Helping New University Students with Time Management Skills

By Alicia R. Ambler

The adjustment to higher education study can be challenging for students, especially those who are also learning English. While our primary curricular goals are language focused, acquiring academic skills can be an important benefit of ESL education at colleges and universities. Many students effectively absorb these lessons from the daily activities of class, but some students benefit from more concerted instructional effort. Time management is an academic skill that can be a challenge for new higher education students as they enter a learning environment with a lower level of support and structure, and the ESL classroom presents an ideal training ground for development of this skill. Here are a few tips and techniques to help instructors integrate time management skill work into the higher education ESL classroom.

Engage in Metacognitive Work

Metacognition is thinking about thinking. Helping students reflect on their learning can help them transfer their successful learning strategies to the new environment as well as develop new and more effective strategies. A simple place to begin could be a survey, discussion, or reflective writing assignment that engages students in their personal history with time management. The instructor can ask students to consider how their time was managed in the past, especially as relates to academic tasks. Generally, students will recognize that others have shared in the work of managing their time, including parents, relatives, teachers, and friends. As they begin their studies, they will notice that most of these tasks are now theirs alone. Awareness of the shift in responsibility can prepare students to manage their time, hopefully addressing the issue before it affects their performance.

Another important concept to share with students is the research on procrastination, which is often framed as a failure of time management. We now know that procrastination has much more to do with tolerance for discomfort, that is, it is an emotional issue. Helping students understand that procrastination is not simply laziness or poor time management can help them reflect more clearly on their emotional and educational strategies. Thinking about thinking, engaging in metacognition, can help students become more effective at time management and is time well spent in the ESL classroom.

Scaffold Assignments in the Classroom

In the classroom, we can organize and present our assignments in a way that scaffolds time management skills. We all assign tasks, and we can intentionally support student time management in early assignments to increase student success. First, consider using many different methods to communicate relevant details about an assignment to ensure that students are supported as deadlines approach. Students may understand and retain information more readily if instructors present it to them in different ways. For an early assignment, an instructor may do all the following:

Printed class handout on the day of the assignment including description and due date
A calendar entry, announcement, and assignment on the course website
Written reminder on the board at the end of each class
Oral reminders in class (can be solicited from students)

As the semester goes on, the instructor can vary and reduce the support and students can take increasing responsibility. In addition to scaffolding the assignment schedule, consider scaffolding the elements of each assignment, showing the value of each piece rather than solely emphasizing the final product. Rather than assigning homework, it can be helpful to give students an opportunity to practice each step together in class, particularly following an example modeled by the instructor. This also gives students an opportunity to notice how long each task may take, which is important for managing time. Grading each task and giving feedback encourages students to stick to a schedule and incorporate instructor guidance in the final version of the assignment. Scaffolding scheduling and assignment elements can strengthen students’ independent time management skills and can be a natural fit for many ESL classrooms.

Share Proven Strategies

While some students may come to the ESL classroom with strong time management skills or pick up these skills indirectly, instructors can share strategies which concretely help students develop their time management skills. Explicit instruction in these strategies can give students a sample of some of the many tools that are available to help them be productive and organized. One simple tool is reverse scheduling. Beginning with the deadline, the student generates a list of the tasks required for the final product. They plan the order of the tasks and estimate the amount of time each task might take. They use this information to set deadlines and develop a schedule, ideally leaving some room for changes and challenges before the final deadline. Instructors can model reverse scheduling for an early assignment and encourage students to use this tool independently. Another simple strategy that can help students manage time is the Pomodoro technique, which uses a block of productive and focused time that is paired with a short break. The traditional Pomodoro suggests a 25-minute block of work followed by five minutes of rest. Many students are not aware of the need for breaks, preferring to continue without pause until their work is done. Practicing the Pomodoro technique can help students realize the benefits of powerful focus and mandated rest time. This technique can reduce distraction and burnout. Coupled with planning and scheduling, the Pomodoro technique can help students manage their time more effectively. These techniques may not work for every assignment or every student, but teaching them explicitly in an ESL classroom can help students feel empowered to take control of their attention and time.

English language learners bring a broad spectrum of skills and talents to the higher education classroom. Time management is a powerful tool to help them succeed. Taking the time to build these skills in the ESL classroom can foster student engagement and success.

Alicia R. Ambler is an associate professor of instruction in ESL Programs at the University of Iowa.


