Time Flies....

Competency 2.7: Classroom Management and Maximizing Instructional Time.

Words of wisdom from some great minds on the use of time:

·          “How did it get so late so soon?” Dr. Seuss

·         “I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo.
"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”  JRR Tolkein

·         “Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.” William Penn

Philosophy and Planning: A Sense of Urgency about Time

The starting point for good classroom management is the belief that your time with students is a precious commodity.  Pick any one of your classes and think about how much you want each student to know and be able to do by the end of the semester.  Think about the level of mastery you expect and start breaking down the semester by unit and lesson.  Then think about how little time you actually have with students in your room: about 50 minutes a day for 90 days.  That doesn’t give much time, and it certainly doesn’t give time to waste. 

On the daily level, this means that how you plan to use each period is critical.  Each class needs to have worth and value.  Every minute is important.  You need to make the most of the little time you have together with students because time is gold.  You can’t afford to throw it away.  When teachers have this sense of urgency and get students to buy in—the hard part—classroom management issues tend to go away. 

The beginning of class might sound something like this: “Welcome back to class.  We have lots to do today, but your hard work is going to pay off…”  That gets you off and running.  The end of the day might sound like this: “That’s the bell.  Nice work today.  We’ll pick up first thing tomorrow with…”

Here are some thoughts on what might help with competency 2.7:

In the Classroom: Sweat the Details in Order Use Time Well

Jacob Kounin coined the phrase “withitness,” but I first heard this phrase from Robert Marzano.  Kounin defines withitness as “a teacher’s ability to correct misbehavior before it gets out of control and before other students in the class see it and also begin to do it.”  Part of withitness has to do with your awareness of what is going on in your classroom, but your planning and attention to detail are equally, if not more, important.

·         Teach procedures and routines: What should students do when they enter your room?  Where do they hand in papers?  How do you efficiently pass out materials?  All of these common procedures should be taught, so students know exactly what to do during a normal class.  Put in time up front teaching procedures and routines, and you’ll save time later.

·         Pay attention to transitions: Moving from one activity to another can and will lose time, but this loss of instruction time can be kept to a minimum and the momentum of a lesson carried from one activity to the next.  I’ve been in classrooms where transitions seem almost choreographed.  It is a beautiful thing to watch a class flow smoothly from one task to the next.

·         Keep your toolbox full and ready: When you have five minutes or ten minutes, how can you use the “free” time most effectively?  Every class has key terms and concepts that need continual review.  Every lesson can be connected to some larger idea.  Be ready to take advantage of unexpected time.  Instead of saying, “That’s it for today,” be ready with, “Good.  We have five minutes left.  I want to see if we can make a connection from today’s lesson to…”

This competency speaks to the sense of urgency associated with time management, and it also has indicators that are all about taking care of the business of running a class smoothly.  At the risk of sounding like a broken record, Doug Lemov’s Teach Like a Champion is a great resource if you want ideas that will help with classroom management.  Some of his topics that might fit well with this competency: Entry Routine, Tight Transitions, Seat Signals, SLANT, Warm/Strict, Emotional Constancy, Every Minute Matters, and Work the Clock.

Read the indicators from 2.7 and think about what an observer might be able to mark as “hits” in your class today.

Effective

·         Students arrive on-time and are aware of the consequences of arriving tardy.

·         Class starts on-time and continues bell-to-bell.

·         Routines, transitions, and procedures are well-executed.  Students know what they are supposed to be doing and when with minimal prompting from the teacher.

·         There is only a brief period of time where students are not engaged in meaningful work.

·         Almost all students are on-task and follow instructions of teacher without much prompting.

·         Disruptive behaviors and off-task conversations are rare; when they do occur, they are almost always addressed without major interruption to the lesson.

Highly Effective: For Level 4, much of the Level 3 evidence is observed during the year, as well as some of the following:

·         Routines, transitions, and procedures are well-executed.  Students know what they are supposed to be doing and when without prompting from the teacher.

·         Students are always engaged in meaningful work while waiting for the teacher (for example, during attendance).

·         Students share responsibility for operations and routines and work well together to accomplish these tasks.

·         Students are on-task and follow instructions of the teacher without much prompting.

·         Disruptive behaviors and off-task conversations are rare; when they occur, they are addressed without major interruption to the lesson.

·         Teacher has developed clear and efficient procedures for the collection and distribution of student work.  (This includes work for absent students, make-up, etc.)

Preview: Next week, Competency 2.8 is about creating a safe and positive classroom environment and a culture of respect.  I think you will see many, many connections and overlaps between 2.7 and 2.8.

Since I started with a few quotes about time, I thought I might end with some as well.

·         “Let him who would enjoy a good future waste none of his present.” Roger Babson

·         “Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.” Groucho Marx

·         “Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.” Mother Teresa

Let us begin, HSE.  Have a great week.

Phil