Time Management
статья по английскому языку (11 класс)

Using Stories and Fables for Effective Time Management Teaching

To   be  successful  at  work  and  yet  have  the time  for  family  and  leisure  is  everyone’s  dream.  So   the   materials   from   the   11-th   form    textbook    on   the   topic   “Time   management”   are   very   useful.   They     aim   to    teach    students   how   to   achieve   their   goals   by   giving   them   different   tips   on   effective   time-planning.    

To work hard and enjoy free time a person should carefully plan his/her life considering what s/he really wants   to   achieve   and   how   s/he   is   going   to   do   it,  so  at  the  lessons   students   give   their   different   opinions    debating    about   the  necessity  to  plan  their  activity,   set  priorities  and   control  the realisation  of  their plans.  They  write  general  and  daily  to-do  lists,  talk  about  resistors  and  drivers for  achieving  their  goals.  Sometimes   it   is   not   easy.   In   such   cases   nice    fables,    stories   and   videos   can   be   very   useful as examples.  Students  like  them,  and   with  their  help  remember  the important  ideas  and  concepts  of  the  topic  better.

Here  is  an  example  of  a  beautiful  story  which  seems  especially  relevant  regarding   the  importance  of  balance  of  time in one’s  life.

A rich businessman was on holiday by  the  beach in Mexico  when  a  small  fishing  boat  docked nearby  with  just  one  man  on  board.  Inside   the   boat    there   were   several   large   tasty-looking   fish.

   “That’s   quite   a    fine   catch,” noted the businessman. “How   long   did it take you to pull those in?”

  “Only a little while,” said   the   fisherman.

  “So   why  don’ t  you  stay  out  fishing  longer  and  catch  more  fish?” said the rich man.

    “This   is   enough   to   take   care   of     the   needs   of   my   family,” replied   the   fisherman.

    “But   what  do  you  do  with  all  the  rest  of  your  time?” asked the businessman.

  The fisherman said, “I sleep late, I fish a little, I spend time with my wife and play with my children. Then   I   rest   in   the   afternoon. In   the   evening  I visit  the rest  of  my  family  or  stroll  into  the village where I have a drink with my friends. I have a full and busy life.”

     The rich man scoffed. “I have  a  business  degree  from  one  of  the  best universities  in  the world. I can help you. If you spent more time fishing,   you   could   buy   a    bigger   boat.   With  the  profits  from it  you could buy  several  more  boats  until  eventually  you  would  own  the  whole  fleet  of  fishing  boats. Then  instead  of  selling  the  fish  to  a  middleman  you  could  sell  the   fish  directly  to  the  processor  and  increase  your  profit  margin. Eventually, you could open   up   your   own   canning   factory   and   become    a   wealthy   business   owner.  Of course,    you   would   have   to   leave   this   village   and   move   to   another   country   to   manage    your    business.”

     “How long would all of that take?” the   fisherman   wanted   to   know.

   “Oh, at least 15 years,” replied the businessman.

  “But what then?” asked   the humble fisherman.

   The businessman laughed and said, “That’s the best part. When the time is right, you can sell your company. You would become rich. You could make millions.”

   “Millions!” exclaimed the fisherman. “Then   what?”

  “Then you could retire to a little village by the sea” said the businessman, “where you could fish a little, spend time with your wife, play with your kids, then rest in the afternoon. In the evening you could stroll into the village and have a drink with your friends. You see how wonderful things would be!”

 I used  this  story  when  facilitating  project  planning to encourage  participants  to  consider what   they   really   want   to   achieve   and   whether   they   need    more   efficient and effective options for   achieving   their   goals .  Working in teams, my students had an exciting debate on this topic. The first team was sure that “there is nothing as useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.”  The second team thought that “the great use of life is to spend something that will outlast it”.  Finally,   all     students   agreed   that “how you spend your time is more important than how you spend your money. Money mistakes can be corrected, but   time   is   gone   forever”. Then, working in groups, the students  made posters  on the time management topic ( PAY – Prioritize  your Activities by Yield ; GROW – Goals Reality Options Will ;  PRIDE – Personal Responsibility In Delivering Excellence ; TEAM- Together Everyone Achieves More ; SMART – Specific Measurable Achievable Relevant Time-bound ).  After   that    my   students   were   inspired to write   and   share their   own stories.

          There   are   many  other  stories  which  have  obvious  lessons  for  us  all. They help us understand  that  goal  setting  is  a  powerful  process  for  turning our vision of future into  reality, so the following Internet addresses www.businessballs.com/stories.htm,  www.citehr.com/17383-short-story-teaching-time-management.html can be very useful for effective time management teaching.

Valentina Iavorciuc,