Touchstone 9

I make the most of every minute.

In addition to addressing the emotional and social needs of our students, we have an enormous responsibility to help them learn. After all, that's really why we were hired! We also have limited time to do this and a curriculum we are expected to finish. Class time is valuable.

"When it comes to time, what's most important is how much time is devoted to instruction and, in turn, what portion of that instructional time translates into student engagement and learning" (Goodwin & Hubbell, 2013). If we allow daily housekeeping tasks such as taking attendance, collecting homework, or making announcements to eat away our class time, students could potentially lose hours or days of instructional time in a year! To make the most of every minute, we can:

Develop specific routines for daily non-academic tasks (so students automatically know what to do instead of reorganizing repeatedly).
Plan class time down to the minute (to build time awareness and a focus on learning).
Teach bell-to-bell (by having a starting assignment already on the board, a prepared ending activity as they pack up, and quality learning activities in between).
Try to limit outside distractions (even if it means discussing this with the administration).
Try block scheduling with longer class periods, if possible (with lessons that still maximize teaching the entire time).
Try planning a class with 10-15 minute segments, one smoothly leading into the next (for example — begin with questioning and a review game of the previous lesson, then direct teaching of new material, practice/processing/group time, and a wrap up and review of the day's learning).
Plan activities, learning stations, or a technology center for students who finish early.
Develop procedures for housekeeping tasks (attendance, turning in homework, etc.), so they have minimum impact on learning time.

Since class time is often diminished due to a variety of reasons, there is also a movement to expand and add more hours to the teaching day. The National Center for Time and Learning (2017) feels that it is "time to change the way we think about the school day. Redesigning and significantly expanding the school day can give students nearly two additional years of learning time. When done well, expanding learning time raises achievement, enriches education and empowers teachers." Some schools are already doing this.

References

Goodwin, B. & Hubbell, E. (2013). The 12 touchstones of good teaching: A checklist for staying focused

every day. Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development. Alexandria, VA: Association for

Supervision & Curriculum Development. [Bookshelf Online].

Why expand learning time? Raise achievement (2017). National Center for Time and Learning. Retrieved

from http://www.timeandlearning.org/why-more-school-time/raise achievement