The Three Ring Binder Concept


Why Use A Three Ring Binder?
How can a three ring binder help with education?


Learning how to use a three ring binder to organize work is a life skill that helps in education as well as in the workplace. People need to know how to organize their work so that it can be retrieved later for revision or study. Having tabs to separate and name the different sections in a notebook improves the effectiveness of using a three ring binder. Just filling a three ring binder with paper doesn't do the trick. There has to be a place to put the completed homework, the tests, quizzes, and notes for future reference. Some people don't even know that studying a corrected test or quiz can improve their chances of getting a better grade in a class.

Reviewing tests and quizzes after they are graded helps the student learn what is most important to the teacher. This includes knowing how many points are deducted for certain mistakes, learning whether partial work gets partial credit, learning how messy writing and workspace can lower a grade and even what a teacher really likes to see. Reading comments left b y a teacher on a test or quiz teaches a student about their teacher as well as their own weaknesses. Some students don't look at the graded tests or quizzes and mistakenly think they understand the concepts. If there is a section where the student thought he or she understood how to answer correctly and the question was marked incorrect, then the student should ask why the test or quiz was marked the way it was. This could result in added points to a grade or it could result in the student learning a crucial concept that will improve future test and quiz grades.

Some students don't turn in all of their homework. Students don't always know how important turning in their assignments is. Some students have a lack of organizational skills which results in lower grades for simple things such as doing the assignment and not turning it into the teacher. By having a section for homework and keeping track of the homework assignments as they are assigned, students can learn how to help themselves by having a record of what is due as well as a record of what has been returned from the teacher. Keeping track of this can help in any grade disputes if there is a mistake in the teacher's gradebook or knowing why a student's grade has slipped by seeing homework grades on a cover page.

Some students see no need to ever go back to look at notes taken in class. Some students see no point in taking notes in class in the first place. By having a notes section in a notebook, the student is reminded to take notes and where they go when the note taking session is completed. When the student goes to do homework assignments, the note section of the binder also serves as a reminder of where to get help to complete the homework. Some students take notes, but see no relationship between the notes taken in class and the completion of homework assignments. Just breaking through this barrier can improve note taking skills as well as improve the overall grade for the class.

There are students who do not see a purpose to keeping handouts from the teacher. These are photocopied pieces of paper that represent gold in a student's grade. These handouts include special materials prepared by that teacher to supplement the textbook or they have been gathered from other sources over the year as best known practices for teaching individual concepts. Some of them are even useful in creating flash cards to study the most important concepts for that class. Some of them are opportunities for extra credit in a class. Some of them are the explanations of how to do major assignments which can make or break a student's grade for the overall class.

I have included some resources which can be used to help students stay on track with their homework, notes, and improve their overall grade in each of their classes. Please take the time to review what has been collected to see if it can improve grades and thus improve the level of education which is being presented. Some students don't see the point in education and see no use for it later in life. Teaching a student how to get organized and how to stay organized is one skill that will carry over into other things in his or her life and will be seen as something to take into the workplace in the future.

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Home Page last updated 02/06/07