Time Management
Description of the Concept:
Time management in the classroom means managing the time that is available during the day in an appropriate way that will give every student the opportunity to meet or excel in the learning objectives. There is so much time that is lost throughout the day in a typical classroom setting, but with proper time management, much of this lost time can be avoided. This means learning what needs to have time spent on and how much time to spend on it.
Significance of the Concept:
I have heard multiple times from teachers that there is so much to teach and so much to do, but there is so little time to do it. That is why proper and effective time management is vital in the classroom. I have mentioned that student learning is related to the opportunity to learn and creating an environment where success is possible; because this is accomplished by the time that is given to learn the standards, time management is indeed important in providing students with the opportunity to meet or excel in the learning objectives and standards. If time is not managed properly and it is not spent on teaching the standards, then teachers will waste valuable time and hinder the students from the opportunity to learn. Teachers can perform all of the concepts listed on this site, but if they do not manage the time in which they do them, they will not be successful in teaching all of the learning standards that are necessary.
Practical Example:
A practical example of proper time management is that seen through the scenario that there is a teacher who knows that her students have a test coming up soon where they are struggling in the content. They are currently working on an art project, however, that they are very much enjoying. Rather than spending more time on that, however, the teacher decides to take some time away from that to review for the test. She tells the students to finish the project at home if they do not finish it in class. This displays effective and wise time management.
Time management in the classroom means managing the time that is available during the day in an appropriate way that will give every student the opportunity to meet or excel in the learning objectives. There is so much time that is lost throughout the day in a typical classroom setting, but with proper time management, much of this lost time can be avoided. This means learning what needs to have time spent on and how much time to spend on it.
Significance of the Concept:
I have heard multiple times from teachers that there is so much to teach and so much to do, but there is so little time to do it. That is why proper and effective time management is vital in the classroom. I have mentioned that student learning is related to the opportunity to learn and creating an environment where success is possible; because this is accomplished by the time that is given to learn the standards, time management is indeed important in providing students with the opportunity to meet or excel in the learning objectives and standards. If time is not managed properly and it is not spent on teaching the standards, then teachers will waste valuable time and hinder the students from the opportunity to learn. Teachers can perform all of the concepts listed on this site, but if they do not manage the time in which they do them, they will not be successful in teaching all of the learning standards that are necessary.
Practical Example:
A practical example of proper time management is that seen through the scenario that there is a teacher who knows that her students have a test coming up soon where they are struggling in the content. They are currently working on an art project, however, that they are very much enjoying. Rather than spending more time on that, however, the teacher decides to take some time away from that to review for the test. She tells the students to finish the project at home if they do not finish it in class. This displays effective and wise time management.
Integral Components:
It is important to understand what kinds of time need to be managed in the classroom. For time management, there are three different types that can be identified: allocated time, engaged time, and academic learning time. (Savage, 2010, pgs. 80-82).
- Allocated time: Allocated time refers to the amount of time that is allocated to teach the class. For example, in a middle school, a teacher may have about 50 minutes to teach the class. In an elementary class, teachers have the whole day on which they have to decide how much time they need to allocate per lesson and activity.
- Engaged time: Engaged time refers to the amount of time that the students spend focused on the instructional objectives. This is calculated by subtracting from the allocated time the length of time where the students are actually engaged in the instructional activities. Students may be given thirty minutes to complete a group project, but out of those thirty minutes, time may be taken out from getting the materials, giving instructions, and getting set up. The amount of time that therefore that they spend focused on the instructional activity is less than the thirty minutes that were allocated for it.
- Academic learning time: Academic learning time refers to the amount of time that the students are engaged in the academic learning standards, but with success. This means that though a student may be engaged in an activity for twenty minutes, if he/she does not learn anything then he/she has zero academic learning time.
Individualization:
Because I know how important time is during the school day, I will make sure to have my administrative routines, lesson routines, and interaction routines set. If I do not take these into consideration during the school day, then I wil lose much precious time in doing these routines that are not part of the academic learning time.
Relevant Scripture:
Luke 14: 28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?
This is relevant to a teacher because if they have all the plans and lessons ready to teach the students but do not take the time to allocate specified times for each activity, they will not be successful in teaching everything they want to teach or doing everything they want to do.
It is important to understand what kinds of time need to be managed in the classroom. For time management, there are three different types that can be identified: allocated time, engaged time, and academic learning time. (Savage, 2010, pgs. 80-82).
- Allocated time: Allocated time refers to the amount of time that is allocated to teach the class. For example, in a middle school, a teacher may have about 50 minutes to teach the class. In an elementary class, teachers have the whole day on which they have to decide how much time they need to allocate per lesson and activity.
- Engaged time: Engaged time refers to the amount of time that the students spend focused on the instructional objectives. This is calculated by subtracting from the allocated time the length of time where the students are actually engaged in the instructional activities. Students may be given thirty minutes to complete a group project, but out of those thirty minutes, time may be taken out from getting the materials, giving instructions, and getting set up. The amount of time that therefore that they spend focused on the instructional activity is less than the thirty minutes that were allocated for it.
- Academic learning time: Academic learning time refers to the amount of time that the students are engaged in the academic learning standards, but with success. This means that though a student may be engaged in an activity for twenty minutes, if he/she does not learn anything then he/she has zero academic learning time.
Individualization:
Because I know how important time is during the school day, I will make sure to have my administrative routines, lesson routines, and interaction routines set. If I do not take these into consideration during the school day, then I wil lose much precious time in doing these routines that are not part of the academic learning time.
Relevant Scripture:
Luke 14: 28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?
This is relevant to a teacher because if they have all the plans and lessons ready to teach the students but do not take the time to allocate specified times for each activity, they will not be successful in teaching everything they want to teach or doing everything they want to do.