Time-Wasting Habits Teachers Need to Break with Time Management in the Classroom
What time-wasting habits should teachers break in building proper time management in the classroom?
In this article, we answer this question by presenting three tips to using time effectively in the classroom.
The three tips involve:
- Lesson Planning
- Classroom Management
- Discipline Strategies
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Time in the classroom takes on a different meaning depending on whether you are a teacher or student, even though both result in the same goal – getting things done.
See how teachers can help students improve their time management skills inside and outside the classroom by clicking here.
Time management for teachers means giving the students enough time to get things done.
For students, time management means having the skills and time to get things done.
In the classroom, when students are enjoying the lesson with the teacher, time seems to fly right by.
The true sign that a teacher has delivered a well timed out lesson is that students are left wondering where the time went!
The Benefits of Time Management
We can see why time is important in the kitchen – you get anything you like to eat or drink done perfectly every time!
Time Management & Students Video
Watch the video below to see how students can benefit by improve their time management skills.
As you can see from the video, when students improve their time management skills, they can share more with others and do more inside the class.
Time-Wasting Habits to Break in Building Proper Time Management in the Classroom
We now look at time wasting habits to avoid in helping to improve your time management skills when it comes to teaching.
These recommended ways don’t have to be in any particular order.
I. Not Making Useful Lesson Plans
Teachers, and myself included, hate making lesson plans.
However, it goes without saying that teachers need to come into the class prepared with what they will teach the students.
Making lesson plans helps give teachers a sense of direction with what they will teach while helping to give a sense of how much time it takes.
And what keeps students interested is not so much what the teacher will teach, but how they will teach the material.
Tip #1: Always Keep in Mind "How You Will Teach"
To start you lesson, students need to feel that there will be a clear beginning, middle, and end to the lesson.
They just won’t see the end coming in an interesting lesson!
How you will teach the lesson makes the students more interested in participating.
The best way to approach this is to break up the lesson into different timed activities.
Students shouldn’t be kept sitting in one way for the entire duration of the class time. They need to move around as often as possible.
II. Not Establishing Classroom Management
Some teachers believe that giving time to establishing classroom management rules and routines is a waste of time.
But the truth is, before any beneficial teaching and learning can take place, there has to be established rules and routines in the classroom.
Classroom management strategies work best with older students when they are involved with the decision making process as to how the classroom will be run.
Including students when establishing classroom rules, extension activities, and discipline strategies gives students a sense of autonomy – which gives them a sense of freedom.
Tip #2: Allow Students to Recognize Their Freedom
Avoid issues with classroom management by having students understand that there are two important “times” in the class.
Yes! The “times” are “teacher time” and “independent time”!
The different labels tell students that there are certain times when they can and can’t ask to leave the classroom.
When students know that they have “independent” time in the classroom, they will feel like they have more freedom.
III. Using Unrealistic Discipline Strategies
When teachers make threats with discipline strategies that don’t seem fair, such as no one is allowed to leave the class for break time, students learn not to respond to the teacher in any positive way.
When students help to establish rewards and consequences for controlling negative behavior, they will show more respect to teachers and students in the classroom.
But how should teachers deal with students who show disruptive behavior?
Tip #3: Allow Students to Time to Reflect
They should ask the students to reflect on their own behavior and how it impacts on others.
How should students reflect?
The teacher could have a discussion with the class if many students were impacted or could ask students to write down their reflection if parents need to get involved.
Both teachers and students need to be aware that their behavior may have impacts on other students.
We would hope all behavior in class makes for positive impacts, but we must also know how to deal with negative impacts to studnets as well.
Time Management Activities
Whether teaching in the normal or “traditional” classroom or “online” classroom, discipline strategies must be part of any classroom management system.
Click here to find more information for teaching online.
Related Topics
Connect to our other pages as you navigate through our website. Explore what these pages have to offer you and you will be glad you did!
- Learn our tips for teaching math
- Explore important points to improving your communication skills
- Get more tips on teaching by visiting our teacher blogs
- See how understanding mental health helps to improve teaching and learning
- Click to read more on the difference between classroom management and discipline
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Final Thoughts...
I hope you enjoyed reading this article and found it useful for building good time management skills that will help with your educational goals in teaching for years to come!
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