time management

Pacing in the classroom is the rate at which a teacher goes through a lesson in the classroom. One of the challenges that teachers are faced with deciding at what speed to present the material to the students. Teachers have to pace themselves so students can keep up with all the information and not feel that the lesson is moving too fast or feel like it is never ending. Teachers need to learn how to pace themselves so they do not spend too much time on one lesson and not enough for another.
Pacing is important in the classroom because it creates a sense of urgency. Having the feeling that the lesson is being timed will ensure that the teacher moves in a steadily and diligent pace that is not too fast. Fast paced environment will only leave students confused and they will not fully understand the material. Pacing also help make goals clear in a lesson. Explaining to the students what they will be learning or doing for the day will help keep them focused. Another reason why pacing is needed in the classroom is because it helps the teacher transition from one activity to the other. Teachers must think ahead and begin the setup of the next activity or lesson while finishing up the last. An example of how to effectively transition from one lesson to the next would be for the teacher to start passing out materials of the new lesson while finishing up the last one. This transition is set up in a pace that there is no wasted time between one learning activity and the next. It is important for teachers to keep all of the resources and materials needed all in place in order to keep the flow going and avoid for the pace to be interrupted.
Teachers must also pace themselves to be able to stop and check how well the students are responding to the lesson. This may include open discussion, questioning or formative assessments. Taking time to check if the students are understanding the material will give the teacher an idea of whether to continue with the lesson or stop and adjust their teaching technique. Giving the students a couple of seconds to think about and understand the material is also an important part of pacing.
In a classroom that contains English Language Learners teachers may need to make special accommodations and provide students with a pace that will coincide with their abilities. Teachers of ELL students must teach at a slower pace than a classroom that does not have any English Language Learners (ELL). ELL Students need more time to ask questions throughout the lesson and also require more time to answer the questions being asked. Teachers must pace themselves to check the comprehension of the students more often than in a classroom with non-ELL. English Language Learners also need more time to complete activities and teachers must pace themselves accordingly to meet the needs of the ELL students. When the teacher provides students with a more gradual pace the student is able to achieve academic success.