Time Management and guidelines for Teachers

 

 ''Manage your time effectively to turn your dreams into reality."

- Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam

                Managing time is a personal behaviour, person to person differs and varies of different age groups. Students’ life at institutions, adults at institutions and at various work places. I could recollect while working as a teacher what one of my colleagues told. When we were discussing about time management. 

The teacher gave me the guidance, what I have to do. “I have to write, right from wake-up time till I go to sleep, and account for outcome of my activities.” for about 30 days. The guidance had been very helpful to know where I do spend more time, less time. It has been a self-awareness and started my planning for my academic work at school and personal work. When planning is done half of the work is over, I believe so. One has to plan the work, work for the plan. In this write up I wish to place the importance of teachers, parents, of course students follow up.

Teachers Role:

    Students are to be guided on their study habits. The students (at least from class 8) should be asked to carry out the suggestions made in the introduction above (what I carried out), at least for 15 days. That would help them to plan for studies effectively. Lot of time is available during the holidays. A separate schedule be prepared by students. Parents endorsements are essential for the full proof, for every day. Without parents’ support and involvement, attaining the set in goals is very difficult. If required a meeting may be organised at school for parents by the head of institution. Students are to be guided properly to take up this work/ project, in letter and spirit. These might be applicable for all subjects, not just restricted to one subject. Teachers are requested to refer the marking scheme prepared by subject experts. A magazine is available in CBSE office.

Guidelines to prepare the students for exam:

·     First and foremost, to complete the whole syllabus what is prescribed for the examination well within the time schedule as per institutional planning for the academic year.

(Courtesy: - SAAR Books Publication Ltd.)

·     To plan for chapter wise revision in the class, questions are to be given for practice and be evaluated.

·     To attend slow-learners, to pick-up and their progress be noted.

·     To give challenging questions and be solved in classroom teaching.

·     Students should not have fear to ask doubts and they must be encouraged to ask, clarify their doubts then and there. This will increase their confidence level.

·     Teachers have to update and refer CBSE site for model paper and do the revision. Nowadays competency-based questions, case study questions, application question are being asked.

      There are conventional questions (stereotyped) in class 10^th the question paper, nearly about 15% to20 %, in geometry, (theorems) in rational numbers and polynomials chapter. Sufficient practice be given enabling students save time. 

                       A quote from Vince  Lombardi

“Practice does not make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.”

·     Note: There is certain percent of questions other than textbooks. (Could be 12 to 15 %) It may vary for every year. Students are to be informed this aspect. Latest blue print of question papers is to be told in every subject).

·        Many a times, I have been listening from students, ‘the paper was lengthy and time was not sufficient to complete’ though they knew the solutions. I deeply, think over on this issue, where does the problems lie.

Blueprint of the question paper is given by the board with the distribution of marks chapter wise also given. An example, class 10th – Mathematics, Board paper. CBSE. Marks wise type of questions.

No. OF QUESTIONS	MARKS	TOTAL
20	1	20
5	2	10
6	3	18
3	4	12
4	5	20
	TOTAL	80

 

Duration of the examination is 3 hours (180 Minutes).

Let students keep 10 minutes for revision, so you are left with 180 -10 = 170 minutes. Here comes the time factor for 1 mark = 170/80 = 2.125 minutes (Approx. 2 minutes). On some occasions, 3 or 4-mark questions may be easier than 1 or 2 marks. Since students might have practiced more on such questions. Teachers will have to give sufficient practice while doing revision.

The teachers may give 1 mark question and ask the students to complete it within 2 minutes. At the end of 2 minutes, students should be able to give the answer. Following this method will help the teacher know how many have done correctly within the stipulated time and how many couldn’t. This would help the teacher guide students better. I would suggest this kind of practice for other questions too.

We are fully aware that now-a-days, entrance exam is being conducted for different academic courses. For example, in engineering Mathematics, 60 objective type questions have to be answered in 60 minutes. This kind of practice may be taken up right from class 8/9th. I would suggest, the teachers to solve the question prior to sharing it with students, to gauge the time taken in solving it. Also, they should convey to the students how the marking scheme works while evaluation the answer scripts.

Each class has different subjects. The type of question would differ based on the subject. Hence depending on the subject, teachers have to modify the question paper for revision. The intent of the revision tests is to make student comfortable with the subject and confidently write exams. This way they can attain set goals with good marks.  

Few of the best practices that a teacher should let know the students before the exams are:

·    It is not compulsory to answer the questions in a sequential order, although the question number for each section are to be noted down correctly in the answer paper while answering a question students should complete all necessary working steps with respect to the marking scheme prepared by subject experts.

CONCLUSION: I have made an effort to convey on how far the teachers could think over, since for every problem there is a solution. These are few suggestions, that I have followed throughout my teaching career. This might not be an exhaustive list, there could be other ways to follow as well. We are fully aware that a day has 24 hours. Shall we make them as OURS.

         (Courtesy:- https://www.sirtbhopal.ac.in/)

About the author:- Mr. K. Bhanumoorthy is a retired KVS Principal. He is an avid reader and mathematics communicator. You can contact him to :-bhanu_haresh@yahoo.co.in