Why Adding a Time Timer to Your
Back to School Supply List is a Must!
“The Time Timer has been a magical tool for my students and myself to develop the time perception skill. Because it’s visual the brain can now lean on the visual cortex (one of the largest areas in the brain) to help itself develop a good sense of how much time has passed and how much time is left. As you are working, the red circle keeps disappearing, letting you know that the time is ticking away, setting the rhythm.” -Katya S, Educator
“I truly believe children learn the concept of time by using the Time Timer. They can see the difference between 5 and 45 minutes. Then, when they connect what they see to what they feel, time is not so daunting.” -Robyn C, Educator
A teacher in 2021 will have more than just pencils and glue sticks among the essentials on their back to school list. Face masks and a superabundance of hand sanitizers will be a few of the musts on that list, but we have another suggestion for you: A Time Timer® visual timer.
The two quotes above offer a cerebral take on one of the many uses a Time Timer® visual timer can have in a classroom. We encourage teachers to use our products as a resource for helping students learn the concept of time, but it can also be a decidedly practical addition to the classroom, offering a use for students who are far past the stage where they need to learn time perception skills.
No matter your ambitions, a Time Timer® visual timer can make learning, and teaching, a little easier. Keep reading for a breakdown of some of our models and the specific purposes they can serve in a school setting.
The Time Timer® Original
Our Time Timer® Original comes in three different sizes, but all perform the same basic function: Provide an easy-to-glimpse visual lapse of a preset time duration between 0 to 60 minutes. Our iconic red disk will gradually decrease and let students who cannot quite make out the numbers understand by the status of the red disk that there is, say, 15 minutes left of the 45 allotted for the test.
The gradations in size—Pocket, Medium, Large—fit different teachers’ needs. There are a variety of different needs that each model can uniquely meet, but we would maintain that a golden rule in your decision-making is to choose the size that, for your classroom setting, is present and easy to see without being distracting.
If you do a lot of one-on-one tutoring and teaching, then maybe spring for the Time Timer® Original Pocket, as it could be a subtle and undistracting reminder to yourself or the student of how much time is left in a session or for an exercise.
The Time Timer® Original Medium is perfect for small classroom settings and group work, where a good deal of eyes will be on it. Additionally, it has after-class uses as well, such as setting the time of a school board meeting.
The Time Timer® Original Large is ideal for large classrooms where group work and test taking can take place at a considerable distance from a teacher’s desk. Big conferences can benefit from an Original 12” timer as well, as do extracurricular indoor or outdoor activities like speech and debate meets or sports practices.
The Time Timer® PLUS Family
Our Time Timer® PLUS models help you specialize for tasks that are 5, 20, 60, or 120 minutes long, with an on-the-go design that includes a carrying handle and a protective lens.
Your choice of a PLUS largely depends on the type of tasks and activities that are conducted in a classroom. Teachers of younger students may spring for the 5 or 20 minute PLUS timers, as student activities tend to be shorter for those students.
Stacy K., a kindergarten teacher and Time Timer® user, told us of the benefits of the 5 minute visual timer in a classroom setting:
“For kids who are having trouble finishing up, we set the Time Timer PLUS 5 Minute and make it a game, ‘Can you beat the time?’ it helps with time on task.”
Teachers of older students and coaches may benefit from the longer timespans, up to two hours. The PLUS 120 Minute can be especially helpful for teachers who work in schools where block scheduling is used, where a class can last anywhere up to 75 minutes. This two hour visual timer gives the option to set a 70 minute countdown for a test, and it can be a lifesaver. This can also be helpful for standardized tests, where students can be expected to work on a section of a test for over an hour at a time.
Time Timer® WASH
We’ve covered the uses that a Time Timer® WASH has for schools in a recent post, but here’s a quick rundown in case you missed that: The WASH is a touchless device that, with a slow wave of the hand, will initiate a thirty-second step-by-step countdown of soaping, scrubbing, and rinsing for the user. It can be stuck via suction cup or nailed to a wall, or simply set on the sink counter (don’t worry, it’s water resistant). This is perfect for kids, such as special needs students, who may get anxious over hand washing for an appropriate amount of time.
Our classrooms, and some of our bathrooms, now have the Time Timer Wash. Your product really helps the children to understand the length of time they should be washing their hands. This helps to ensure proper hand sanitation and safety to our classrooms during the COVID-19 pandemic. – Mariemont Community Church Preschool Educator
Summary
We hope this article sheds some light on the multifarious uses our multifarious products offer for an educator. Whether you’re teaching kindergartners and preschoolers their ABC’s or supervising high schoolers as they take their placement exams, we’re sure we have a Time Timer® visual timer that’s right for you!