Scheduling Questions

• Do I schedule the most academically demanding activities during the times of day when most students’ engagement is high? Teachers also should consider scheduling preferred activities after rigorous lessons to increase students’ incentive to participate (for example, conducting math lessons before recess).
• Is my teaching strategy appropriate for the lesson? Teachers should consider using multiple strategies (for example, whole-class, small-group, and individual-work formats) in various locations in the classroom (for example, at desks, on the floor, in group settings, and in learning centers) to keep students engaged in learning tasks.
• Is the length and pacing of my lesson suited to my students’ developmental abilities? Many experienced teachers have observed that younger elementary students have a limited attention span—perhaps no more than 10 or 15 minutes, depending on their developmental level—and so they frequently switch activities and incorporate movement into their lessons to keep younger students engaged in learning tasks.
• Do I offer my students choices regarding how they participate in learning activities? Because students’ engagement often increases and disruption decreases when they are offered choices in their lessons, we recommend that teachers occasionally provide students with options for how they participate in learning tasks. This does not mean students get to choose everything they want to do, but teachers can incorporate some choice when options are negotiable, such as the order or number of activities, the choice of materials to use, alternative ways to demonstrate mastery (for example, writing a poem or story), or the structure of the task (such as working with a partner or independently).
• Do I manage transitions quickly and efficiently? In many classrooms, a significant proportion of class time (about 25%, on average) is spent on transitional activities such as gathering and putting away materials, listening to nonacademic directions, and waiting for help or for the next activity to begin, resulting in a large loss to academic engaged time. To minimize this loss of instructional momentum, we recommend that teachers prepare carefully for transitions by warning students about the close of one activity and the opening of another, providing brief but clear directions, having materials immediately available, actively monitoring and reinforcing appropriate student behavior, and beginning the new activity quickly and with a high degree of enthusiasm.