New platform content: ‘Managing Homework’ Island learning module

Persona Life Skills e-learning now includes a new Island learning module, 'Managing Homework', in which students learn social-emotional life skills to help them get on top of their homework by recognising what causes stress, and how to reduce it.

22-May-21

By Dr Leila Khouja Walker, Chief Product Officer

In the Persona Life Skills social-emotional e-learning platform, 'Managing Homework' is a new Island learning module for Year 9-11, where students learn how to identify the challenges in completing homework well and on time, and gain more control by developing habits that reduce stress and increase perseverance. 

Students are taken on a journey through the common challenges around homework. They learn, through reflecting and prioritising, how to give themselves the best chance by managing their homework space, time planning and addressing their own personal challenges such as distractions or asking for help.

Questions and activities in this Island help students develop three social-emotional life skills, through a personality insights lens:

• Perseverance – Keeping going, on something worthwhile, even when things get hard
• Time management – Managing my time, so I don't disappoint myself or others
• Stress management – Managing my stress in different situations

In the 'Get Your Bearings' warm-up, students are asked to consider the places and times they tend to do their homework, and the importance of taking breaks. Activities prompt them to prioritise where and when they prefer to do homework, and think about when they should take breaks.

In the 'Explore' knowledge acquisition section, students are introduced to useful tips to help them plan their homework: Get organised, get focused, get support when needed, and get it done. They then use their knowledge of personality styles, as well as their own Persona, to identify homework tips and activities they could adopt as helpful behaviours in future.

As students reach the 'Viewpoint' plenary at the end of the Island, they are asked to reflect upon the ideal conditions for doing their homework, and list growth areas they could work on to manage stress and improve perseverance. Finally they are asked to come up with strategies they could try, to start on each growth area.

Managing Homework is part of the Discovery Islands curriculum – the Persona Life Skills life challenge learning modules, available with a subscription. 

Persona Education offers free access to its Persona Life Skills e-learning platform for secondary schools and colleges interested in developing their students’ social-emotional life skills, to boost wellbeing and employability. To request a live demo of the platform please get in touch – we would love to talk to you!

About the author: Dr Leila Khouja Walker has been working in the education sector for 25 years. An ex-teacher and pastoral deputy head, she is now a respected edtech and pedagogy thought leader, leading development of the personality insights life skills e-learning app Persona Life Skills, at the Bristol based edtech company Persona Education Ltd. www.persona-life.com