Routman (2003): Chapter 12: You Only Have So Much Time
March 14, 2016
Since August, I have been so stressed out about getting every single thing done that I needed to do, even if it meant using all of my extra time working on it. The beginning of this chapter taught me how important it is to still have a life outside of teaching. Creating all the amazing centers and papers won't necessarily help the students become better, that time needs to be spent working with them, giving them things that they can handle. It is important to make sure that all work is meaningful to the students, not "busy work". Work should also be kept simple. Students need to be able to do small amounts of things that they understand, rather than a lot of things that becomes difficult for students and they get frustrated. If this happens, they won't get much out of it. Work should also be paced well. "When the work is interesting and we move along at a fast pace, we keep kids engaged (pg. 206). I have struggled with this at times.
One thing that I learned in the book that would be very beneficial to me is to time myself while I teach. Students get lost and exhausted if you give them too much time on something. To keep them engaged, keep the teaching time to a minimum. Give them something to look forward to the next time. Rearranging the school schedule to spend less time on some things and more time on others is also beneficial. There was an example in the reading that I really enjoyed, of an old schedule versus a new schedule. I would love to rearrange my schedule, but I feel that I don't know enough to know what needs to happen where. I already struggle with time management as it is.
I hope that as I become a more experienced teacher, I can get better at these things. I really hope to become a teacher that feels like she has her stuff together, and feel that the students are benefiting. I'm not saying that I don't think my students are learning, but I know that they probably could more engaged if I took a different approach at teaching.... I just have to figure out what approach that is and how to go about it.
This was probably one of the most useful chapters to me. I hope that I can use what I have learned in the classroom to make my life easier, and the learning of my students more beneficial.
Kristin,
ReplyDeleteThe timer trick works well! I use timers, alarms, and clocks for so much of my time management. I can certainly help you take a look at your schedule. And, yes, the more experience that you gain, the easier it feels.
Hi Kristin,
ReplyDeleteI am glad that this chapter was helpful for you. It was helpful to me in realizing that we have to stop complaining about not having enough time and start taking a good hard look at how we are using the time we have. This may mean a schedule change, but it also may mean more of a change of of our teaching practices to ensure that meaningful instruction is occuring.