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5 Virtual Classroom Time Management Tips for Teachers
Keeping your classroom agenda flowing right on schedule and eliminating time wasting distractions isn’t the easiest task for teachers.
Now when you’re teaching in the virtual classroom, these time concerns can feel 10x more challenging as online sessions are less time-restrained by nature.
With no bells ringing, a physical clock ticking on the wall or teachers coming in to give a class next — a structured virtual classroom time management discipline can be very much needed.
The good news: Technology can actually help you gain more control over time — you just need to turn a few keys there.
Today, we’ll let you in on 5 simple (and powerful) time management tips to improve the flow (and productivity) of all your virtual classroom sessions.
So come one teacher, fix yourself that warm cup of tea and keep on reading…
Use an Online Meetings Timer in Class
As you ‘lesson plan’ also ‘time plan’. Then use your online meetings timer to assign timed slots to each part of your lesson agenda accordingly.
You can assign 10 minutes welcoming time, 20 minutes presentation time, 15 minutes activity time, etc. – based on what you’d like to accomplish by the end of each session.
This will give your classroom sessions more of a ‘timed structure’, help students follow through better and constantly know where the session is at.
Also, when your students are presenting, assigning timed speaking slots will prompt them to prepare better ahead and limit the chances of presentations being too long or going off topic.
Finally, always leave a 10 minute ‘buffer period’ towards the end of your sessions (if possible) to make room for longer discussions or unexpected surprises.
PRO TIP: Use your online meetings timer during ‘exam time’ to help students track time and know where they should be about now (‘conclusions’ during an essay exam, etc).
Monitor student’s screens in real-time.
Irrelevant internet browsing can also be another big time-waster in the virtual classroom, especially for K-12 teachers.
Even if your district blocks most gaming and social media websites — students could be easily browsing pictures of teacup puppies during class, for all you know.
While in the physical classroom, you’d simply go to the student’s desk to check when in doubt, it can be tricky in the virtual classroom.
So how do you make sure students have the right tabs open and not wandering off somewhere while class is in session?
The answer:
Using a real time screen monitoring solution like Teacher Assist.
This allows you to monitor and manage student’s screens remotely during class, and take real-time actions on student’s screens, like page blocking and page deployment.
End result: You can spend more time teaching, less time trying to refocus students’ attention.
Take Little Timed Breaks
Research shows that people are unable to concentrate for long periods of time.
As ironic as it may sound, taking short breaks can actually help you better optimise teaching/ learning time during longer sessions.
These short breaks allow you and your students to recharge and refocus, which ultimately improves your students’ attention span and increases your performance in class.
Adjust the Technical bits before (not during) class
While sometimes there isn’t much we can do to prevent technical difficulties that just happen during meetings, adjusting the ‘controllable’ technical bits before class can go a long way.
You know the drill, check your internet connection, don’t allow sessions to start without the host (teacher) present, make sure students are on time and seated in quiet (distraction-free) rooms.
You may also want to mute students while class is in session and encourage the use of the ‘Raise Hand’ button to manage conversations in the virtual classroom.
You’d be surprised at how much time (and effort) these little bits can save you.
Prepare for Class by Preloading the Web Pages
This one will not only improve your classroom time management game, but will also visibly boost classroom efficiency.
Simply prepare a list of the web pages you’ll be walking your students through during the classroom session, then lock the class to these pages.
That way students will only see these web pages you preloaded. Meanwhile, as you deliver the class you can open the pages in the order you choose.
Closing thoughts
One final tip we always like to seal the deal with is ‘Keep it simple’.
An overflood of information can make students grow weary and anxious, which may eventually lead you to give more classes (=more time) to get stuff done.
Always break complex lessons to smaller, more easily digestible sessions to improve their effectiveness and optimise virtual classroom time.
Looking for more EdTech Tips for the virtual classroom?
Checkout the full scoop on managing the virtual Classroom and download our Teachers’ Complete Guide to taking the Physical Classroom Online in Google Workspace.