How to set up GTD Projects as a teacher?

[Homemarcy]

I'm only just getting through the book the first time, but I'm not quite sure how to manage my projects list as a teacher. In any given week, I'll have 6 classes per day, 3 days per week. For each class, I need to plan, enter assignments into classroom management software, make copies, review notes before class, remember to bring certain supplies, teach the class, put away supplies and notes, and then start over. Every class day, every week, for 34 weeks each year. I don't quite know how to set that up to get the pieces off my mind. Do I make each class a project? Create a checklist? And if I do create a checklist, I'm still not sure how to put it on my projects list.

Any teachers out there who can help me grasp how this works?

 

[bishblaize]

I'm only just getting through the book the first time, but I'm not quite sure how to manage my projects list as a teacher. In any given week, I'll have 6 classes per day, 3 days per week. For each class, I need to plan, enter assignments into classroom management software, make copies, review notes before class, remember to bring certain supplies, teach the class, put away supplies and notes, and then start over. Every class day, every week, for 34 weeks each year. I don't quite know how to set that up to get the pieces off my mind. Do I make each class a project? Create a checklist? And if I do create a checklist, I'm still not sure how to put it on my projects list.

Any teachers out there who can help me grasp how this works?

My sister-in-law is a lecturer and we went through her system a few years back and came up with something that worked for her. I'd recommend having one class = one area of focus (ie something you're responsible for). So in your case, you'd have 18 Areas of Focus plus a couple of others for the stuff you do outside of those classes.

For each class (AOF), you will have a bunch of one-off or recurring Projects to complete (Review notes, order supplies, mark work, etc). At your weekly review, you can check each class to help you think about what Projects need adding or working on.

"Class 1 needs some more supplies, Class 2 I need to chase parent permission slips, Class 3 I need to freshen up my teaching notes, etc"

As you've rightly noted, a checklist would be very helpful here. Essentially you're going to do the same menu of things with every class, just not all at the same time. So a list you can go through to check that everything is ok would save you a lot of time.

After each weekly review, you'd have something like

(Area of Focus)
- (Project)
- (Next Action)

Class 1
- Update supplies
- Email colleague with a request for more workbooks @email

Class 2
- Get completed permission slips from all parents
- Type out a letter to give to each pupil @computer

Class 3
- Update teaching notes
- Check the teaching portal for recommended curriculum changes @computer

(Obviously, I'm guessing at the kind of work you actually do)

One other thing, teaching life is so regimented that you might benefit from timeblocking more than other people. If Wed afternoon is always non-classroom time, and you have 3 hours of reviewing students' work to do every single week, might not be a bad idea to block it off as your weekly time to do just that.

 

[mcogilvie]

I'm only just getting through the book the first time, but I'm not quite sure how to manage my projects list as a teacher. In any given week, I'll have 6 classes per day, 3 days per week. For each class, I need to plan, enter assignments into classroom management software, make copies, review notes before class, remember to bring certain supplies, teach the class, put away supplies and notes, and then start over. Every class day, every week, for 34 weeks each year. I don't quite know how to set that up to get the pieces off my mind. Do I make each class a project? Create a checklist? And if I do create a checklist, I'm still not sure how to put it on my projects list.

Any teachers out there who can help me grasp how this works?

I’m a university physics professor, and only teach one course per semester. The individual course mechanics are probably not so different, but the scale at which you are working is much higher. I just finished the first week of the spring semester, so I’m still in the process of setting up course mechanics. For me, each course is a project. Each project has hard landscape items: things I must do on a certain date or at a certain time on a date. The classes themselves are hard landscape, for example. The simplest approach is that all of these go on a calendar. Then there are things that I need to do which are softer landscape: for classes, these usually have due dates, but I have some discretion as to when I do them. These items can go on context lists like @computer or @school. Of course, as due dates approach, I can lose that discretion, and things move from do them before Monday to must do now before class. Of course I try to avoid this happening….. Because I manage everything with software rather than paper, I don’t have to move things too often from context lists to calendar, because the software I use gives me a unified overview. Items on context lists due today have red dates, and I can set a reminder for a specific time. Another possible tool for teachers is the traditional lesson plan book. This is basically a specialized calendar. Today I use a vastly more complicated LMS (learning management system), which for me is Canvas. For me, it is mostly a tool for recording grades and communicating with students but theoretically you can do almost all course mechanics with it. You ask specifically about checklists. These can be very useful. In GTD, they traditionally fall into either reference or individual project support being neither projects nor next actions. Early in my career I have had checklists on large post-it’s and moved them around as needed, but now they are digital.

I hope this is somewhat helpful. Successful teaching requires a fair degree of organization however you do it, so GTD may have less of an impact than in other areas of your life if you already have a good system in place for course mechanics.

 

[RomanS]

For me, each course is a project (with outcome, deadline) and a checklist for the usual process (project support material). This main project is divided up into several sub-projects (e.g. exam, preparation of lessens, etc.) and tasks in the context lists (e.g. teaching in the calendar, etc.).

 

[John Forrister]

I'm only just getting through the book the first time, but I'm not quite sure how to manage my projects list as a teacher.

Welcome and thanks for posting. Also thanks for teaching, which seems to be a much under-appreciated profession these days.

You've got excellent suggestions already in the replies. As a supplement, I can think of three recordings, and may come up with more, in our GTD Connect online learning library where educators talk about how they bring GTD into their work. Please email connect@davidco.com if you would like a guest pass and links to specific content.

 

[Homemarcy]

Wow! Thank you all so much! All of these answers are very helpful. And John, I've sent that email. I've already been helped by the pieces of GTD I've been able to apply; I'm looking forward to figuring out how to put much more of it into practice.

 

[TesTeq]

Do I make each class a project? Create a checklist? And if I do create a checklist, I'm still not sure how to put it on my projects list.

@Homemarcy I'm not a teacher but you can certainly define a project for each class. In some software packages (like Nozbe) you can define a project template that can serve as your refined checklist to use each time you create a project for a class. You can group such projects using their names, areas of focus or tags/labels.

 

[Murray]

I'm a high school teacher. If you'd like to have a call some time to talk these issues through, feel free to email me at mcare36@eq.edu.au.