This document provides tips and techniques for managing classroom time effectively. It discusses defining objectives for each class, allowing flexibility to adapt lesson plans, estimating task times accurately, keeping activities time-bound, and assessing time demands such as reviewing materials and allowing for questions. Sample classroom time management games are also described, such as having students move to music or copy hand clapping patterns, to help engage students and maximize the time spent in class.

1. TimeManagementintheClassroom
Teachingassistantsalwayshave alonglistof thingswe needtoaccomplish – and generally,toolittle timeinwhichtodo
them.Here are some helpfulhintsonhowtomake the bestof yourclassroomtime whilemaintaining arealisticapproach
to howmuch youcan accomplish.
Basic principlesof classroom time management
 Define yourobjectivesforeachclassandtry to remainfocusedonthem.Allowingthe classtodigresstoofar,or for too
long,maysacrifice more critical discussionoractivities.
 Become comfortable earlyonwithcompromise.You’llrarelyaccomplisheverythingyouideallywouldlike toaccomplish.
 “Gettingout of the way”. Recognize whenyoushouldstepaside andletthe studentstake over;be responsive tothe
classroomdynamic.
 Be flexible.Be able toreshape yourlessonplanonthe fly,torespondtothe demandsof differentgroups.
Assessingtime demands
 Reviewthe assignedmaterial,evenif you’ve taughtthe material before.If you’re workingthroughproblemsetswith
students,make sure youdothe problemsetsyourself first.Workthroughanyexercisesyourself first,etc.Thiswillallow
youto identifypotential problemareasandplanyourlessonaccordingly.
 Take into accountothertime demands,suchas the needtoreview assignmentrequirements.
 Allowfortime forquestionsondifficulttopics/concepts.Buildtime forquestionsintoyourlessonplan.
 Estimate the time eachtask will take,andbe preparedtofindoutthat yourestimate islow.
 Be aware of course objectives,notjustclassobjectives.Longer-termplanningallowsyoutomake connectionsbetween
material acrossweeks,aswell asdivide othertaskssuchaspreparingforassignmentsintomore manageable ‘units’.It
alsoletsyousee where there are ‘lighter’weeksinthe syllabus.
Writingthe lessonplan
 Assesswhatyourstudentsalreadyknow,andthe time available versusthe numberof tasksthatneedtobe
accomplished.
 Keepthe classroomdynamicinmind.Isthe groupfondof debates (allow more time) ordotheyhave difficulty
participatingindiscussion?The extratime ittakestogeta discussiongoingwill affectyourplanningforthe class.Tryto
experimentwithallowingtime forindividual writinginresponse toaquestioninsteadof alwaysrunningadiscussion.
 Prioritize yourestablishedtaskstoensure thatyoucoverthe most importantconcepts/subjects.
 Considermakinguse of time-controlledactivities(groupwork,role-playing,in-classwriting,individual presentations,etc).
 Be aware of hiddentime demands(administrative issues,explanationof testproceduresorassignments,questionsfrom
lectures,settinguptechnology,rearrangingthe room, etc.).
Some final tips
 Make studentsaware of yourlearningobjectivesforthe day.Itissometimeshelpfultoputan outline forthatday’sclass
on an overheadtransparencyorinone cornerof the board.Indicate notonlywhat activitiesyou’ll be doingandwhat
exercises/problemsyou’ll be workingon,buthowmuchtime you’ll be allottingeachpartof the class.Indicate whatthe
overall goal isforthat day.
 Alwayskeepaneye onthe passage of time duringclass.
 Assessthe successof the lessonplanaftereachclassand adapt forthe nextweek.
CreatedbyAliciaMcKenzie,TATPTrainer©2006
http://www.teaching.utoronto.ca/gsta/teaching-essentials/time-management.htm
Time ManagementTechniquesinthe Classroom
By Cindi Pearce,eHow Contributor

