Organisation and paperwork is not where I find joy in my teaching. My chronicle is readable only by me (and sometimes I cannot even decipher my notes!). I have paper filed strategically in numerous piles on my desk and as for my computer desktop, you can’t even see my wallpaper! I have tried various ways to organise myself, but they only last a couple of weeks before I am drowning in a sea of paper again. Until now.
Google Drive is a lifesaver and I am now using it strategically to manage all my paperwork - administration, assessments, work samples, student communication, programs and registers. As I am about to begin the term with a new HSC group (as many of us are) I would like to share how I have approached this. Strategies listed here can be used for all subject areas and all age groups - just adapt it to work for you. If you are new to Google Drive there are many online tutorials out there such as this one. Check them out and get organised today.
Folder Structure
I have organised my work using the following folder management system. Some folders are for my eyes only, some are shared with the entire class and some are shared with individual students. I have also shared my Administration Folder, Programs, Lesson Plans and Resources and Assessments with my coordinator so she is in the loop about what is happening in my classroom.
Google Drive is a lifesaver and I am now using it strategically to manage all my paperwork - administration, assessments, work samples, student communication, programs and registers. As I am about to begin the term with a new HSC group (as many of us are) I would like to share how I have approached this. Strategies listed here can be used for all subject areas and all age groups - just adapt it to work for you. If you are new to Google Drive there are many online tutorials out there such as this one. Check them out and get organised today.
Folder Structure
I have organised my work using the following folder management system. Some folders are for my eyes only, some are shared with the entire class and some are shared with individual students. I have also shared my Administration Folder, Programs, Lesson Plans and Resources and Assessments with my coordinator so she is in the loop about what is happening in my classroom.
Administration Folder - I have divided my admin folder into Excursions, Parent Letters, and Board of Studies Documentation.
Programs - Yes, you guessed it. This has all my Programs for this year group.
Lesson Plans and Resources - I love planning lessons that are fueled with joy but they end up be written illegibly in my chronicle or on a scrap piece of paper or a note in my diary. This becomes a little tricky when it comes to my registers. So, I have created a new spreadsheet of my lessons. My favourite part of this document is that I can hyperlink my resources so I can find them later. Find out how to do this here. You will find the template for my spreadsheet here. I also have a Sub-Folder of Teacher Resources.
Assessments - This is shared folder with student assessments. Students can view this folder but are unable to edit it. Students will never loose a copy of assessments again!
Individual Student Progress, Work Samples and Reports - I have created a spreadsheet to document all the information I need to know about my students. This spreadsheet template can be found here. The spreadsheet is divided into three sheets - Personal Information, Record of Attendance / Submission of Work and Results. Like my Lesson Plan document, I love that I can hyperlink my work samples. By a click of a button I can bring up the students work to show a parent or remind myself of the students areas of strengths and weaknesses. The work samples are kept in a separate sub-folder here called Work Samples.
Student Shared - This is a place where I can share resources with my students. I have found this very useful over the last couple of months as my current HSC class prepares for their exams. Many of them have misplaced sheets from Term 4 last year which they need for their study. I now just upload them here. No more repetitive photocopying! Students are also able to upload resources with their peers. In the Lesson Outline folder I have been placing my lesson outlines and asking one student each lesson to write a reflection on what they learnt by contributing to the document. I can also hyperlink photos or videos from our class workshops to assist students in recalling what was done each lesson. Students with special needs are able to revise the lessons content and absence students never miss out on work again. There is also a Group Collaboration folder where students can create group documents and folders when they are collaborating with their peers. I have also found students are willing to share study notes on a collaborative document particularly in the lead up to the final examination and so I have created a Class Study Notes Folder. The document I set up in these folders have the core components of study highlighted so that students begin to sort their work according to the syllabus.
Programs - Yes, you guessed it. This has all my Programs for this year group.
Lesson Plans and Resources - I love planning lessons that are fueled with joy but they end up be written illegibly in my chronicle or on a scrap piece of paper or a note in my diary. This becomes a little tricky when it comes to my registers. So, I have created a new spreadsheet of my lessons. My favourite part of this document is that I can hyperlink my resources so I can find them later. Find out how to do this here. You will find the template for my spreadsheet here. I also have a Sub-Folder of Teacher Resources.
Assessments - This is shared folder with student assessments. Students can view this folder but are unable to edit it. Students will never loose a copy of assessments again!
Individual Student Progress, Work Samples and Reports - I have created a spreadsheet to document all the information I need to know about my students. This spreadsheet template can be found here. The spreadsheet is divided into three sheets - Personal Information, Record of Attendance / Submission of Work and Results. Like my Lesson Plan document, I love that I can hyperlink my work samples. By a click of a button I can bring up the students work to show a parent or remind myself of the students areas of strengths and weaknesses. The work samples are kept in a separate sub-folder here called Work Samples.
Student Shared - This is a place where I can share resources with my students. I have found this very useful over the last couple of months as my current HSC class prepares for their exams. Many of them have misplaced sheets from Term 4 last year which they need for their study. I now just upload them here. No more repetitive photocopying! Students are also able to upload resources with their peers. In the Lesson Outline folder I have been placing my lesson outlines and asking one student each lesson to write a reflection on what they learnt by contributing to the document. I can also hyperlink photos or videos from our class workshops to assist students in recalling what was done each lesson. Students with special needs are able to revise the lessons content and absence students never miss out on work again. There is also a Group Collaboration folder where students can create group documents and folders when they are collaborating with their peers. I have also found students are willing to share study notes on a collaborative document particularly in the lead up to the final examination and so I have created a Class Study Notes Folder. The document I set up in these folders have the core components of study highlighted so that students begin to sort their work according to the syllabus.
Communication Folder - Each student has their own individual folder in the Communication Folder. They can use this folder to view their results, submit work and assessments and communicate directly with me as a teacher via the Communication Document found here. I can also drop any specific documents or resources in their folders for them to see. This is the perfect place to set student goals, provide feedback and monitor a students progress.
Getting Students Started
I have provided the students with Student Introduction Notes. Find them here.
Parent-Teacher Interviews
Come parent -teacher interviews I can pull up results, student information, samples of work etc. in a matter of moments. No more flicking through my messy chronicle to find what I need.
So give it a try today and put some joy back into your organisation. No more messy desks or desktops! Feel free to use the templates I have provided. If you would like further information, drop me an email or comment below.
I have provided the students with Student Introduction Notes. Find them here.
Parent-Teacher Interviews
Come parent -teacher interviews I can pull up results, student information, samples of work etc. in a matter of moments. No more flicking through my messy chronicle to find what I need.
So give it a try today and put some joy back into your organisation. No more messy desks or desktops! Feel free to use the templates I have provided. If you would like further information, drop me an email or comment below.
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