Student Focus and Organization
How Classroom Organization Can Help Students Remain Focused
Written by Jillian Wojciechowski
BACKGROUND
Many adolescents are forced to deal with much chaos in their lives. Between issues of their changing bodies, difficulties they can be facing with their families and/or peers and struggles with their fluctuating emotions (some of these issues which have been discussed in greater depth in other sections), adolescent students have a lot to concentrate on and worry about outside of the classroom. These issues, in addition to many others, can often make it difficult for students to focus on what is being taught in class. Therefore, it is important that the teacher provides an organized classroom with structure where the students will know what to expect each day and hence can remain focused on their academics.
IMPORTANCE TO STUDENTS
A short survey (conducted myself at H.L. Richards High School in Oak Lawn, IL) which questioned 74 sophomore students found that during a average classroom period, only 51% of students were focused for more than half the period. The remaining 49% were concentrating on other stuff, instead of the material being taught, for the majority of the period. This can be viewed as a major problem for students, since they will not be getting the full education they need. Furthermore, there are many adolescents who are diagnosed with ADD/ADHD, a developmental disorder which impairs one’s ability to sustain focus. “It is estimated that between 3 and 5 percent of children have ADHD, or approximately 2 million children in the United States. This means that in a classroom of 25 to 30 children, it is likely that at least one will have ADHD” (National Institute of Mental Health). These students have a physical condition, an issue that is out of their control, which makes it very difficult for them to remain attentive on what is being taught in class.
IMPORTANCE TO TEACHERS
By keeping an organized classroom, this will not only help the students succeed but will also help a new teacher maintain order and focus themselves. As a beginning teacher, one has to deal with a lot in terms of new procedures, paper work, lesson planning, and classroom management. According to a survey conducted by the Council for Exceptional Children, 60% of the respondents stated that their work-related stress rated between 7 and 9 on a 10-point scale (The Teaching Research Institute). The more organization one has in his or her own classroom setup, the easier it will be to deal with everything else.
EXPLANATION OF TIPS
Posted Plan
The posted plan can help both students and the teacher stay on track with what needs to be accomplish during the period, week, and or unit. Students will be cued the second the walk into the classroom that this is a place where learning will take place. In the survey, 58% of students stated that the posted plan often or always helped in keeping them focus on the material being taught. In addition, the posted plan can in turn can help with discipline issues (another factor students stated effected their concentration in class). “For many teachers, much of the management of a classroom is by default. Students will wander around the room and chat because the teacher has not structured anything for the students to do” (Wong, 2000, opening section). By having a plan posted the students can get started on the tasks for the day right away. This then can give the teacher time to take care of attendance or other paper work they may have.
Organizational System for Notes
Since students have so much other stuff on their minds and/or they have a disorder which can hinder there 
concentration, a teacher wants to do all they can to keep them on course. During a lecture in class it can be very difficult for students to keep their attention on the material being presented. By having an outline for the students to follow it will help guide their learning and give them something to remain focused on. The survey found that 69% of students felt that by being provided with an outline for their notes (some type of note sheet handout) they were much more focused on what was being taught in class.
Absent Work Location
There will always be absent students in a classroom. When a student comes back to class from being absent, it can be difficult for him or her to stay focused on getting caught up on what was missed while also learning new material being presented. Also, for the teacher it too can be difficult to help the absent student while trying to maintain order and to continue the lesson with remainder of the class. Therefore, it is a good idea to have a section of the room designed for absent students. In this area, a teacher should have posted the assignments from the previous day and have easy access to all handouts. When a student is absent he or she can go to this designated location and be able to get everything they missed from the previous days. This will make the teacher’s job easier and save him or her much time during the class period while also giving the student the tools necessary get up to speed.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Classroom Organization
http://www.mea-mft.org/assist/classroom_org.html
How to Best Help ADD/ADHD Students
http://www.helpguide.org/mental/adhd_add_teaching_strategies.htm
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/adhd/complete-publication.shtml
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the_ten_minute_manager said,
September 20, 2008 at 12:16 am
It is scary to think that only 51% of the students are focused on the material being presented. The first step to reducing that number is recognizing that it truly exists. If an educator can find a way to move that needle a couple of percentage point just imagine the progress. There is so much room for innovation in the area of keeping the interest of the students if we just open our minds to it. Regular feedback from the students themselves would be a good starting point. That is one of the key elements we employ in business that keeps business on the cutting edge, consumer feedback. Why not in school? The benefits would be astounding.