Classroom Time Use Tool: Overview

What is the Classroom Time Use Tool? A simple classroom observation tool that helps teachers understand how, exactly, they are using time in their classrooms. It looks at use of classroom time through four broad categories: Transitions, Teacher-led Time, Student Work Time, and Assessment of Student Learning. Each of these four categories is then sub-divided into more specific uses of time: Uses of Classroom Time Arrival routine Transition to next component Closing Unplanned interruption Welcome/lesson launch Teacher-directed instruction Whole-class discussion/activity Small group discussion/activity Independent practice/activity Combined practices Assessment of student learning TEACHER-LED TIME

TRANSITIONS

STUDENT WORK TIME

ASSESSMENT OF STUDENT LEARNING

How could our school use this tool? As a peer observation tool To supplement district/school walk-through protocols As a way to identify and capture effective time management strategies What could we do with the data generated by this tool? Help teachers calibrate their actual use of time in the classroom against their lesson plans Set goals around minimizing transitions and maximizing teacher-led instruction, student work time, and assessment of student learning Identify teachers and staff who use time effectively and utilize their expertise in time-management to help your entire building become skilled in mazimizing learning time

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How does this tool work? An observer (a peer, administrator, a paraprofessional, student teacher, staff from a partner organization, etc) visits a classroom during a specified period of time, ideally an entire class period/an entire lesson. Then they follow these steps: 1) Enter the total hours and minutes for the class period (Total Allocated Class Time). For example, a 45-minute class would be 0:45:00; a 120-minute class would be 2:00:00. 2) Select an option from the drop-down menu in column A that best describes the way time is being used at the start of the lesson. 3) Enter the start time for that component and jot down any notes about how time is being used in the Notes column. What are students doing? What is the teacher doing? What are other adults in the room doing? 4) Enter the stop time for the component. The stop time in from the first component will automatically enter as the start time for the next component in Column C. 5) Select another option from the drop-down menu in column A that best describes the way time is being used during the next component of the lesson. 6) Repeat steps 3-5 until the lesson is over. 7) The total time for each of the four categories will tally up at the bottom, as well as a percentage of allocated class time spent on each category. The data will also generate a pie chart that shows the distribution of time.

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CLASSROOM TIME USE TOOL

Class: Teacher: Class Size: Observer: Date: Total Allocated Class Time:

0:00:00 Notes

Category (see descriptions below)

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Start Time 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00

Stop Time 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00

Total Time 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00

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Select Category from Drop Down Menu Select Category from Drop Down Menu Select Category from Drop Down Menu Select Category from Drop Down Menu Select Category from Drop Down Menu Select Category from Drop Down Menu Select Category from Drop Down Menu

0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00

0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00

0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00

Total Time by Category

Total Time: Transitions Total Time: Teacher-Led Time Total Time: Student Work Time Total Time: Assessment Total 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 0:00:00 % of Allocated Class Time % of Allocated Class Time % of Allocated Class Time % of Allocated Class Time 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%

Arrival Routine Transition to next component Closing Unplanned interruption Welcome/Lesson launch Teacher-directed instruction Whole-class discussion/activity Small group discussion/activity Independent practice/activity Combined Practices Assessment of student learning

Definitions: Categories of Classroom materials, handing-in HW, acompleting a "Do Now"; May include students entering classroom, getting outTime Use teacher taking attendance and greeting students
May include distributing HW, students recording HW in agenda books, putting away materials, exiting classroom May include interruption (PA system, behavior/classroom management issue, etc) and disruptions to lesson May include introducing dialy agenda/ objectives, reviewing HW and/or Do Now Mini-lesson, lecture, read aloud, teacher modeling, guided practice, summarizing lesson May include whole-class discussion and/or activity May include pair-and-share, small group discussion and/or activity

When different student are doing a variety of activities at the same time -- such as centers or when some students doing independent work, others are in small groups, and teacher working with specific students) Quiz, "ticket to leave", test, presentation, other
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% of Allocated Class Time

Transitions Teacher-led Time Student Work Time Assessment

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Classroom Time Use Tool

Category (see descriptions below)
Teacher-directed instruction

Class: Math (Grade 4) Teacher: Ms. Jane Doe Total Allocated Class Time: Start Time Stop Time

