Time Management

Managing Time Through Priorities

Many students in a G.E.D. program haven't learned time management skills. As a result, they are not successful in conventional educational programs. It is our responsibility to expose students to skills to manage their time effectively and efficiently. This can be done through the orientation of students and modeling of time management skills by instructors.

In the G.E.D. program with Victoria College, we provide a six-hour orientation for students exposing them to time management skills. First, we emphasize educational goal setting in our orientation; however, we talk about setting goals in other areas of students' lives. We model educational goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and with a time set to reach those goals. We call these SMART goals.

After reading and discussing goal setting, students use an instrument to determine learning styles. When scored, we discuss each of the learning styles and how the styles impact the methods the students should use to study and how an instructor would best approach them with new information. We also discuss how learning styles impact the time set aside for study at home and the best time to attend classes in our center.

Seemingly unrelated to time management, students next read and discuss information about note taking and listening. However, how and when students review notes does tie into time management. Students learn how they can manage their time so they are reviewing class material in the way and at the time that is best for their particular learning.

Students now work with materials directly tied to time management. They use an instrument exploring their use of time and reactions and feelings about time use. Following the exercise, students read about and discuss controllable and uncontrollable time. In other words, they look at parts of their day in which they have control over their use of time and parts of their day controlled by outside forces, i.e. work and family responsibilities.

Students are then able to recognize they have time to use in a manner they control. This time they could allot for studying to reach their educational goals to complete the G.E.D.

The orientation group then discusses and charts personal energy cycles. The discussion continues with students recognizing the best times for them to attend classes and to study their lessons at home to quickly and more easily obtain their educational goals.

Students are then taught to set priorities using an "ABC" method to determine the weight of each priority. "A's" are "must do" tasks, "B's" are "should do" tasks, and "C's" are "nice to do" tasks. They discuss the best use of their time to accomplish the "A" tasks rather than expending energy and resources on tasks labeled "C". The "C" tasks usually do little to move them toward achieving their goals. After discussing the prioritizing of tasks, students create their own lists of tasks and prioritize them. The group then discusses the choices they made.

Mind mapping is used as another way of looking at controlling the use of students' time. This allows for review while recognizing individual differences in learning in the presentation of the time management material.

As part of the conclusion of this section of the orientation, students complete a self-assessment questionnaire summarizing their learning of the principles of time management.

Students are given models of forms to help them manage time. They have permission to make photocopies of any of the time log pages to practice and adapt for their own use.

Following this section of the orientation, students get information about the counseling offered through our Adult Education Center. They are encouraged to talk to the counselor about time management or any other topics affecting learning.

Students then use their standardized placement test scores to discover areas in which they most need help. We highlight these areas with the students and help them write learning objectives addressing those learning needs. The students have a copy of those objectives and they are shared with the instructors.

Students review their educational objectives from time to time with their instructor and/or the counselor. If the students are still studying with us after a year, the objectives are reviewed and new areas may be chosen on which to concentrate.

An instructor of G.E.D. students must model efficient time management to help further the acquisition of time management skills. Instructors can do this by beginning and ending classes on time. Students should have an activity ready to work with as soon as they arrive in the classroom.

Instructors should make sure students understand the way class is structured according to time. Also, papers taken for correction should be returned promptly.

Instructors can emphasize structured study time with students as part of their regular instruction. Instructors could even instruct students to keep a log of their tasks as an activity for the class.

To help students meet educational goals of passing the G.E.D., we must give lessons in reading, writing, mathematics . . . but we must also give time management skills to be successful.

Marler, P., and Mattia, J. B. (1998). Time management made easy. Lincolnwood, IL: VGM Career Horizons.
McClellan, P. (1993). Organization map. Cincinatti, OH: Betterway Books.
Morgenstern, J. (2000). Time management from the inside out. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company.

Nancy Penry is the Instructional Coordinator for the Victoria College Adult Education department in Victoria, TX. Victoria College operates adult education programs in Victoria and the surrounding counties holding ABE, GED, ESL, and EL Civics classes providing educational experiences for approximately 1000 students per year. She also teaches speech and English for Victoria College as an adjunct instructor. She has a Bachelors and Masters degree from the University of Texas at Austin and has a Ph.D. (abd) from the University of Texas at Austin. She raises goats and donkeys, likes to make quilts and read. She lives with her husband, David, and their children, Christa and Clint.