To evaluate routine activities to maximise time for teaching and learning

Aim

To evaluate routine activities to maximise time for teaching and learning.

Evidence and reflection

Use this list as a starting point for considering the routines that affect your lessons, and how you may improve your use of space and / or resources to reduce wastage of time. The list is generic, and applicable to both primary and secondary school – you will need to add to the list to match your type of school and (in secondary school) your curriculum subject. Identify any aspects of organisation you can deal with in advance of the lesson (for example, moving the tables, or distributing resources before pupils enter the room). Can you improve your own routines (for example, preventing bottlenecks by asking pupils to unpack before putting their bags away, or by distributing resources around the room). Are you planning far enough ahead or practising crisis management (for example, do you often find yourself hunting for resources in the cupboards, or running to the prep room or office for resources you’ve forgotten?). Can you actively involve pupils, giving them routine responsibility for specific aspects of resource organisation (for example, giving automatic responsibility to particular pupils to give out books or materials at the start of the lesson)?

Extension

Teachers and Teaching Assistants build up a useful repertoire of strategies for these organisational matters. A good extension would be to share and exchange ideas with a ‘critical friend’.

More in this chapter

• To examine the classroom environment
• To plan resources to support specific learning activities
• To produce a classroom plan
• To monitor an individual pupil to estimate active learning time
• To evaluate the variety of learning objectives, tasks and activities
• To consider the affordances and constraints of a particular piece of software
• To analyse the involvement of pupils in whole class parts of lessons
• To consider the pros and cons of group working
• To consider grouping strategies from the perspective of the pupils
• To prepare for having parents or support staff working in the classroom
• To develop information sharing systems for support staff and parents
• To consider the pedagogical and practical implications of the classroom use of technology
• To consider the involvement of parents and carers in the classroom and school
• To consider the working with support staff