Why Use Timers?

Timers are a great classroom management tool. When students know how much time they have to complete a task, a measurable expectation is set. After all, classroom management is all about clear and measurable expectations and accountability. Timers are a good way to pace the class and keep things moving one minute at a time (literally). Shout out to Ms. Davis for an incredible use of timers and routines to keep a well-paced lesson.

How to Use Timers: Best Practices

I've seen a lot of teachers using timers effectively for various tasks:

• Take 20 seconds to think on your own, then we will discuss

• You have 5 minutes to finish ____

• You have 1 minute to get your chromebook out and login to google classroom

• We are starting _____ in 5 minutes, you must have _____ finished and ready by then.

Music can be a great indicator of "time's up"

• When the music stops, we are "back in"

• I made playlists on Youtube or Apple music and let a random song play for 20, 30, 90 seconds at a time (however long I needed) and just hit pause or did a manual fade out to indicate "Time's up!"

  • I also had students PICK songs to go on the playlist. (they love to hear THEIR music when appropriate for school)

  • Suggestion: have a group of students make a playlist to use for one week, and then the following week's playlist would be made by the next group of students.

Beware Parkinson's Law: Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.

• • In other words - if you give them 30 seconds, they will use all 30 seconds, if you give them 5 minutes for the SAME task, they will use all 5 minutes

• It's OK to lie (stay with me here...)

  • Tell them they have 30 seconds, but keep a timer for one minute that only you can see

  • They aren't keeping track, and less time may create more urgency and less loafing