4 Ideas from Teachers to Help Productivity

July 7, 2021

By Jason Eisenberg
Community Program Manager for Office Depot

Whether you’re a teacher or a student, staying productive in or out of the classroom takes a lot of planning and organizing. As students begin transitioning back to school, we thought it would help to share some of the unique ideas shared through #DiscoverDepot on how teachers can help their students (and themselves) stay productive at school all year round.

teachers classrooms organization office depot

1) Customize binders to stay organized

@lawofteaching / Teacher
There are probably hundreds of different categories to organize when running a classroom, but the first thing you must organize before all else – is yourself. Jessica Lawson, a teacher from Arizona shares her organization process, using four separate binders to map out the year – a student binder, her own teacher binder, a substitute binder and one for communication.

She happily answered another teacher’s question of, “What did you include in the substitute binder!?” To which she answered, “the seating chart, admin info, important contacts, plans and feedback. As well as any other documents required by her district.”

The key to productivity, is having the right organization process in place so that when things don't go as planned, there is a contingency (i.e. keeping students, substitutes informed even if you're not there).

2) A bulletin board for all occasions

@mrsbrennansclassroom
Mrs. Brennan is “in love with the ‘bulletin board’ idea” because it works two-fold. It makes the perfect backdrop when teaching from home.

“It sits behind me and fills up my picture/screen on Google Meet.”

And when it’s time to get into the classroom, she can simply hang the board on the wall. Mrs. Brennan sets up her bulletin board like she would her classroom, providing a daily calendar that she can write and erase on – created by using a small whiteboard and command strips.

Jessica Bouwens (@teachingin2b) offers a similar piece of advice by using giant poster-sized task cards for her second-graders. This way, they are able to reference the card/task at hand at all times and remain productive in situations where focus and attention can get lost.

3) Create interactive activities with sticky notes

@missps_style / Teacher

A process anchor chart is a tool to help students move through a process like how to solve a word problem or the steps to complete a math problem. Megan shares this interactive graphic organizer anchor chart because it identifies the process as to how her students will solve a problem. What makes this fun and interactive is the sticky note aspect. Students will start at the top and work their way down to the final answer, starting from topic to main idea, followed by the support (prove it!).

“It’s an effective way of encouraging student engagement. Not only do they increase student confidence when engaged in a writing task, but they help to keep students on task by offering support in the form of visual prompts that help unstick the stuck!” – Literacy Ideas

classroom folders teachers students officedepot

4) Color code tasks & assignments

@all_things_teacher_jameson / Teacher

When it comes to keeping young students organized and on task, keeping it simple with color-coded folders can go a long way. First-grade teacher, Josellin, provides homework folders for her students that are distinguished by color, name and customized covers. This way, students can jump right into their work instead of searching where they last put it.

The organization goes a little further when you open the folder – separating assignments that need to be brought right back to school and ones that are to be left at home.

Try one – or try all of these practices to help keep your students on task, whether at home or in the classroom. For more ideas on how to create a productive and fun classroom, visit the Discover Depot page. If you'd like to be featured as an Office Depot ambassador, sign up here!

Teacher Resources

The Teacher Inspiration You Need Today

Every good teacher needs some motivation in their survival kit, so we rounded up some of our favorite inspirational teacher quotes.

Learn more

Ace the School Year With This Teacher's Survival Kit

The day is approaching when teachers will once again venture into the classroom. Here's how to pack a teacher survival kit that will help.