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Teacher Time
Savers
Time management skills are
essential for success in the classroom. As teachers we have very
little time in the classroom to do the simplest of tasks.
Teachers always seem to have more to do than there are hours in a
day. Listed below are some simple strategies to help you to win
the war against time and build a successful classroom environment.
Taking Attendance
Teachers
must perform many house keeping tasks each morning such as taking
attendance. Rather than waste time calling out student names to
take roll, simply glace around the room to see who is missing by
looking for empty desks. Another idea for taking
attendance is to have children pick up a special work folder or
notebook from a designated area as they enter the classroom.
Once the bell rings, go through the remaining folders or notebooks to
see who is absent and mark your roll book accordingly.
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Bell Work
Once
the bell rings and students enter the classroom, students should have
some type of bell work to complete. At my school we call it a
"Do Now" activity. Bell work can be any activity that
requires students to quiet down and focus on their day. By
providing students with Bell Work, the teacher can use her time to
complete the morning's house keeping tasks. Examples of bell
work include:
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Problem
of the Day |
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Reflective
Writing Assignment |
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Review
Questions |
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Self
Selected Reading |
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The
Daily Bite |
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Learning
Centers |
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Assigning Student Numbers
At
the beginning of the school year alphabetize students by last name and
then assign each student a number. Students should record their
student number at the top of every paper. Each time papers are
collected quickly put them in numeric order. Missing papers are
quickly identified and addressed. This is also a nice way to
organize and allocate class sets of materials. For example,
number clipboards, white boards, markers, highlighters, scissors, etc.
with class numbers. Each time materials are distributed they are
given to the student with the matching student number. This is a
great way to save time and make students responsible for retrieving
and reshelving materials.
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Giving Directions
It
is important to be specific when giving directions. Many times
teachers waste valuable time by giving directions that aren't
specific. Students need to know and understand what is expected
of them. Never assume that they know what you want. When
giving directions, be sure that everyone is listening and focused on
you. Remind students that they may not begin the activity until
you say the magic words "NOW YOU MAY BEGIN". You may
even want to invest in a top hat and magic wand. Adding a little
fun during instruction time will grab the students attention and pull them
into your instructions. Should students begin to move around
during instructions, stop them and remind them that are to be
listening and not doing. Before releasing students, ask them if
they have any questions. Answer the students' questions and then
release them to begin working by saying the magic words.
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Using Name Tags
Successfully
At
the beginning of the school year, create name tags for each
student. Laminate the name tags for durability and store them
for future use. These redi-made name tags can be used for field
trips, substitute teachers, and special guests who visit the
classroom.
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Have Materials Ready
A
lot of time can be saved during transitions by having students get
their materials ready before leaving the classroom for lunch, recess,
library visits, etc. Before leaving their seat, students
place the materials they need for the next lesson or activity on their
desk. This is a fantastic way to have students focused and ready
to start the next lesson upon re-entering the classroom.
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Assigning Student Jobs
Many
teachers waste valuable time each day doing tasks that can be
completed by students. To save time, provide each child in the
classroom with a specific job. By performing jobs in the
classroom, students build a sense of community and take responsibility
for the classroom environment. Job rotations can occur daily,
weekly, or monthly. Student jobs include but are not limited to
the following:
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Making Groups
Calling
students by groups is a quick way to save time. Label student desks with various shapes. These shapes can
be purchased through Trend Enterprises and Teacher's Friend or made
with Ellison Die Cuts. Adhere the cut out to the student's desk
with roll laminate and then use a permanent marker to record the
student's number. Use at least five different shapes so that you
have five groups (frogs, butterflies, pups, bees, ladybugs,
etc.) When calling students to line up, come to the
carpet, take up work, etc., call students by groups.
When lining up say "Frogs, please line up".
It's a fun way to get students going in the right direction
and saves time because students are organized. At the end of the year, use
91% alcohol (or the strongest solution of alcohol you can find) to
remove the permanent marker and the die cut can be reused.
