Organizational Skills and Homework Strategies Monroe Township Public Schools Department of Pupil Personnel Services Kristine Thielman, MS/CAS NJ Certified School Psychologist; NCSP District School Psychologist Karitssa Fernandez Barry, MEd BCBA Board Certified Behavior Analyst NJ Certified Special Education Teacher District Behavior Specialist
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Organizational Skills and Homework Strategies€¦ · Organizational Skills and Homework Strategies Monroe Township Public Schools Department of Pupil Personnel Services Kristine
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Organizational Skills and Homework Strategies
Monroe Township Public Schools
Department of Pupil Personnel Services
Kristine Thielman, MS/CAS NJ Certified School Psychologist; NCSP
District School Psychologist
Karitssa Fernandez Barry, MEd BCBA Board Certified Behavior Analyst
NJ Certified Special Education Teacher
District Behavior Specialist
TOPICS COVERED TODAY
• Promoting Organizational Skills
• Where is our starting point?
• Understanding Antecedents
• Managing the Environment
• “Toolkit” strategies
• Incentives
• Contracts and Reward Systems
Organizational Skills
• How does organization and routines help YOU?
-food shopping lists
-personal calendars
-post-its
-phone apps
How can I help my child?
• What are the benefits to organization?
• Helps reduce academic stress /anxiety
• Time saver: more time for preferred activities
• Structure of “down time” decreases opportunities for inappropriate behaviors
• What would your child like to improve through organization? What would you like to improve for your child through organization?
• More free time
• Better grades
• Increased independence
Organizational Skills
• To be organized requires:
• Time
• Effort
• Sustained Attention
Organization leads to -> control
Step 1: Becoming Organized
• Be Positive!
• Build on what your child is already doing RIGHT. • Can they follow a visual schedule?
• Can they create their own list?
• Do they bring home all of their necessary materials?
• Can they locate supplies within the home?
How do Antecedents affect organization and homework?
A •Antecedent
B •Behavior
C •Consequence
ABC’s of behavior
• Antecedent: What is happening BEFORE the behavior occurs?
• What is the trigger?
• Behavior: What behavior is occurring as a result?
• Consequence: What happens AFTER the behavior?
• What is the outcome?
Antecedents to Consider
• Time of day
• Environmental Factors
• The 5 senses
• People present
• Physical symptoms
• Hungry, thirsty, fatigued
A • Antecedent
• Child is hungry/Child sees neighborhood friends playing outside
B • Behavior
• Verbal complaints
C
• Consequence
• Time is wasted addressing the verbal complaints
• Delay in tasks being completed
• Emotional effort from child and parent
Goal: complete 3 tasks upon arrival
from school before dinner time
Step 2: Addressing the Antecedents
• Know the “why”
• Establish a contingency plan
• Communicate the plan with your child
• “first… then….”
• Be proactive for the future
CONTROLING the ENVIRONMENT BE PREDICTABLE
• Plan your schedule each day and stick to it
• Consider your evening and work around:
• After-school activities
• Snack-time
• Dinner time
• Bedtime
• Preferred activities (playtime, favorite TV show, etc.)
• Your OWN schedule!
Organizing the Space • A place for everything
• Accordion folders or binders with tabs to separate subjects
• Designate a “to be filed” space
• If there is not a place for a certain paper- make one!
• Leisure activities in labeled locations
• Organization is a habit
• Organization should be one of your child’s daily tasks
• Put away all papers daily
• Get rid of unnecessary papers weekly
• Model organization in your home
• Family calendar
School Materials in One Area
Leisure Activities Organized by Bins
Organizing the Space
• Chose a ‘work spot’ with few distractions
• Away from TV, phone, electronics, or siblings
• Take a picture of what an organized area looks like
• Have your child compare his/her work area with the picture (consider using a rating scale critique)
• Focus on one area at a time to organize
• Bedroom vs. backpack vs. homework space/leisure area
• Get one system up and running first
Step 3: Identify the Strategies to Improve Your Child’s Behavior
Your child’s ‘to do’ list should be displayed near the area that work is completed (i.e. on fridge if homework is done in kitchen).
Some options:
• White Boards
• Chalk Boards
• Cork boards
• Child’s personal calendar
• Velcro-boards
Benefits of Lists
(1) Helps to organize and prioritize a series of short tasks (ex. homework assignments) EXAMPLE: 1. finish math worksheet 2. study spelling words 3. Read chapter 3
(2) Helps to break-down a large task into more manageable steps (ex. cleaning your room) EXAMPLE: 1. put away clothes 2. make bed 3. vacuum rug…
Whiteboard Examples
Chalkboard examples
Cork Board examples
Calendar Examples
Other Examples of Checklists
Checklists (continued)
• Checklists, calendars, and schedules are effective in establishing expectations
• Your child will get a sense of accomplishment from crossing items off his or her list
• Help prioritize tasks to suit your child’s preferences and needs
Promoting Organization
• Assign chores that involve sorting or categorizing
Goals 1: Independently take out my homework as soon as I get home
Remove homework my from backpack and put it on the desk by myself
Decide if I want to use my ‘scribe post-it’ and tell mom or dad *With up to 2 reminders 2: Complete my homework to the best of my ability
My finished work looks like the examples in my ‘best work’ folder *With up to 2 reminders
3: Ask for help if I need it
Listen and do my best to complete the work on my own By completing each goal, I will earn points towards a reward. If I am able to complete my goals without reminders, I can earn extra points.
Goals Points
1. Took out my homework after-school
With 2 reminders: 2 points
With 1 reminder: 3 points
With 0 reminders: 5 points
2. Completed my work to the best of my ability
Completed all assignments with 2 reminders to do my best: 4 points
Completed all assignments with 1 reminder to do my best: 6 points
Completed all assignments with NO reminders to do my best: 10 points
Did not use scribe option for writing task: 2 BONUS points
3. Ask for help when I need it
Listened and completed the assignment with help: 4 points
Listened and completed the assignment independently: 6 points
Complete all my work well without asking for help: 10 points