Organization

Why Do Students Struggle with Organization?

According to the National Center for Learning Disabilities and other sources, an individual may have executive functioning challenges if he or she struggles to:

• Initiate or plan a project

• Pay attention

• Understand different points of view

• Follow directions

• Keep track of belongings

• Regulate emotions

• Tell a story (verbally or in writing)

• Remember and communicate details in a sequential manner

• Retain information needed to complete a task

How Can We Help Them?

This article begins with an explanation of why students struggle with executive functioning skills and then lists 10 practical ways to help them get organized and stay that way. One important point the article makes is that there isn't "one right way." Whether it's a Franklin Planner, a notebook, an electronic system, or even Canvas, students may need to experiment to find the system that works best for them.

More Strategies:

This article offers seven strategies for helping students stay organized.

Written from the point of view of a parent with a child who is ADHD, this article offers ideas that can be applied in the classroom.