Helping New University Students with Time Management Skills By Alicia R. Ambler The adjustment to higher education study can be challenging for students, especially those who are also learning English. While our primary curricular goals are language focused, acquiring academic skills can be an important benefit of ESL education at colleges and universities. Many students effectively absorb these lessons from the daily activities of class, but some students benefit from more concerted instructional effort. Time management is an academic skill that can be a challenge for new higher education students as they enter a learning environment with a lower level of support and structure, and the ESL classroom presents an ideal training ground for development of this skill. Here are a few tips and techniques to help instructors integrate time management skill work into the higher education ESL classroom. Engage in Metacognitive Work Metacognition is thinking about thinking. Helping students reflect on their learning can help them transfer their successful learning strategies to the new environment as well as develop new and more effective strategies. A simple place to begin could be a survey, discussion, or reflective writing assignment that engages students in their personal history with time management. The instructor can ask students to consider how their time was managed in the past, especially as relates to academic tasks. Generally, students will recognize that others have shared in the work of managing their time, including parents, relatives, teachers, and friends. As they begin their studies, they will notice that most of these tasks are now theirs alone. Awareness of the shift in responsibility can prepare students to manage their time, hopefully addressing the issue before it affects their performance. Another important concept to share with students is the research on procrastination, which is often framed as a failure of time management. We now know that procrastination has much more to do with tolerance for discomfort, that is, it is an emotional issue. Helping students understand that procrastination is not simply laziness or poor time management can help them reflect more clearly on their emotional and educational strategies. Thinking about thinking, engaging in metacognition, can help students become more effective at time management and is time well spent in the ESL classroom. Scaffold Assignments in the Classroom In the classroom, we can organize and present our assignments in a way that scaffolds time management skills. We all assign tasks, and we can intentionally support student time management in early assignments to increase student success. First, consider using many different methods to communicate relevant details about an assignment to ensure that students are supported as deadlines approach. Students may understand and retain information more readily if instructors present it to them in different ways. For an early assignment, an instructor may do all the following: Printed class handout on the day of the assignment including description and due date A calendar entry, announcement, and assignment on the course website Written reminder on the board at the end of each class Oral reminders in class (can be solicited from students) As the semester goes on, the instructor can vary and reduce the support and students can take increasing responsibility. In addition to scaffolding the assignment schedule, consider scaffolding the elements of each assignment, showing the value of each piece rather than solely emphasizing the final product. Rather than assigning homework, it can be helpful to give students an opportunity to practice each step together in class, particularly following an example modeled by the instructor. This also gives students an opportunity to notice how long each task may take, which is important for managing time. Grading each task and giving feedback encourages students to stick to a schedule and incorporate instructor guidance in the final version of the assignment. Scaffolding scheduling and assignment elements can strengthen students’ independent time management skills and can be a natural fit for many ESL classrooms. Share Proven Strategies While some students may come to the ESL classroom with strong time management skills or pick up these skills indirectly, instructors can share strategies which concretely help students develop their time management skills. Explicit instruction in these strategies can give students a sample of some of the many tools that are available to help them be productive and organized. One simple tool is reverse scheduling. Beginning with the deadline, the student generates a list of the tasks required for the final product. They plan the order of the tasks and estimate the amount of time each task might take. They use this information to set deadlines and develop a schedule, ideally leaving some room for changes and challenges before the final deadline. Instructors can model reverse scheduling for an early assignment and encourage students to use this tool independently. Another simple strategy that can help students manage time is the Pomodoro technique, which uses a block of productive and focused time that is paired with a short break. The traditional Pomodoro suggests a 25-minute block of work followed by five minutes of rest. Many students are not aware of the need for breaks, preferring to continue without pause until their work is done. Practicing the Pomodoro technique can help students realize the benefits of powerful focus and mandated rest time. This technique can reduce distraction and burnout. Coupled with planning and scheduling, the Pomodoro technique can help students manage their time more effectively. These techniques may not work for every assignment or every student, but teaching them explicitly in an ESL classroom can help students feel empowered to take control of their attention and time. English language learners bring a broad spectrum of skills and talents to the higher education classroom. Time management is a powerful tool to help them succeed. Taking the time to build these skills in the ESL classroom can foster student engagement and success. Alicia R. Ambler is an associate professor of instruction in ESL Programs at the University of Iowa.
Spring 2022 - Volume 50, Issue 1