Professional Teaching Practice - Time Management

Element 5.1.4
Provide clear directions for classroom activities and engage students in purposeful learning activities.


Effective time management is a necessary skill for all teachers. When planning, teachings need to consider how much time certain tasks will take, the time it takes to get students organised and time for instruction amongst other things.

During my most recent block placement, it was one of the things I most struggled with. I had never had a Year 5 class before, so I was uncertain of what they were capable of, how long it would take to complete certain tasks, how much time I should spend on explanation, how to efficiently distribute resources or how I could best monitor student movement. As a result, for the first few days of my block placement I found that I planned too much for a single lesson, so that when the 50 minutes the students did not have sufficient time to complete the task, so this would have to carry on to next lesson. 

This was an issue which I regularly discussed with my colleague teacher. The strategies my colleague teacher suggested where:

- Always keep an eye on the time

- Allocate certain time for instruction/explanation – don’t go over

- Have resources available for students to access easily

- Don’t over plan

- Wear a watch

- Post bell times near the clock (bell times varied from day to day)

Colleague teacher comments
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a) As a result of poor time management, occasionally the bell would ring while we were still working inside, meaning that we would have to rush through the end of the lesson.


b) When students were engaged in a task that required them to be out of their seats, working in groups or using a variety of resources, meaning that sufficient time would be required to pack away materials, sometimes students were not given enough warning, so did not have time to finish what they were doing.










To improve my teaching practice and meet Element 5.1.4, I implemented the strategies recommended by my teacher. Evidence of improved practice is available in the lesson evaluation comments by my colleague teacher below.


After getting to know the students and what they were capable of, I was able to plan to make the most of the 50 minute lessons. I became more succinct with my instructions, and I spread resources throughout the room so that students could access them easily and quickly. I ensured students were on task as soon as possible, awarding students who were ready first table points as positive reinforcement. More evidence is below.

Colleague teacher comments
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c) Evidence that after implementing the recommended strategies my time management skills have improved.


d) To help me keep track of time and remember what time the bell would ring, I posted the bell times near the clock. This helped because it was a constant reminder for me to keep watch of the time.
e) When planning lessons, I modified my teaching practices so that I did not spend too much time on instruction, by being more succinct and providing task cards which provided an explanation.


f) This comment demonstrates that I considered time management by warning students so that they had sufficient time to complete their work and pack away.


With more experience, I became more competent in managing time so that both I and my students could maximise the time to get the most out of the lessons. Thanks to this learning curve in my life, I emerged as a teacher who is able to manage time effectively and have met Element 5.1.4 of the NSW Institute of Teachers Professional Teaching Standards.




Just in case you struggle with Time Management, here are 10 Helpful Tips for Effective Time Management in the Classroom.