Abstract Detail

Teaching Section

Wandersee, James H. [1], Clary, Renee M. [2].

A Case Study of the Effectiveness of Francesco Cirillo's Pomodoro Technique for Time Management by a Science Graduate Student.

At two prior BSA meetings (2007, 2009), we presented research on the effectiveness--for improving students' botany learning--of our Leonardo Strategy of online discussion board design and our Polymath System for students' marginal annotation of their science textbooks. A third study quality improvement tool we have begun using is Francesco Cirillo's Pomodoro Technique for time management (2009) which originated in Italy and has found wide acceptance there among computer code writers. Results of our case study of one research university science graduate student indicates that a developing scholar's self-management of the focus-quality of her study time and the expansion of her cumulative study time can be substantially improved in measurable ways using the Pomodoro Technique. Our study participant was initially intrigued by its simplicity and the ease with which she could apply it to her daily routine. Her perception was that there were two keys to her success: (a) its time-boxing structure, and (b) its insistence upon vigilant interruption avoidance during study times. The latter finding aligns well with the recently published human productivity research of Heath and Heath (2010).

Broader Impacts:

1 - Louisiana State University, Dept. of Educational Theory, Policy, & Practice, Ph.D. Studies in Biology Education, 223 Peabody Hall, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA
2 - Mississippi State University, Dept. of Geosciences, 101-D Hilbun Hall, Mississippi State, MS, 39762-5448, USA

Keywords:
botany education
graduate students
interruption avoidance
habits of mind
Pomodoro Technique
science learning effectiveness
time management.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for Sections
Session: 44
Location: 554B/Convention Center
Date: Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010
Time: 4:15 PM
Number: 44011
Abstract ID:40