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Organize (Plan & Materials)

Organize is grouped to be both Plan and Materials since there are small differences.

Organize (Plan & Materials) refers to the capacity to manage current and future task expectations. Being able to set timelines and monitor goals is how we get things done!​

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We tend to think of organization skills as something that you either have innately or something you do not have. But organization skills are learnable and teachable. Also, don't mistake organization skills for having an aesthetically appealing space. Yes, organized spaces can be satisfying to look at, but organization is not about keeping a tidy, “Instagram-ready” classroom. You need to create and maintain systems that are predictable and reliable for you and your students. Disorganized classrooms and desk spaces mean that students need to use more cognitive effort to find what they need. So, keep clean and keep your students on track! 

Organize (Plan) is measured with items, such as “Becomes overwhelmed by large assignments” and “Gets caught up in details and misses the big picture.” Organize (Materials) is measured with items, such as “I have trouble finding things in my room, closet, or desk” and “I have a messy closet.”

How to support a student struggling with Organize

Students with difficulty managing Organize (Plan) are going to have difficulty with a wide range of activities in the classroom because they are stuck in the “now” of it all. Without a clear picture of what is going to happen next and what they need, students with poor Organize (Plan) respond in reactive ways. They hold off on action until the consequences are right in front of them. The “Plan” component of this executive function describes their ability to anticipate future events, set goals, and develop steps that lead to the outcome they want. The “Organize” component of this executive function describes their ability to make sense and bring order to a lot of information.

A quick check of your students’ desks is probably all you will need to find those that have difficulty with Organizing (Materials). A desk jammed with loose pages and broken pencils is more than a physical mess...sometimes that mess reflects a disorderly internal life. Without regular reminders to put pages into the appropriate binder (for example), students will continue to find the path of least resistance. Be deliberate about the systems you enact in your class with prompts like: “Let’s make a list of the work you must do and rank it in terms of importance” and “We need a system for our science booklets...what sections should we include?”

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