It signals to students that however much they want to play around, they are expected to be prepared to learn when the clock hits 0:00. If you struggle to bring focus at the very start of class, one of the most powerful ways to set the right tone is to run a countdown on the classroom timer the moment students step through the door. Sometimes the hardest thing to do when teaching a class is to get started. Lastly, the regular incorporation of the Timer into the classroom agenda fosters skills of time management, prioritization, and places value on getting things done, rather than getting things “perfect.” These are key abilities that will serve students well beyond the confines of the classroom. This builds trust, communication skills, and a sense of shared purpose - all because the Timer is counting down in the background! One student may be in charge of drawing up the structure’s design, while another may be responsible for finding the proper materials, while still others work to put all of the pieces together. Imagine asking students to form groups and build the tallest structure that they can using given materials in only fifteen minutes students will quickly realize that the best way to achieve their goal is to delegate tasks so that they can accomplish more together than they could individually. When students recognize that they may not be able to complete a given task in time, it can spur them to think of new approaches to solving problems so they can meet the time requirement, or it may encourage them to practice asking for help from others.Īs hinted above, another key benefit of using the Timer is that it can foster collaboration and coordination among students. If necessity is the mother of invention, then time constraints may well be the mother of creativity. This is especially true thanks to the Timer’s visualization aspect - the digits are big and bold, so if they’re projected onto a screen or shared on mobile devices, they make it easy for students to keep in the corner of their eyes and to reference if needed. One of the most valuable and immediate benefits that the Timer can provide is focus: when students are only given a certain amount of time to complete a task, a simple time constraint can minimize procrastination and distractions. The beauty of the Toolkit Timer is that its features can provide a wide range of benefits beyond just keeping track of time! Benefits The Toolkit Timer may be simple, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few bells and whistles! For example, when your countdown is complete, you can program the Timer to set off an alarm that will let your students know it’s time to draw their attention back to the center of the class. Both options allow you to pause or reset the Timer if necessary. You can achieve the first by clicking “Start,” which will prompt the Timer to begin counting up seconds, and you’ll be on your way! The other option is to click “Countdown,” and then select the amount of time you would like to allot. From there, you have two options: counting up or counting down. You can access the Timer from the top of the main ClassDojo page, next to the clock icon. It really helps students (and me!) stay focused and keeps transitions quick." Features "We use Timer for just about everything in class. Use Timer (and buy an herb plant) and you’ll never run out of “thyme” again. Simply select the increment of time and the countdown will be projected in front of your students. We had olive oil, salt, pepper, but at the last minute we realized we had run out of thyme! Bad jokes aside, the Toolkit Timer will keep your class ontrack and conscious of the remaining activity time.
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