A few weeks ago, I wrote an introduction to GTD, or Getting Things Done, a productivity system that many academics find useful as a way of organizing all of the demands on our personal and professional lives. In this post, I’d like to say a bit about the pedagogical uses of the GTD system. As I said in my introduction, one of the core principles of the GTD system is to break down complex projects into discreet action items. After a few years of doing that for my own work, I started doing it for students, and I’ve been really happy with the results.
When courses begin, faculty usually provide students with a syllabus and schedule that lists major deadlines and activities for the entire semester or quarter. I try to list the readings due for each class meeting along with due dates for formal writing assignments. But there’s a lot more students should be doing to keep up with any course, especially if they want to earn a high grade. In first-year classes, I typically break large assignments into smaller steps and ask students to turn in proof they are completing these steps. Perhaps they send an email to me describing the topic they’ve chosen for an essay or I set up a timer in class so they can brainstorm ideas for ten minutes. In more advanced classes, I rarely ask to see proof that students are completing these intermediate steps, but I would sometimes throw out verbal reminders about what they should be doing to keep up with all aspects of the class. Sometimes, though, I’d forget.
In advanced classes especially, one could argue that students are adults who should figure out how to manage their time and projects on their own. But if it were that easy to figure out how to handle such demands, would those of us who write and read Prof. Hacker be here? Wouldn’t we know it all already? Well, I know I need help, and my students could benefit from some help, too.
That’s why I now end each class meeting by going over an Action List that I have posted on the course blog or management system (my school uses Blackboard), and each list item is formatted as a GTD action item. I start with an action verb that states what exactly should be done, the same kind of format I use on my personal action lists. I include all the things that are already on the syllabus and schedule (e.g., reading assignments), but I also include other things that students should be doing to handle the larger course projects.
Here are some items that have appeared on the Action Lists for my second-level professional writing course this semester:
- Read the syllabus and bring any questions you have about it to the next class.
- Conduct some planning activity (timed writing, brainstorming, clustering) for your formal letter.
- Email me with any questions you have about the Instructions Project.
- Start reading The Perfect Storm to ensure you have it done in two weeks.
None of these are things I checked, but they are all things that students should have done if they want to earn the highest grade possible. I like including items like these on class Action Lists because they provide a balance between a formal activity they must turn in for assessment and an informal comment thrown out in the middle of class. I know I have been as clear as possible about what they need to do to succeed in my class, and they know I am on their side and want them to succeed. Even if they don’t do everything on every list, they start to recognize how much power they have over the grades they earn. Some of them have even said so on course evaluations.
These lists have the added benefit, too, of helping me keep up with class. Creating them forces me to look at the course on micro and macro levels, which helps me maintain a firm grasp on what has happened, is happening, and should be happening next. Sometimes, that’s their greatest benefit.
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11 Responses to Creating GTD Action Lists for Students
William Patrick Wend - November 4, 2009 at 8:07 pm
I just tried to have students in my Comp I sections send me an email by this past Monday letting me know their final paper topic (just so they get a head start now rather than later). Out of both sections, a grand total of ONE student sent an email. It was on the final paper handout but, yes, like Nels I might have forgot to mention it much.
I like a lot of the ideas in this post. I saved it for next semester.
Nels - November 4, 2009 at 9:17 pm
Rebecca, the line between this being helpful and babying students will vary depending, of course, on your students, discipline, and institution (as well as other things). My students have never expressed any offense. The only comments I have heard specifically about these lists have been positive. In general, my students often say they are overwhelmed. Rightly or wrongly, many of them feel like fifty million things are being thrown at them at once. I get a few student evaluations each semester that say they believe it’s clear I’m trying to help them, that I’m crystal clear about my expectations, or that I’m not playing games with them or their time. I think these lists are part of the reason behind those positive comments (and we can debate the validity of student evaluations, but they are a major component of our tenure process, so I have a habit of going over mine in detail). I could see how some students who feel they have it all under control would find this infantilzing, but I don’t encounter those students on a regular basis.
In general, I can see how some faculty members might look at the posts we offer here at Prof. Hacker and feel that we’re dumbing down some things, but those same posts are helping other people out. The main reason I’ve been reading lifehacking sites for years along with books like those by David Allen and Julie Morgenstern is because I need help. I like having things spelled out for me because I feel like I can then make better decisions about how to spend my time and energy. And when I find things from that reading that benefit me, I bring them into my classes. One of the key components of GTD thinking is the breaking of larger projects into discreet steps; it’s one of the principles that has had the greatest positive effect on me, and I don’t want to withhold the things that work for me from my students.
