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Organized Desk Space

Tags

Study Skills & Tools Social-Emotional Learning All Ages Strategy

Skills

Self-regulation Organization Working Memory Attention

Organized Desk Space

If your student is easily distracted when working independently

Teach It!

  1. Objective: Students will create a clean, organized and well-lit place for doing work, which will help them get started and work more efficiently.
  2. Instruction and Practice: Work with students to organize their desks at school and provide guidelines for their work space at home. This should include removing anything that is not necessary while studying and having what they will need readily accessible but neatly organized. (Checklist on next slide)

*students* Organizing Your Desk/personal Workspace

  1. Keep standard items neat and accessible using a desk organizer or in labeled drawers or shelves (paper, pens, pencils, erasers, pencil sharpener, ruler, calculator, fidget toys, charger).
  2. Remove anything not related to homework from your desk. Keep the walls around your homework space as blank as possible.
  3. Keep reference tools accessible for every subject.
  4. Have plenty of writing paper, scrap paper, and graph paper for math problems.
  5. Make sure there is plenty of light, using room lights and desk lamps as needed.
  6. If you use a timer, keep it visibly in front of you.
  7. Hang a "quiet" sign on your door and close it. (If there are outside distractions, consider closing the shade.)
  8. Turn off your cell phone and commit to no texting or communicating with friends, unless it's a question about homework. In that case, use a time limit so you don't get off track.

Why It Works (the Science Of Learning)!

Most of us are susceptible to easy distractions and procrastination. When a student has a clean, organized desk space with limited distractions you minimize the opportunity to delay getting started or take unnecessary breaks. While breaks are important, particularly for students with weaker attention, it is important that when it is time to sit down and get to work a student does not have unnecessary excuses.