No More Sharpening Pencils

Discipline: Professional Resources

Copyright: 2014

Grade(s): K - 5

Delivery Method: Print

Imprint: Heinemann

Author(s): Elizabeth Hammond Brinkerhoff, Alysia D. Roehrig

No More Sharpening Pencils During Work Time and Other Time Wasters

“We need to evaluate how we spend time in our classroom by asking whether it is proportional to how valuable the activity is in fostering students’ independence and growth.”
—Elizabeth Brinkerhoff and Alysia Roehrig

Time is precious, and every teacher needs more. No More Sharpening Pencils During Work Time and Other Time Wasters shows you where to find it as well as research-based ways to align every classroom minute you can with the goals you have for learners.

The most important learning in any classroom occurs when students actively engage in work that matters, so clearing away anything that siphons off learning time is crucial. Elizabeth Brinkerhoff and Alysia Roehrig provide tools for assessing your classroom time, a summary of pertinent research, and suggestions for planning and teaching that help make every minute count. Their strategies will help you create and leverage instructional opportunities by:

  • finding new efficiencies in your classroom management
  • improving alignment between instruction and learning objectives
  • increasing the time students spend in higher-level thinking.

“If we want students to become adults who spend their time in purposeful, constructive ways,” write Elizabeth and Alysia, “we need to give them opportunities to spend their time purposefully and take responsibility for how their time is spent.” Give them the time to become independent with No More Sharpening Pencils During Work Time and Other Time Wasters.