ABSTRACT
In the context of classroom learning, the use of time is an important matter. There is often a limited amount of time available and skilful use of it can be the difference between children learning effectively and learning little. Teachers’ sharing out of their own time – between planning and preparing, marking children’s work, asking questions, giving information, listening to and talking with individuals or group, or taking part in extracurricular activities – is well worthy of scrutiny
Anyone wishing to manage time effectively would find that some kind of occasional systematic analysis can be quite illuminating. Teaching is a busy job which requires all the energy that can be mustered for it, so this kind of analysis should not be overdone. For example, it is possible to attempt to record each hour a breakdown of how the previous hour has been spent. A series of headings can be assembled, such as ‘planning and preparation’, ‘teaching children’, ‘attending formal or informal meetings’, ‘marking work’ and ‘assessing progress’, ‘social time’ and the ubiquitous ‘other’. Every hour the teacher can make a very quick and rough estimate of how many minutes were spent in each of the categories. It is then possible, at the end of a day or a week, to see how one’s time has been spent.
