The Importance Of Time Management

Teachers! We know there’s nothing of greater importance to you than time management. You constantly face unique time management issues. Your daily schedule is booked and there is little flexibility in class schedules. You’ve got papers to grade and lesson materials to prepare – and on top of this, you have to teach your students. With an ever-increasing list of courses and a stack of papers to mark, it is easy to feel overwhelmed. Therefore, time management is of the utmost need for any teacher, and we at Teacherr are here to help you with it!What is Time Management?

Time management is the process of organizing and planning how to divide your time between specific activities. Good time management enables you to work smarter – not harder – so that you get more done in less time, even when time is tight and pressures are high. It also helps you in exercising conscious control of time spent on these activities, especially to increase effectiveness, efficiency, and productivity.

Time Management For TeachersAn important part of a teacher’s job is to prepare materials and to be available for students and parents outside of classroom hours. Additionally, you may need to do routine administrative tasks, make phone calls and prepare lesson plans.

Importance Of Time ManagementTime management is important because it helps you prioritize your work. After you have your list of daily tasks taken down, you need to figure out what you should do first. Those that are important should be the first ones you should tackle. For example, you could ask yourself, "Should the students learn this lesson first or do this activity first?"

With time management, you get more things done in less time. Once you map out your tasks, you can figure out how much time you can put into the task. Also, it can help you plan other fun activities in class!

Benefits Of Time Management For TeachersProvide you with stress relief and greater job satisfaction.Increase your efficiency and effectiveness in the classroom.Give you more time and improve the quality of your lessons.This makes it an important concept for you and your students. Effective time management in the classroom means making the most of the time with your students. So how do you do it?

Ways To Improve Time ManagementPrepare To FailThis is an important foundation for effective time management in the classroom because it ensures you are not caught out on the occasion of failure. If you are prepared for failure, then you might work towards the solution more than pondering over the past. Less pondering would allow you to be more attentive in class and thus more efficient.

Know Exactly What You Want To AchieveAt the start, make clear to your class what they will gain. Make the point of stating what you expect of them. Write what you want to achieve, preferably somewhere everyone can see it. This enables you to be on equal footing with your class. This ultimately will lead to greater efficiency for everyone.

Delegate Work To StudentsExamples of delegating work to students include giving out books/resources and collecting in. This helps in freeing up some of your own time and at the same time, give the students a sense of belonging and importance in the classroom. In this, you have to ask one question to yourself — What can you habitually outsource to them that can free you up to do more of what’s really important?

Be FlexibleSometimes things don’t work out as planned. Is that okay with you, or do you need to stick rigidly to the plan? As long as the end is kept in mind, a bit of deviation along the way is okay, even fun! Being rigid leads to less efficient outcomes. Always remember there are instances which are beyond your control. It’s how you react to these instances that will define you as a teacher.

Expect The Unexpected And Allow ItThis is particularly important when allowing time to get your students’ attention — an essential pre-requisite for effective time management in the classroom. It is better to plan ahead for potential problems before facing them in the classroom, as urgent crises can distract you from your goals within the classroom. A crisis that relates to student behaviour is better to avoid or handle before it reaches the peak. This will avoid wasting class time. By learning about students before they enter the classroom, teachers can create a plan of action to avoid triggers and stop distractions early.

Set Aside Personal TimeA teacher has many tasks that require attention. Often, these focuses on the needs of students and their parents. Although it is tempting to put more time into grading, giving feedback and managing student needs, it is also important to set aside personal time to keep the priorities in proper perspective.

Prioritizing time for personal needs is necessary to effectively implement and execute the plans for educating students. When teachers are exhausted due to lack of personal care and time, it is possible that the classroom becomes less effective and efficient. Implementing time-saving plans only works when a teacher is energetic, healthy and refreshed.

Strategically Plan Homework AssignmentsBoth teachers and students may find that assignments that require repetitive practice are better suited for the home environment. Although in-class practice helps when framing and structuring problems, repetitive practice during class may not be the best use of time. Assignments that simply ask students to complete a set number of problems for practice unnecessarily consume valuable class time.

Give Students Specific Time FramesRemind them how long your students have left to work on a specific task. Develop a greater sense of urgency in students who may otherwise take it easy. Always remember, you want your students to learn to the best of their ability! Sometimes this might entail to being firm on your students. Otherwise, they might take you casually. Always remember to give specific time frames to your students so as to keep them always on their toes.

Use A Carrot Or Stick To Get Tasks DonePromise your students a ‘carrot’ that they can enjoy if they finish their work on time. For example, 5-10 minutes playing a game or allowing time to talk works well as the metaphorical carrot. Give them incentives to be attentive and you’ll notice quite a difference in the class. This enables them to look forward to something and might even pique their own interests in the subject.

Have A Visible Clock On The WallStudents prefer to know where they stand in terms of time (and, obviously, it helps their time management, too), so a clock is a must. It’s a very simple choice, really! Teachers need to take measures to properly manage time for an effective classroom environment. By effective use of time management, it is possible to keep up with the educational needs of every student, manage urgent situations immediately and avoid falling behind when unexpected events occur. Time management is an important part of providing quality education and meeting the needs of every student.

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