Time Management for Teachers Workshop plan

Workshop/ Input Session for CTEFLA
Alex Case/ Byron Language, Rome
July 03

As a class- discuss how long it takes you at the moment to plan a 45-minute lesson

Brainstorm examples of things that you can do, both productive and unproductive during that time (=day of world’s least organised teacher)

In pairs, draw a circle, interview your partner and divide circle into segments by how long your partner spends doing specific stuff (e.g. cutting up, staring into space). Discuss together in any of the segments is too big and how it can be cut down.

Give out GENERAL TIME MANAGEMENT TIPS SHEET (taken from Business websites etc.) and trainees see if those tips can work for teaching and/ or can be adapted for teaching (in pairs)

Discuss as a class

Go through GENERAL TIME MANAGEMENT TIPS SHEET again for each of the things that took up their time (circles task) to see if they can use and/ or adapt any of these tips

Chief time wasting problems are:
Cutting up-
Planning what to do
Finding lead-in and production ideas
Finding stuff in the teachers’ room
Photocopying
Forgetting to take stuff into class- board pens, dictionaries etc.
Summary/ finish off workshop

Cutting up-
In teams of 2 or 3, trainees cut up an ACTIVITY as quickly as possible as a race (4 sets). Give them RULERS, SCISSORS, PAPER CLIPS (NO guillotine) (get them doing COMMUNICATION GAMES activities for your own teachers’ room filing cabinet!)

Tips for making class sets quickly:
- hold sheets together with paper clips while cutting to stop them slipping
- push scissors forward instead of snipping
- Do each set in a different coloured piece of paper to stop them getting mixed up
- Rip with a ruler rather than using scissors
- Cut into strips, stack up, cut again, sort
- Store them so all teacher can use them and easily contribute their own
- Think of ways to avoid cutting up at all

See how we can do these ACTIVITIES we just cut up or others without cutting up
- Fold instead of cut
- Cut into two parts rather than individual cards
- If need to choose at random,

Planning what to do

Write next lesson down during/ after previous class

Plan the weeks and months ahead.

As a class, plan 90 hour course for these TEXTBOOKS- how many pages per 45 min class (in exact decimal)? How can we organise it?

Finding lead-in and production ideas

Having a ‘To try’ folder and looking through a whole book for any good ideas rather than flicking through it every time you need something
Have an index of good ideas for specific textbook pages

Finding stuff in the teachers’ room
Clearly label shelves and books
Colour code shelves and books
Put textbooks A to Z
Have one person in charge of clearing up per week
Photocopying

Do all the photocopying for the whole day at once
When each class set of one copy comes out, wrap the folded original and/ or a paperclip round it to make sure you don’t get it mixed up
Label the original page of the book with book name, grammar point etc. before you photocopy it so you can easily find it if you need it again

Forgetting to take stuff into class- board pens, dictionaries etc.

Make your own reminder list and stick everywhere- on the inside of the teachers’ room door, on the front of your textbook and/ or registers
Have a pencil case you take with you everywhere
Take your bag into class just in case
Capital letters on lesson plan and/ or circle stuff that needs materials (see above)

Summary/ finish off workshop
Go back to tips for managers and discuss how to adapt them (summarising discussions above).