2. Managing yourtimeisn't easy.Teachersand studentsgetoff trackor sidetracked,too,fora variety of reasons.
Interruptionsand distractionsmessup thebest-laid plans.Buta classroomrunsmoreeffectively and efficiently when you
keep an eye on the clock and use time aswisely as possible.
OtherPeople Are Reading
1. SystematicApproach
o Whenan educatorand herstudentsmanage theirtime they're takingasystematicapproach.Thisletsthembe more
efficientandproductive.Timemanagementalso decreasesanxietybecause the teacherandstudentsdon'twaituntil the
lastminute todo somethingandendupin a crisissituation.
ActivityLogs
o Teachersand studentsshouldkeepactivitylogstoletthemsee how they're spendingtheirtime.Youmaydiscoverthat
you're wastinga lotof time onunimportantthings.Asateacher,youshouldtrainyour studentsintime managementby
havingthemlistthe thingstheyneedtodoon a givendayand how much time theythinkthey'll needtodothem.If a
studentpracticesa sportafterschool,he mustfigure outa wayto attendpractice and have enoughtime leftfor
homework.Thisshouldbe includedonhislist.Andtell studentstosetpriorities:Putthe mostimportantthingsatthe top
of the listandthe least importantat the bottom.
AllottedTime
o Allottime fora certainclassroomactivity -- 15 minutes,say.Whenthe 15 minutesare upthe class movesonto
somethingelse.Thiswaythere isnogroundsforgrousingwhenstudentsare toldtoclose theirbooksandgo on to the
nextactivity.The lessonhere istouse allottedtime andnotwaste it.
Stickto the Schedule
o The teachermust establisharoutine andsticktoit for the mostpart. Certainactivitiesare done atcertaintimeseachday
and fora specified amountof time.The schedule canbe postedsothe studentscansee it.
Procrastination
o Discussprocrastination,orputtingthingsoff until the lastminute,withyourstudents.Explainhow itcan putthemina
bindtime-wise andultimatelyaffecttheirperformanceinthe classroom.
Teachersand Students
o As a teacherimproveshisowntime-managementskillshe canteachhisstudentstime managementtechniquesaswell.
Everyone benefitsfromthislesson.
Readmore : http://www.ehow.com/info_7869258_time-management-techniques-classroom.html
Energiser:SynchronisedMovement
Purpose
Thisis a funactivitywhichcan be usedas an energiseroricebreakerwithinanygroupof people.The physical movement
associatedwiththisexercise makesitidealforlongtrainingsessionswhere participantshave tositdownfora longtime.
Objective
Participantstomove ina synchronisedmotion.
What You Need
 Music playerwithanupbeattune playinginthe trainingroom
Setup
 Divide the participantsintoteamsof 3to 5 people.
 Explainthateachteam has 2 minutestocome up witha synchronisedmove whichall itsmemberscanparticipate
in.
 Start playingthe upbeatmusic.
 Afterthe allocated2 minutes,eachteamhas1 minute todemonstrate theirchosensynchronisedmove.
Timing
Explainingthe Test:2minutes.
Activity: 10 minutes
Group Feedback:5 minutes.
Discussion
How doyou feel aboutyour synchronisedactivity?Wasiteasierthanyouthought?

3. 1. Red Elbow
Thisgame involvesthe teachercallingoutacolourand a bodypart. Studentsmustfindanobjectin the roomthat isthat
colourand thentouch the selectedbodyparttothat object. For example,if the teachercallsoutpinkthumb,then
studentsneedtofindanobjectthat ispinkand touchit withtheirthumb. The teachercontinuescallingcoloursandbody
parts.
To make thisintoa game studentsthatare tooslow incompletingthe instructioncanbe askedtositdown. The last
studentremainingisthe winner.
I have usedthisgame witheveryclassI have evertaughtand theyhave all lovedit. Thisgetsstudentsmovingaroundthe
room andusingall parts of theirbodies,agreat energizer.
2. CopyMe
Thisis simplyagame of copycat. The teacherusesa combinationof clappingandsoundstomake a pattern. Students
needtocopy whatthe teachersays/does. Thiscanstart witha simple patternof only2-3and can extendtoadd
more. To make it evenmore challengingcomplete the patternquickerandsee how manystudentsare able tokeepup
and rememberall the parts. Anexample patterncouldbe:clap,slap,snap,clickandyell.
3. Hear Me
Thisgame isan extensionof the one above. Thistime studentsneedtokeeptheireyesclosedanduse theirearstolisten
to the patternand thencopy.
4. Beat The Teacher
Thisis probablymyfavourite game toplayinthe classroom. Essentiallyitisthe classagainstthe teacher.
The students mustcopy fourbeatpatternsthat the teacherclaps,exceptforone. The teacherclaps the forbidden
patternto the studentsat the start so theyknowwhichone notto copy. Forinstance,the patternnotto copy is:ta, ta,
ti-ti,ta. The teacherthen clapsvariousfourbeatpatternsthat studentsmustcopy. At a randomtime the teacherclaps
the forbiddenpattern. If evenone studentcopiesthis,thenthe teacherwins1point. If no studentscopy,thenthe class
scores1 point. The firstto 5 isthe winner.
Thisis anothergame that I have done witheveryclass….andIthinkI’ve onlyeverbeenbeatenacouple of times
5. Chopsticks
For thisgame your studentswill needaccesstochopsticks. Thiscanbe completedinacouple of ways. Firstlythe teacher
can say differentpatterns,andthenthe studentscopybyusingthe chopsticks. Forinstance,the teachermaysayti-ti,ti-
ti,ta, ta, thenthe studentswouldclapthisoutwiththe chopsticks.
Alternatively,the teachercanclapout a patternon the chopsticksandthe studentscopy. The teachercan make the
patternsprogressivelyharder,fasterandlongeruntil the studentsfindittoodifficulttokeepupandfollowthe pattern
correctly.
6. Rhythm Race
Thisis a race between2students. The teacherclapsouta rhythmusingsome commonpatterns,suchas ti-ti,ti-ti,ti-ti,
ta. Studentsrunto the board and thenwrite the rhythmclappedbythe teacher. The firststudenttowrite the correct
patternisthe winner. The winnercanstayinand a new challengerisselected.