2:00:00 Total Time

12:00:00
Transition to next component

12:17:10

0:17:10

12:17:10
Small group discussion/activity

12:20:30

0:03:20

12:20:30
Transition to next component

12:34:35 12:37:00

0:14:05 0:02:25

12:34:35
Teacher-directed instruction Whole-class discussion/activity Teacher-directed instruction Whole-class discussion/activity Independent practice/activity Teacher-directed instruction

12:37:00 12:48:10 12:49:25 12:59:40 13:07:40 13:09:50

12:48:10 12:49:25 12:59:40 1:07:40 PM 1:09 PM 1:15:05 PM

0:11:10 0:01:15 0:10:15 0:08:00 0:02:10 0:05:15

Transition to next component

13:15:05
Small group discussion/activity

1:16:30 PM

0:01:25

13:16:30
Small group discussion/work time

1:30:35 PM 1:32:45 PM

0:14:05 0:02:10

13:30:35

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Transition to next component

13:32:45
Assessment of student learning

1:34:25 PM

0:01:40

13:34:25
Transition to next component

1:49:50 PM 1:50:15 PM

0:15:25 0:00:25

13:49:50

Assessment of student learning

13:50:15

2:00:00 PM

0:09:45

Total Time by Category

Total Time: Transitions Total Time: Teacher-Led Time Total Time: Student Work Time Total Time: Assessment Total 0:09:15 0:26:40 0:58:55 0:25:10 2:00:00 % of Allocated Class Time % of Allocated Class Time % of Allocated Class Time % of Allocated Class Time

% of Allocated Class Time

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Observer: Emily Raine Date: November 11, 2010 Class Size: 23 Notes
Observation began as they were starting lesson on multidigit multiplication. Doe models an activity using overhead projector. Interactive - asking questions and kids respond. Students periodically turned to do pair and share. Doe tells students to find their "3 o'clock partner". Students walk around to find their partner and a space to work. Doe passes out materials, makes sure all have partners. Students are in pairs doing multiplication wrestling activity. Doe floats, makes sure they are on the right track, passes out slips of paper (classroom incentive system). Gave a 5-min warning at 12:31:05 - "3 min to finish, 2 min to clean up". Doe uses "Time Out" verbal and visual cue. Gives instructions for what students should do next. Students hand in papers/materials, transition back to their own seats, get out math notebooks. Doe uses overhead and everyday Math website to teach the algorithm. Interactive - moving between teacher-led, student response/discussion, web-directed lesson. Checks for understanding a lot throughout this component . "Brain Break" - quick stretching game/energizer. Return right away to algorithm lesson. Students turn to work with neighbor to try a problem on their own; switch between pairs and whole-group discussion. Doe leads them partially though a problem; students have to finish on their own. Can ask neighbor to ask for help if nec. Doe shows them how to correctly solve the problem and gives directions for next series of practice problems. Students find their "6 o'clock partner", Doe does a 10-sec countdown for transition. Does the "Time Out" cue to give additional instruction on where they can find the algorithm in their textbook. Tells them they have 15 min of work time. Students work with their partner on 3 practice problems. Doe floats, reminds them they have an example on the overhead if they get stuck and that partners are responsible for helping one another. Gives 2 min. warning at 1:28. Doe starts transition to next component but students need more time so she gives them 2 more min.
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Students go back to their own desks, put away materials, get out folders to create barriers between desks. Doe does 10 second count-down. Exit Ticket activity - students have to complete two problems independently that Doe writes on the overhead. Gives directions on what to do when they finish (addiitonal problems in their math book).Gives 1 min. warning at 1:47. Students hand in papers, Doe gives directions to get out whiteboards so they can review content from yesterday. Doe reviews previous day's objective, students respond to questiosn with their whiteboards, hold them up so she can see answers. They have to turn to their neighbor and explain how they got their answer. Transitioned into writing at 2:05.

y Category
7.7% 22.22% 49.10% 20.97% 100.00%

ted Class Time

Transitions
Teacher-led Time Student Work time Assessment

Assessment

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