The Time Tracker Program

The Time Tracker Program helps students transition from adult-regulated to self-regulated planning. The hands-on activities teach students to feel the passage of time and overcome time blindness.

INTRODUCTION TO THE TIME TRACKER PROGRAM It is worthwhile to take a closer look at the dimension of time, for it is inseparably tied to our experience, to our self-consciousness—to life itself. — Marc Wittmann, Felt Time: The Psychology of How We Perceive Time The Time Tracker Program™ is designed to help students gain the skills they need to independently plan and carry out their daily tasks and assignments and to advance toward their desired goals at school and at home. These skills include attention, motivation, self-regulation, organization, and prob- lem-solving. They are all part of the executive functions (EF)—the core cognitive processes involved in consciously choosing and self-directing toward goals—and they all connect to a foundation of time awareness. Time awareness is not a fixed trait (students are not simply “good” or “bad” with time) but rather a flexible skill that can be developed through practice. Time awareness is about much more than being able to read a clock: It is about being able to read, interpret, and respond to the actions, materials, and obstacles involved in meeting the demands of the current situation (e.g., navigating one’s way to class through an unexpectedly crowded hallway with the necessary books and technology). It is also about being able to accurately anticipate these features for future situations (e.g., planning to arrive at school earlier the next day to avoid getting marked as tardy). Time awareness is equally important to elementary students who are learning the basic routines of the classroom and high school seniors who are coping with multiple deadlines and extracurricular activities. Without this key skill, standard time management tools like checklists, planners, and home- work contracts will lack meaningful context and are unlikely to lead to the increased independence and problem-solving abilities that we as educators and caregivers all desire for our students. While students who experience EF challenges in academic settings are the most likely to be identified as needing sup - port in managing their time, we have all encountered situations that challenge our time awareness, and all students can benefit from scaffolded instruction in this area. Time awareness includes the dual ability to visualize a future goal and one’s future self attaining that goal , which is essential to the development of EF. As Russell Barkley (2012) states, to build their EF, individuals need “to repeatedly practice: self-monitoring, self-stopping, seeing the future, saying the future, feeling the future, and playing with the future so as to effectively ‘plan and go’ toward that future” (p. 199). The following example shows how two students who are equally intelligent can expe- rience academic assignments, academic achievement, and self-efficacy very differently based on their respective abilities to “say,” “feel,” and “play with” images of their future selves.

