#4 Teach Like A Champion

2/18/2016

Book Study Blog Question 2-18-16:
How do you use, or plan to use “Work the Clock” or “Every Minute Matters” (re: back-pocket activities) in your classroom? What are your challenges and/or successes with these techniques?

7 Comments

Lori

2/21/2016 02:28:40 pm

I need to use “Work the Clock” to allow students equal amounts of time when they are sharing/critiquing their work with the class. Students generally love to share their art with the class answering questions about their project and are disappointed if they get the opportunity to share out. I also need to have a clock running on the board for students to monitor how much time they have to get to a certain point in the lesson. And, I lose track of time working with students and then, all of a sudden it is time to clean up! The last 5 minutes of class can be quite chaotic as we try to clean up quickly and efficiently.
Does anyone know how to set up a timer on the board?

Noranne Glover

2/21/2016 04:16:36 pm

I would also like to know how to set up a timer on the board. I often use my phone or I've found a couple of timers online but I'm not crazy about these. For me to have a running clock for all to see is very powerful and causes students to "keep track of time". I do find some students getting stressed by the timer but it's been a part of my class from the beginning of the school year so it doesn't seem to bother them as much as it did in the beginning of the year. I do struggle sometimes with writing and keeping the students on pace. Often times it takes my students much longer than I expect to get through a writing project. I'm going to try to use some incentives to get my students to start right away and maintain their focus. If anyone had some suggestions as to what you use to encourage students through the writing process I'm all ears.

Kerry

2/24/2016 08:28:40 pm

I really don't like either of these ideas for my classroom. I might keep a timer going for my own use, but I struggle with the idea of stressing my kids out with it. It is just my own thing about a running clock haunting my every interaction with kids. I do agree that sometimes I know that I need to be more aware of my own use of time, as I know that sometimes I "talk it to death" during instruction. This is something I am attempting to be more aware of due to what we have read.

Lori

2/29/2016 01:08:28 pm

What I'm finding I will use the timer for is...quick activities that shouldn't take more than a minute to do but they start chatting and the one minute activity can turn into a 3 minute activity. Also, clean up is taking longer than normal, some people want to finish one part of their project before they clean up which holds up the rest of us.

Christi

3/20/2016 04:55:34 pm

Wow, time! Don’t we all wish we had more of it?
I don’t think I would do well with a timer on the board except during transitions or simple tasks. I will admit, I don’t do a great job with time during writing either, because sometimes, I see something repeated in the students’ writing, good or bad, and I feel the need to stop and do a mini lesson. Maybe I haven’t been teaching long enough to anticipate all of the issues that may come up. I like to think I respond to what the students need in the moment. Either way, I think I’d set myself up, and in turn, the students up for failure with a timer and a set time frame to reach a specified point in writing.
I do ask for a show of minutes from the students on how much more time they think they need to finish a task. They simply show me with their fingers “How many more minutes” they need to complete something. Because we practice it at the beginning of the year, they learn what I think is going to be a reasonable amount of time. When they hear me ask, they know they should be nearing the end of the task. This also provided them an opportunity to have input into determining the time allotted.

Richard Warren

5/4/2016 09:56:51 pm

I would only use a timer for transitions or for specific quick exchanges of ideas or thoughts. I agree with most of you about adding the pressure of timers for getting work done.

Cathy McCluskey

5/15/2016 02:45:27 pm

I have some dawdlers who would rather do anything than write. I like the suggestion of setting goals within time limits. The wording seems important, to elicit quality work, “Let’s try to get two descriptive sentences written in five minutes. Go!” That’s better than, “We have three minutes left to finish our writing. Hurry up!” Some students, however, are not motivated by urgency, which frustrates me.

I plan to “use every minute” by asking kids a question as they come in and are taking their places around my table. Another time that needs tightening up is right at the end of class when we’re cleaning up, getting book bags, etc. Maybe I could sing a song that teaches parts of speech or something…

#4 Teach Like A Champion

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