Make the Most of Every Minute
“...researchers have consistently identified time for learning as one of the strongest correlates of student success.”
Research has consistently proven that learning time is one of the biggest stepping stones to student success (Goodwin & Hubbell, 2013). Time must be dedicated specifically to working on class material, or engaged time, to get to those periods of academic learning time. However, teachers are only one person; how do we as teachers create this environment for a whole class or more than one class? Especially knowing that according to Goodwin and Hubbell, “...teachers spent only 68 percent of school time teaching the core academic curriculum” (p. 130).
For an answer to that question, we can look to a great article “Time Management: Planning for the Adventure” by Clara Galan. In it she references the book Teach Like a Pirate by Dave Burgess and gives some succinct ways that we as teachers can better manage our time.
She begins by telling us to prioritize. We think about our overall goals and create a list or chart including the necessary items to accomplish each. Then order them by importance (Galan, 2013). At the beginning of each lesson or string of lessons, prioritize concepts or ideas, allowing yourself to see the importance of each piece.
With each goal prioritized, we can then make a list of goals and set a timeline. This timeline can be by lesson as suggested by Goodwin and Hubbell (2013) when they ask us to plan every minute in the classroom to better notice when it is off track. Or it could be more broad and cover goals that are weekly, monthly, or quarterly. It is easier to visualize just one set of goals instead of bouncing from one to another (Galan, 2013).
We can also enlist the help of our students in managing time and our class. We know that effective teachers manage their classrooms with procedures and routines (Wong & Wong, 2005). We can create routine jobs for our students that serve a double purpose. These jobs not only lend a hand to classroom management, but also take time consuming tasks off your plate and add to a dynamic classroom community (Galan, 2013).
Galan also reminds us that we are not alone. We can reach out to our professional network both in the real world and online. We can ask our colleagues or take to social media as a time-saving professional development resource (2013). At first it may seem hard to ask for help because it feels like some kind of failure, but the more you ask the more you get.
Finally, we can remember to say “No.” This is particularly hard for most teachers. We often hear our agreement to a new thing coming out of our mouth while thinking “I don’t have time for that.” It is better to be fully prepared in a few areas then sprinkling our energy all over school landscape. This overscheduling can make us miss the impact we have on students (Galan, 2013).
Time Management Resources
References
Galan, C. (2013, August). Time Management: Planning for the Adventure. Edutopia. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/time-management-planning-the-adventure-clara-galan
Goodwin, B., & Hubble, E. R. (2013). The 12 touchstones of good teaching: a checklist for staying focused every day. ASCD, McREL International.
Wong, H., & Wong, R. (2005, October). Classroom Management Is Not Discipline. Teachers.net Gazette. Retrieved from https://www.teachers.net/wong/OCT05/