IntroductIon to the tIme tracker Program

In a high school classroom, two students sitting side by side hear the same verbal instructions for an ELA homework assignment to create online flashcards with clipart for their weekly vocabulary list. Student A demon - strates strong EF skills in this context as she immediately pictures herself at home that night. She mentally reviews her schedule and realizes that her first stretch of productive time will be at 8 p.m. She visualizes the 25 completed flashcards and reviews the materials she will need for this assignment: the class vocabulary handout, the class’s online dictionary, and the online flashcard program. She also visualizes the steps she will need to take: finding and typing the definitions for the vocabulary words and adding clipart images. She moves her hand in a simple gesture that reflects that she is picturing a block of time in her schedule and getting the flashcards done by 9 p.m. This will leave her with just 90 minutes before bedtime to finish a math worksheet and to study for a science test the next day. She feels uncomfortable about that limited amount of time and uses inner speech or self-directed talk as she imagines and gestures a different scenario: “If I use my free block to finish the math worksheet, then I can use the 90 minutes left before bedtime just to study for science, and that feels better to me because I want to get a good grade on that test (plus Dad promised me extra gaming time this weekend if I do). It would be great if I could raise my grade from a B+ to an A-.” When a friend asks her to go out to get a snack during her free block, she says, “I’d like to, but I have a lot of homework” (she spreads out her hands as she gestures the volume of work). She completes the math worksheet during her free block. That night, she finishes the flashcards as planned, and she excels on her science test the next day. Student B, who is sitting right beside her in class, has struggled to develop and apply EF skills in academic settings. He hears the ELA flashcard assignment and has a general thought, “I need to make flashcards.” He spends his free block hanging out with friends. The day passes until 9:15 p.m., when Student B’s parents ask if he has completed his homework. He looks at the homework posted on the school website. This includes making the vocabulary flashcards as well as reminders to finish a math worksheet and to study for tomorrow’s science test. This student has left his vocabulary handout at school. He texts a friend to ask her to take a picture of hers and send a copy but receives no return text. He manages to finish his math worksheet by 10:30 p.m., but he has an uncomfortably short amount of time left to study for his science test. Realizing that he has still received no return text about the ELA vocabulary list, he responds with negative self-talk: “Ugh, I remember a few of the words, but what’s the point if I can’t finish the whole thing? I’ll have to ask for another extension.” He has been anxious about his science grade and opens his textbook to study, but his anxiety rises as he encounters a difficult concept, and he responds by shutting down with more negative self-talk: “I don’t have time to figure this out. I’m never going to get a good grade anyway. I can’t do this.” Student B is challenged throughout his day by his difficulty with sensing and anticipating the passage of time. Given the significant gap between his IQ and his achievement, some teachers might conclude that he “doesn’t care,” pointing to his misuse of time during his free block as a supporting example. But he does in fact care deeply about his grades and his teachers’ perceptions of him. He did not use his free block to get started on his homework for the straightforward reason that he could not see and feel the impact this time would have upon his future self. Similarly, he did not bring his vocab- ulary list home because he did not visualize in advance the materials that he would need to complete the assignment. He did not anticipate the future satisfaction he would experience when the assignment

TIME MANAGEMENT INFORMAL ASSESSMENT

Time Management Informal Assessment Directions: Please read the following statements and mark an “X” beside each statement in the column (“Very Untrue,” “Untrue,” “True,” or “Very True”) that most accurately reflects your experiences this year. Section A very untrue untrue true very true

1. Finding school or personal items in my backpack, desk, or locker is not easy. 2. I find myself walking around a lot (in the classroom, or back and forth to my locker) to get all the items I need before starting an activity. 3. When thinking about transitioning to a future place, I don’t usually picture the room or space in my mind before I get there. For example, if I’m in the hallway, I do not have an image of the classroom I’m walking toward in my mind; or if I’m going to a store, I do not imagine what the inside of the store looks like before I enter. 4. Even though I finish my homework, I can’t always find it the next day. I sometimes leave it at home instead of bringing it back to school or I forget to turn it in online. 5. It is hard for me to organize or find the handouts, books, or worksheets I need to do homework assignments or to study for tests. 6. I often lose points for “careless” mistakes or “sloppy” work on my school assignments. 7. It is hard to picture and remember to pack up ahead of time the materials I will need for my classes. 8. I think I can remember my homework tasks, so I often do not write them down in a planner or check the homework board (in class or online). Sometimes I miss something important. 9. I often leave the materials I need to do sports or music ac- tivities (like gear and equipment) at school, home, etc., and I have to go back to get them.

LESSON 8: VISUALIZING YOURSELF ACROSS THE DAY

Directions DONE (the goal)

In this activity, you will practice visualizing time and visualizing yourself in the future as your day passes. You will build your ability to see the sequence of the main events of your day (the order in which they happen) and the amount of time these events take (e.g., the time that passes between break- fast, your classes, sports practice, homework, and relaxation time). Picturing yourself moving across the whole of your day will help you plan for activities beyond the immediate present and your next one or two events so that you can feel better prepared and more in charge of your time.

chaPter 5: PlannIng tIme wIth shade/mark/check

LESSON 19: SHADE/MARK/CHECK OVERVIEW Background In this lesson and the next several lessons (Lessons 19–22), you will learn how to use a method called Shade/Mark/Check to help you successfully plan and manage your time. When planning academic and other tasks, it is important to break down larger tasks into smaller time goals so that you can complete them on schedule and effectively manage your attention while you work. Setting time goals for the steps of a task simply means creating time markers to help you start, track, and complete your work within the volume of time you have available. Creating time markers gives you an opportunity to visualize the steps you will take at each point in time. When you set time markers and visualize the steps before you start a task or assignment, this mental rehearsal will guide you through the task. In this image, a student who wakes up at 7:10 a.m. mentally sees and feels the time markers of where she will need to be when to get out the door by 7:50 a.m.

