Organization is often a teacher’s best friend, as there always seems to be so much to take care of on a given day. If you’re a new teacher, or if you just want to find better organizational strategies for your classroom and lesson plans, there are several tools you can use that will make the process easier.
You might start by thinking about which areas you’d like to tackle first. If you’re responsible for a large number of students, finding an easy way to keep track of their progress might be a priority. You can also consider how to get your lesson planning strategy in order every week and how to ensure that your students are able to make the most of your classroom.
Here are a few simple tips from Ducks in a Row on how to get organized as a teacher.
Make Tracking Your Student’s Progress Easy
Whether you’re teaching 30 students or 3, it’s crucial to make sure you’re able to track their progress in a way that’s streamlined and neat. Not only is this helpful for you, it prevents mistakes that could reflect badly on the student. Consider using a tool like an Excel spreadsheet to keep up with each students’ grades and your notes. Need to add in a test or worksheet? Not to worry, because you can insert a PDF into the file and keep everything cohesive and easy to find using a PDF merge tool.
Keep Your Lesson Plans in Order
As you track your students’ progress, it’s a good idea to compare grades and other milestones to your lesson plans. This will help you see what’s working and what isn’t so you can easily make adjustments, and you’ll need to have your plans well organized for that. Whether you keep physical copies in a binder or create digital files for every plan group, having them neat and easy to access will give you peace of mind and will prevent stress when you need to quickly find or alter something. You can utilize cloud storage, which provides all the space you need and is accessible from anywhere.
Most teachers understand that the grade you begin teaching is not always the grade you end up teaching year after year. If you’re finding creating and organizing your lesson plans challenging because you’re teaching subjects that were not your degree focus, consider going back to school. This may help you to feel more in control of the subject matter and, thus, your lessons. There are great online degree programs that you can complete on your own schedule, too.
Utilize Helpful Storage for Your Classroom
Whether you’re an established educator or are just starting your teaching career, your organization tactics should extend to your classroom. Not only will this help you make the room engaging for your students, but it will also allow you to keep things neat and decluttered. Teach Starter says you should utilize clever storage elements that will help to break up the room into sections; this is especially helpful for elementary-level classrooms because it provides stations for the kids to visit in small groups.
Don’t be afraid to get creative! There are tons of great ideas online for classroom designs. But if you feel overwhelmed and are not sure how to get started, contact Ducks in a Row. They can work with you to create an organization strategy for your classroom that makes sense and that you can maintain year after year.
Use Some Tech
Keeping your classroom organized is important for both you and your students when it comes to managing daily activities and responsibilities, but you can also utilize some tech tools to stay on top of everything. Digital communication platforms and calendar apps are just a couple of the most popular resources used by teachers in the classroom these days, but now you can even use a tool that allows you to track the conversation during a lesson so you can see who was participating afterward.
Use Some Tech
As a teacher, you have enough on your plate. Keep everything organized and reduce stress by utilizing the right resources to help you stay on track. You may even decide that going back to school will help you gain confidence and organization that you need to be an even more amazing teacher. With a few best practices, you can ensure that your class is always ready to learn and that you have it all under control.
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