Teachers by profession are known to be experts at multitasking, and often have to fit a range of tasks, such as admin, teaching, assessments, discussions, and classroom management into a single day Find out how you can get the most out of your teaching time with these six essential tips.

1. Arrange your classroom to promote effective learning

Different seating arrangements can communicate a range of things to your learners, and can often take up a lot of teaching time when moving learners into groups. Learners sitting in groups of four to six work well in classes where group work and the sharing of resources is a common practice. Find out which seating plan works best for your subject area and individual classroom setup.

2. Create a learner workforce

Performing repetitive tasks, such as clearing the chalkboard, handing out worksheets and disciplining a talkative classroom can be very time consuming. Create a list of these daily chores and allocate them to your learners according to their individual strengths and abilities. This will not only give you more time to focus on teaching but also a great way to teach your learners about responsibility.

3. Classroom rules

The number one stealer of teaching time is spent on classroom management.  Prepare a list of important classroom rules and procedures for misconduct to put up in your classroom, where learners can see them. This frees up time for you to concentrate on teaching. Start setting important rules with this free downloadable cellphone usage policy poster and guidelines on how to deal with behavioural challenges in your classroom.

4. Planning and reviewing lessons in advance

Planning and organising is the cornerstone for making the most use out of a 40-50 minute lesson. Plan and assign set times to certain tasks such as roll call, teaching the lesson’s content and activities for the day. Make use of a lesson plan as a framework for your lesson.  Not sure how to create one? Download our template lesson plan.  Prepare additional printed materials for distribution during lessons, such as class notes and activities, in advance to gain more teaching time.

5. Consistency and routine  

Routine and consistency are key to a well-managed, organised and productive classroom. Eliminate any unnecessary time spent on repeating lengthy instructions and procedures by creating routine and consistency in your classroom. Learners who are familiar with the lesson’s order of events will feel secure and know what to expect. This often leads them to dive straight into the next task without waiting for the teacher’s instruction.

6. Time saving tools

These days most teachers own a smart phone or have access to one. With technology usage on the rise, teachers are turning to apps to help manage and better utilise their teaching time. Read more about the top 50 smartphone apps for teachers, designed to help lighten the load and save you time in the classroom.