Managing Deadlines for Distance Learning

 One big difference between distance learning and in-class learning is turning in completed assignments. In class, you drop what you have on the teacher’s desk. Distance learning means finishing in time to submit remotely with the expectation that submissions might be delayed or technology might fail. 

We deal with this in real life all the time, so children will benefit from learning these lessons when the stakes are relatively low. Many students feel that if the deadline is 5 pm, then submitting an assignment at 4:58 pm should be the goal. But, I have seen countless students frustrated that they lose a few points because their clocks were slightly behind, they lost connection for a few minutes, they had last-minute questions about content and formatting, or any number of minor glitches. 

Even the most diligent student will have the occasional deadline fail; it happens to all of us and I consider it a learning opportunity. But, I side with the teachers after the first failure to meet a deadline, because the students had hours or days before the deadline to complete the work and ask questions (I know there are special circumstances sometimes, but I’m talking about routine work submissions and long-term projects). Part of student learning needs to include managing the workload or addressing overloads early. The other part focuses on training their brains to see the complete project or learning goal instead of just the deadline. 

Science shows that deadlines distort how we perceive time and workload. The more different tasks and the closer the deadline, the more difficult our brains perceive the work to be. When your child complains that math homework is harder on nights that they also have practice or meeting, science supports this view because their brains make it harder to complete multiple activities. This doesn’t mean you should avoid multiple goals and activities, but by changing how these assignments show in a schedule, you can relieve pressure from the final deadline. 

Keeping a running calendar with all assignments (even weekly and daily ones) can help students juggle and not miss deadlines. This calendar can be digital or written, but the key is to enter every deadline twice. I put the main deadline with a two hours reminder before the work is due and then I add work time for the assignment to my schedule. By scheduling the work time, as well as the deadline reminder you train yourself to see the work as more than just a deadline. Students have to train their brains to not just see the end goal, but the effort as part of the school learning process.   

If you have a particularly anxious student or your child easily gets overwhelmed, keep a separate weekly and quarterly calendar. Add tests and assignments to the quarterly and put their study time in the weekly schedule without noting the final deadline. Start adding study review time for big tests and exams the week before (for semester final exams consider it three weeks before), so the student doesn’t see just the one big test or assignment overshadowing the entire week, because it has been accounted for in small chunks. 

Training the brain to see the deadline spread out into smaller chunks needed to meet the final deadline will help children learn to manage their time and it helps school avoid becoming just a series of deadlines and tests. Everyone enjoys learning more when the focus stays on the journey and not just on the end goal.