Graduate Student Research Symposium 2025

In every classroom, routines play a big role in helping students feel comfortable and stay organized, whether these routines are planned or just happen naturally. As teachers, we often create routines to support our students’ learning. But what happens when a teacher introduces an organizational tool, like a personal checklist, to help guide those routines? Can it help students become more independent learners? And as they grow more independent, do they begin to set their own goals? In this study, we’ll explore how using a personal student checklist in a 1st-grade classroom helps students take more ownership of their learning. Over the course of three weeks, nine students will use this tool to see if it helps them become more self-sufficient and improve their academic performance. By the end, we hope to understand whether these routines, supported by an organizational tool, can really make a difference in how students approach their work and take responsibility for their progress.