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Keeping Track of Absent Students
When
students are absent from school make-up work can quickly pile up and
take a great deal of time away from both the teacher and returning
student. Designate a student, perhaps the Teacher's Assistant, to record the day's tasks on a
"We Missed You While You Were Out" form and file all
necessary papers and worksheets in a designated work folder. Once
the absent student returns to school, he picks up his work folder and
locates a "Teacher's Assistant" who explains how to complete
the missing work and answers as many questions as possible.
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Keeping Track of
Missing Homework
Keeping
track of missing homework can become a nightmare for
teachers. When a student does not complete his
homework, he fills out a Missing Work Notification form.
Copies can be easily maintained by creating a folder that is
readily available to students. When homework is not turned in, students pull the form
and complete each section. The student fills
in their name, the name of the missing assignment, and an
explanation for why the assignment is missing. The form
is then sent home for the parent to sign. In order to
keep track of what is missing, record the students name and
missing assignment on the Incomplete Work board. Once
the student returns the assignment, the student can erase his
name.
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Sharpening Pencils
Sharpening
pencils throughout the day can be a waste of valuable instruction
time. Allocate a specific time of day for pencils to be
sharpened. First thing in the morning and just after lunch are
good times for students to sharpen pencils. Have extra pencils
sharpened and available for students whose pencil breaks during an
activity. In order to get borrowed pencils back, label pencils
with a sticker or use a specific color of pencil. In addition, display signs at the pencil
sharpener so that students know when the pencil sharpener is open and
when it is closed. Signs can be purchased at your local Staples
Office Supply store and directions for the signs can be easily made
using Microsoft Word's clip art and word art.
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Removing Permanent Marker
To
remove permanent marker from laminated materials use nail polish, hair
spray, or rubbing alcohol. Rubbing Alcohol works the best but the
percentage must be no less than 91%. To remove permanent marker
from clothes use toothpaste.
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Keep Baby Wipes Handy
Baby
Wipes are a real time saver in the classroom. Use baby wipes to
clean white boards, remove ink from transparencies, wipe down desks,
clean dirty hands, etc.
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Using Computer Labels
Computer
labels save a lot of time when repeating important information. Invest in
address labels, folder labels, and shipping labels. These printer
friendly labels have many uses and are quick and easy to use in the
classroom. Listed below are the many uses for using computer
labels:
1. Address Labels - Use
to create teacher comments to parents
("Graded Papers Sent Home Today)
2.
Address Labels - Use to create positive comments for students
("Awesome Reader", "Super Speller")
3. Address Labels - Print a list of student
names for students to label
their
school supplies.
4. Address
Labels - Create a list of address labels for students. Each
month
send home positive postcards
letting parents know how their
children are doing
in school. With a set of address labels it is quick
and easy
to see which parents have been
notified and who you need
to send
postcards to.
5. Use
Shipping Labels for larger comments to parents and students.
6. Use
Shipping Labels to label tubs and boxes for easy storage.
7. Use
Shipping Labels to label notebooks and folders.
8. Use
folder labels to create back-to-school labels for items that you
will need year after year.
Save the file and then simply print out your
new labels each year.
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Creating a Sub Folder
Creating
a Sub Folder will save a lot of valuable time when planning for a
substitute teacher. Invest in a 2-inch binder with tab
dividers. It is very important to be organized because a
substitute will not be familiar with classroom rules and
procedures. Include important information in the binder so that
the sub will have a successful day and want to come back. A
successful sub folder will need to include the following
information.
1. A letter to
the sub welcoming her/him to your class.
2. Important school information: contact numbers for the
school, the
name of the
principal and assistant principal, the names of the team
members in your grade level, directions to
the adult bathroom, etc.
3. School Map
4. Daily Schedule (include any labs or pull out programs)
5. Class List with Contact Numbers
6. Seating
Chart
7. Classroom Rules and Procedures
8. Emergency Procedures
9. Lesson
Plans
10. Dismissal List with Procedures
When a sub comes to visit the
only information that you will need to update are the Lesson Plans,
Seating Chart (should it change), and Class List (should it
change). You may also want to include blank notebook paper so
that the substitute can leave you detailed notes about the day's
events.
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