Learning, ""Pleasure" and "Self-Discipline"," as well as pages 58-61 in Transitions. In doing so, students will become familiar with phrases such as delayed gratification and goal-setting. It will also allow them to begin thinking about possible distractions around them and what they want to achieve while in college.

This lesson should be taught towards the beginning of the semester so as to set a balanced pattern in uses of leisure and study time as well as to provide a regular schedule for eating and engaging in other activities.

Materials/Resources:

Outline of Lesson:
The instructor and/or peer leader will give out the handout entitled "Time Management" and begin by reading the objective. After reading the objective the instructor/peer leader will then ask the students if they have encountered any problems so far with managing their time. Allowing time for discussion, the instructor/peer leader will then explain the scenarios and split the class into four groups so that they may discuss their given scenario and the problems, solutions, and ways to avoid such a situation. Give the students ten to fifteen minutes to come up with a plan of action.

After small group discussions, the class will come back together in order to share their solutions and discuss further situations and/or problems with time management. Following discussion, the class will then outline distractions and interests that interfere with study time and then move into ways of avoiding procrastination.

Goal setting and discussion of the concept of delayed gratification along with the instructor/peer leader sharing their personal experiences in time management.

Assessment/Outcome:
The small group to large group form at will facilitate discussion and sharing of possible scenarios and personal experiences of students and instructors. As a result, the students will learn from each other and the instructors as to how to manage and balance their time between school, pleasure, and other college activities. This will allow the students to feel comfortable with how and what they do personally and enable them to be successful in their college careers.

The lesson is designed to be an open forum in which both discussion and interaction play a big part. It also allows students to become more familiar with each other and to learn the importance of being effective in getting assignments done in advance and in on time.

Time Management

Objective:
Teach students the importance of getting things in on time and budgeting their free and study times to be successful in their first year at Carolina.

Time management is an essential part to college and to figure out how and what to do to get things done when they need to be done. Often it is difficult to juggle school work and outside interests and you find yourself cramming everything into an hour or so of free time before class or late at night. I hope to share with you my experiences in balancing school work and other commitments, while remaining sane.

Scenario 1: On the first day of class your professor gave you a syllabus that outlined everything expected of you and listed all of your assignments for the semester. You have a paper due two weeks into class. Do you start on it now or do you do it the night before? Why?

Scenario 2: You want to go and see the newest movie that has just come out. It is Monday and you have a presentation to do for your University 101 class. Everyone is planning on going to see the 9 o’clock show and you have not started on it or even thought about what you are going to do. What do you do?

Scenario 3: You have a huge midterm on Monday and there is a party on Friday night, the game on Saturday, and you have to go home to wash clothes on Sunday. How is the best way to manage your time so that you feel confident about passing the test?

Scenario 4: The Sopranos are on and you have to watch it. You never miss an episode, but you have three chapters to read for tomorrow. You did not have time before now to get it done and you only have twenty minutes before the show starts. What do you do?

All of these situations can, and often do, occur. Every college student faces the same problems of procrastination, distractions, and other interests that get in the way of doing your work. The best way to avoid these problems is to plan ahead, write things down in your planner, and get things done in an organized, timely fashion so that you can do the things you want to do and get your work done on time. It is essential that you find time to experience college life and get the most out of your classes so that you do not go to class unprepared.

Before you watch TV, get online, take a nap, or do anything that might hinder your studies or interfere with your to do list, think about what the consequences might be. Think about if it will help or hurt you to play instead of study.

Here are some things that may help you figure out a plan of action in managing your time: