Teach your students to use this time management strategy as they study.

 

All students, but students with a LBLD in particular, get easily distracted and lose their focus. When faced with having to prepare for a test, many students think that spending hours at a time - powering through the material - is their only option. Yet this approach is ineffective and leads to frustration.

 

The Pomodoro Technique is a time management strategy that balances focused study periods with short mental breaks. The brain learns best in intervals, and then needs breaks to process and assimilate. (Pomodoro = tomato in Italian, and was created using a tomato timer).

Here’s how it works:

Students list their assignments in the order they want to complete them

They set a timer for a certain amount of time (20 minutes is good)

During this time, students focus exclusively on their work. If they get distracted by another thought (oh, I have to text my friend to see what time practice is) they write it on a piece of paper. They can address this idea during their break time.

After 20 minutes, the student takes a 5-minute break. No more.

Then, they set the timer for another 20-minute interval (called a pomodoro) and work until the timer rings, and again they take a 5-minute break.

The student takes three 20-minute pomodoros, after which they can take a longer 15-minute break.

At the completion of each assignment, the student checks off the assignment, aiding the feeling of accomplishment.

If there is more work to do, they can start the cycle again.

The goal of this technique is to reduce distractions and interruptions, and increase focus and productivity.
 

Too often students study for hours yet feel that they have gotten nowhere. 
The Pomodoro Technique reduces a student’s frustration and inefficient use of time.