After posting this entry, I did realize there’s another reason why I post these lists for my students. I have a reputation on my campus as we all do. It’s said that it’s very easy to pass my classes, but it’s very hard to earn a solid A. I think that’s true. If you just do the basics of what I ask, you will pass. But if you want an easy A or A-, I’m not your guy. I feel very comfortable with my grading standards because things like these lists let me know that I’ve been crystal clear with my students about what I expect. They may not be happy with a C+ or even a B on a major assignment, but they see how exactly I’ve created the space for them to do well even as I’m just as clear about why they did not do as well as they might have wanted.
Rebecca - November 4, 2009 at 4:50 pm
So at what point does something like this cross from being helpful to treating students as though they are children and can’t do things for themselves. Have any ever been offended by it? I have many students who could benefit from this, but I don’t want to offend the ones who already have their acts together….
Nels - November 4, 2009 at 9:21 pm
Thanks, William. I hope they work for you. I should say that I’m lucky to get a 1/3 of my students to send me such emails even when I require them. I try to let that roll off my back, though. The ones who send me such emails get the benefits right away, whether it’s a few comments from me to guide them in the right direction or even a couple of points added to their quiz grade if it was a required email. So these lists might increase your responses by a few, but they won’t get everyone to do what you ask. You’ll know, though, that you did everything you could to get them on the right track, which at least lets me get rid of the negative feelings left behind when so few students are doing what you want them to do.
Rebecca - November 4, 2009 at 9:58 pm
Please understand that I didn’t mean my comments as a criticism. I teach evening classes at a community college, an intro and a 2nd year course. On the one hand community colleges have a reputation (rightly) for having students with less of the social capital necessary to succeed in higher ed. On the other, since I teach at night many of my students are adults returning to school who have their own ways of doing things. I am struggling (particularly in the intro class) to find the right balance and was hoping for some thoughts on the topic.
I am using some of these ideas already; the 2nd level class has a specific homework assignment to turn in their paper topics, and it’s graded pass/fail (which gets them to do it). But increasing the amount is a tricky line to walk….
Nels P. Highberg - November 3, 2009 at 8:15 pm
Good question. They are a part of my regular lesson planning. I type out a list of things I want to do in class, and going over the Action List is the last thing on every lesson plan. So when I type out the plan for the class session (ideally the weekend before, often the night before, sometimes an hour or two before), I type out the Action List for the next class meeting and copy-and-paste it onto Blackboard or the class blog. A couple of times this semester when I’ve been really on the ball, I’ll think of something I want them to do a couple of weeks ahead of time, so I’ll create a document for that lesson plan and just type the action item that came to mind.
In a nutshell, I plan them along with creating the lesson plan, and I post them the day of the class period where I’m going over them.
I forgot to say that these really help students who are absent. They know what they need to do for the next class is already listed and available.
Natalie - November 3, 2009 at 6:24 pm
I like this idea, Nels. One question: do you plan/post these ahead of time, or do you write/edit them on the fly?
Todd Finley - November 11, 2009 at 7:21 pm
I interpret these instructions as providing meta-cognitive scaffolding for your students–which I suppose is what David Allen is providing for the layperson with his time-management system.
I’m a big fan of GTD and use it with RememberTheMilk.
Thanks!
William Patrick Wend - January 10, 2010 at 12:49 pm
I realized just now that I already do something like this. On my syllabus, I have “next time” and “remember” after each date. For example:
Friday December 4th
* Peer review day for final papers.
For Next Class: Your collected journals are due to my email by midnight tonight
Remember: Study for the poetry exam. Your final paper is due in one week!
William Patrick Wend - January 10, 2010 at 12:49 pm
Ugh, that didn’t format right at all.
Nels P. Highberg - January 10, 2010 at 12:56 pm
Yep, that’s it, William. It’s just taking that step back from the specific things that are due and reminding them of the other things they should be doing to be on top of things, which aligns with the GTD principle of breaking projects down into their parts. I know some people who think syllabi should not be too long and detailed, but I think putting things like this on the syllabus is a great idea.