7 ways to stay focused at work
Have a specific focus: Narrowing feedback to one or two skills per paper can focus students without overwhelming them, and doing so cuts down on grading time for teachers. This is a quick way to reinforce solid ideas and good writing and takes little extra time.ĥ. We also read written work with a highlighter in hand (or use the highlighting tool on the computer) to draw attention to something students have done well. One of our biggest shifts has been trying Glow and Grow: one comment praising students for what they’ve done well (Glow) and one offering a focus for students to work on in revision or keep in mind for the future (Grow). Marking every single grammar error is not only demoralizing for students but also time-consuming for teachers. Try Glow and Grow and a highlighter: Teachers need to shift from editing student work to offering meaningful feedback. Stay on task with the timer and do not allow yourself to spend too much time on any one paper or project.Ĥ. You can instead use a timer as a countdown clock by allowing a reasonable amount of time to grade and provide feedback.
This simulates the feeling of racing against the clock and can keep you focused on pushing forward. Try to keep an even pace, so if you spend five minutes on the first paper, try to do the same on each subsequent paper. One method is to start a timer with a lap feature at the beginning of the chunk of papers and hit the lap button at the end of each paper.
Grade with a timer: Setting a timer is a strategy that helps sustain focus and eliminates the temptation to edit or write a lot. The key is to figure out what works for you and create a routine.ģ. Our personal strategy is to divide the total number of papers by five and put out one gummy bear for each group-grade papers with a timer on (see next tip), eat a gummy bear, and repeat until finished. When a small chunk of grading is complete, choose a reward (think chocolate or maybe a stretch break) and rest your mind. Take breaks: Maintaining sustained focus for long periods of time can be difficult, so frequent short breaks can actually increase productivity. Grading all of the number 1s, then the 2s, etc., will go quickly because you can focus on one response at a time.Ģ. Another approach, for more tedious assignments like tests, is to grade one question at a time.