Time management and class participation among others

Head Teacher III, Pinay Elementary School, Mambusao, Capiz

TO FINISH every single class is like being constantly in an unpredictable situation where there’s a need to be in control.

Time is among the many factors needing a lot of consideration – you end a class being able to meet the objectives of the day.

Time management is a must to attain goals. As a popular saying would tell us, “Control time before it controls you.”

Time is easiest to be at one’s disposal when all the other factors ( such as the pace upon which students absorb the new topic, the level of participation and understanding of the students, the level of difficulty of the topic, the availability of the resources and countless others) remain constant. However, this is not the case.

I would narrow down my discussion to how a teacher may finish the class ON TIME while being able to inculcate to the students; minds the topic for the day.

Participation in class through interaction between the students and the teacher is very much encouraged to facilitate and ensure learning absorption. This is among the best forums for the students to fill the gaps in their minds by asking the teacher what they could not understand or concepts which may be unclear to them.

Through recitation, the teacher could also get to know who learned

and who did not by checking on the level of understanding of the students through the questions raised.

To manage the recitation is another concern. Recitation is actually tricky, the teacher must be able to address all the questions raised by the students while filtering the same only to the relevant ones, the ones connected to the topic being discussed so that time would not be lacking and yet

he or she would still be able to accommodate all the concerns of the students.

To illustrate my point, let me introduce x, an inquisitive student, and the teacher in a class composed of 26 students.

If x is allowed to ask four to five questions in a row, the time allocated for the other students would be consumed by him alone.

Assuming five other students, namely, a, b, c, d, e, would like to clarify matters, too, the chances of their queries being addressed would be slim because time is limited.

Teachers who have mastered t his s ki l l of conducting a comprehensive recitation through proper allocation of time and focus in an interactive class would not find it hard to meet the objectives of each day following the time frame in the most effective and efficient manner. (