If this student starts to get distracted by social media when she is getting dressed at 7:25, her men- tal time markers will help her realize that she might be late if she keeps scrolling. She will then adjust and realize that she can catch up with social media while she’s eating breakfast. Her time markers will help her avoid feeling rushed or being tardy.

lesson 19: shade/mark/check oVerVIew

Another big benefit of seeing and feeling the steps of a task in advance is that it helps you to see potential obstacles and adjust ahead of time. For example, if the student realizes when she is visualiz- ing her morning routine that she will have to take extra time to pack up a project today, she can shift her mental time markers and plan to grab a protein bar for breakfast instead of sitting down to eat cereal. Again, her time markers will help her do all the things she needs to do without feeling rushed or stressed. The Shade/Mark/Check Method is a simple system that will guide you in applying these skills to your daily tasks and assignments. You will learn to see what can be completed within a planned vol- ume of time by MIMEing and placing markers at the times when you plan to do the following:

• Get Ready and gather the necessary materials, organize your space, identify and plan for poten- tial distractions and obstacles, and engage a positive mindset. • Start the task. • Midpoint Check-In : Check in with yourself halfway through your planned work time, asking questions like, “Am I still focused?” “Any distractions?” “Do I need to change my pace or adjust my plan?” • Stop working on the task. • Get Done : Just as we Get Ready to do a task, it is also important that we Get Done and close out a task by submitting or packing up assignments, marking the work as completed in a planner or online school program, and/or cleaning up materials. • An optional What’s Next? sketch on a sticky note placed on the clock can help you to visualize and transition to your next activity.

lesson 18: understandIng FIxed Versus FlexIble tIme

GET READY (the materials you will need) • Fixed Versus Flexible Time Scenarios Chart

• Working Clock or clock image • Self-Talk Card (see Appendix E)

Activity: Fixed Versus Flexible Time Scenarios

Your mom is picking you up at the mall at 6:00 p.m. She told you that she needs you to be on time because she has an important call at 6:15 p.m.

The school hockey team’s playoff game is tonight at 5:00 p.m. It could go into overtime.

Fixed- But-Flexible

Fixed

Flexible

Fixed

Flexible

It is 8:00 p.m., and a new episode of a TV show you like has just been released. You can watch it when your homework is done.

It is 4:00 p.m. You have 45 minutes of homework and no other plans tonight.

Fixed- But-Flexible

Fixed

Flexible

Fixed

Flexible

Your piano lesson is from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. The piano teacher’s next student is at 11:00 a.m.

Your math class starts at 8:30 a.m. and lasts 50 minutes.

Fixed- But-Flexible

Fixed

Flexible

Fixed

Flexible

chaPter 8: aceIng Your tIme

Activity 2: Kinds of Time on a Planner Page For each sample planner page provided, label the kind of time on the line next to each activity. The first page has been partially completed for you.

LESSON 40: PLANNING TO PLAN: REVIEWING AND CARRYING FORWARD THE STRATEGIES YOU’VE LEARNED Congratulations! You have worked hard throughout the Time Tracker Program to understand and ACE the skills involved in successful time management. In this lesson, you will be guided through a tool that can help you strengthen these skills into regular habits by reviewing, tracking, and looking forward to your use of the strategies you’ve learned. You can choose one of these forms and make copies to keep on hand as a reference that will give you immediate feedback to celebrate your successes, help you think about which strategies are the most helpful to you, and encourage your problem-solving mindset as you move forward. Example:

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