Instructional strategies & approaches 7 sample essay

Being responsible is an important trait every individual should learn. A responsible person can act without anyone supervising him because the person himself is accountable for his behavior (Kurtus, 2001). Thus, it is important for students to learn this, especially at a very young age. And since teachers have a large influence on their students, they are one of the most capable people who can help students learn this trait. Teachers can help students become more organized with their belongings and surroundings. The key to it is being disciplined.

Students should keep their desks clean and neat. They can use a pencil holder to hold writing tools and a tray to hold papers. Books can be neatly stacked on a shelf or on the desk depending on how frequent the book is used. After using a book, he should return it right away to the bookshelf. Supplies like extra pads, papers, fasteners, etc, may be placed on separate containers or boxes in a drawer or cabinet. Notebooks may be covered with different colors according to subject. This way, it is easier to determine which notebook to grab during class.

Also, the student should have a separate notebook for assignments or projects so that it won’t get lost among the lecture notes and exercises. In addition, teachers can also help students to manage their time wisely. For example, a teacher can ask the students to write the things they have to do and want to do in a day, like chores, assignments, watching TV, etc. Next, ask them to make a time table for a day. The time should be divided on an hourly basis and should start at the time they wake up and end at the time they have to sleep.

Then, ask them to input the activities they listed down into a table. After they’ve finished with the time table, challenge the students to accomplish the activities at the time and time span they have allotted. Let them do it for a week and later submit a reaction paper on what they did. Another way for the students to realize the importance of being able to manage their time well is by giving them two similar but still different projects. As an example, a Physics teacher can divide the class into groups and ask each group to report on two different topics.

Require them to do different tasks for each topic like gathering of instruments, doing research on the topic, writing the paper, and developing a multimedia presentation for the report. With the first topic, the teacher will just give instructions and a deadline. The second similar project would then be given after the first was submitted, though not necessarily right away. This time, the teacher will ask the group to submit a time table for when they plan to do each part of the project. Also, the teacher would have to check with the students if they are doing the tasks at the right schedule.

This is so that they may see the difference between planning and doing tasks on schedule and cramming. After all, since experience is still the best teacher, the above activities may help the students realize for themselves the benefits of time management. The teacher should also talk to the students regarding the importance of studying and submitting assignmnents on time. Ask the students to have a separate notebook wherein they could write all their assignments. Then, let the students design a format for how they will write their assignments on that notebook.

For example for each assignment, the subject where the assignment is from can be written at the first line including its due date. Then, they can write the details for the assignment after that. Also, if they’ve already picked up on the habit of making schedules, they could include the doing of assignments in their schedule. Also, encourage the students not to cram by giving incentives to those who can pass assignments earlier than the deadline. Furthermore, the teacher could try to make her assignments more relevant and, if possible, fun for the students.

To help students monitor their performance, the teacher could ask them to record their quiz, assignment, exercise, and exam scores at the back of their notebook. Show them how to make a table where they could input their scores. After a grading period, help them know their current standing by showing them how to compute their own grades. When students know these, it would encourage them to plan how they should approach their studying. They will also know for themselves how they are doing in a particular subject and probably make them realize that they should start studying in order to pass.

In conclusion, training students to be responsible can become a hard task since teachers cannot really do anything if the students themselves do not want to act. Still, teachers shouldn’t stop encouraging and helping them to be responsible. They should not lose hope. After all, even though teachers cannot see any change in their students, it doesn’t really mean there aren’t any.

References Kurtus, R. (2001, April 18). Being Responsible Shows Character. Retrieved August 16, 2007, from http://www. school-for-champions. com/character/responsible. htm.