Time Management Skills in the Classroom

Time management skills are very valuable for the teacher. Teachers should not waste time in the classroom since it all needs to be focused on education. Lessons shouldn't be rushed, but teachers need to know that there are lots of other things to do in the classroom. If a lesson takes too long, it can really mess up the plans for the rest of the day. If a lesson doesnt' take as long as it should, there is a gap and students aren't going to have anything to do. This can easily lead to behavioral and disciplinary problems. Teachers really need to know how to move from one thing to the next as quickly as possible. Teachers need to have smooth transitions from subject to subject so that students can easily follow along. Not moving to the next thing quickly looks clumy and unorganized and makes the teacher look like she or he doesn't know what they're doing. As a sub, I don't really have a time management tool other than to follow the schedule left by the teacher. Time management makes it easier for students to learn. They spend more time learning, and less time goofing off or doing things they shouldn't be doing. When time is managed, students are on task and using their time efficiently. According to our reading, some good time management strategies are using a timer so the child is able to gain control of passing time, creating a signal for the student to inform him or her of "time spent" versus "time left," and providing smaller units of work in regularly scheduled time periods. Normally a student doesn't look at the clock on the wall so they're not aware of how much time has passed, and most of them work well with a timer. Normally a teacher or proctor will write the number of minutes left on the board. This is a quick and efficient way for students to know how much time they have remaining. It's always a good idea to give students a small amount of work at a time. Based on my own experience, students will shut down if they have a big pile of work on their desk, especially at the lower grade levels. They tend to talk to a neighbor or a friend instead of working because it looks like too much for for them to do.

• Reference

Glazer, S. M. (2001, August/September). Cultivating a healthy classroom. Teaching PreK-8, 32(1), 136.