Successfully implementing a classroom schedule is one of the most important skills that any teacher must possess. A good schedule must incorporate components such as routine, pace, variety, balance, adaptation, and integration in order to allow instructors to teach effectively. Practically, the organization of space, materials, time, and children's groups are important to both students and teachers.
Routine, pace, variety, balance, adaptation, and integration are crucially important in helping instructors teach effectively. For example, pacing, or the speed at which topics are addressed, plays a critical role in scheduling and effective teaching. A pace that is too slow for students will cause boredom and lack of interest, but a pace that is too fast will lead to frustration. At the same time, pacing must take into consideration the curriculum which must be covered.
Similarly, appropriate management of intellectually demanding topics is essential. Atherton (2003) suggests placing intellectually demanding topics in the morning, when interest and energy levels are high. Further, using the "drip-drip" approach to such topics can be effective. In this approach, short sessions are used, and time in between is used for less demanding aspects such as reading or exercises (Atherton, 2003).
Organizing space, materials, time, and children's groups is essential to effective teaching. Time is one of the most valuable of these aspects, as poor management of time can greatly impact meeting teaching objectives. One way to help manage this is to include "slippage time" in a schedule. This allows the teacher to drop less important material in order to concentrate on main teaching objectives. Notes Atherton, the "almost guaranteed way to lose your students is not to be prepared to answer their questions or follow their arguments because you are pressured to keep to an inviolable schedule." Similarly, ineffective organization of space and materials can create feelings of crowding, or even prevent students from accessing needed resources. Failing to effectively use children's groups can potentially lead to interpersonal conflicts, or a focus on play, rather than educational goals.
In conclusion, effective scheduling can be one of the most essential teaching skills. Good scheduling allows instructors to focus on teaching objectives, and thus ensures that students' key education needs are met.
References
Atherton, J.S. (2003). Learning and Teaching: Scheduling [Online] UK: Available:
http://www.dmu.ac.uk/~jamesa/teaching/scheduling.htm Accessed: 11 October 2004
