USING A STOP WATCH
There are probably a zillion ways to use a stop watch but here is the one I’ve found to be most successful.
For students who tend to be distracted and have trouble completing work in a timely manner, they need to realize they can work quickly and accurately. To foster this “mind set” use a stop watch.
Teach the child how to start and stop the stop watch -- and read the end time.
USE WORK AT THE CHILD’S INDEPENDENT LEVEL FOR THIS STRATEGY.
It doesn’t work well if the child is practicing a brand new skill.
1. When a "slow working" student is given an assignment, individually ask the child,
“How long do you think it will take you to finish this work with an acceptable score?”
As long as the answer is reasonable, accept it. If it isn’t reasonable, discuss the appropriateness of a different time and lead the child to “buy into” the new time. Have the child record the estimated time.
2. It’s important for the child to take the time to look over the assignment and assess the difficulty level and anticipate problems before starting.
(This is a much needed study skill for all academic endeavors and they’re never too young to start.)
3. Give the stop watch to the student and leave him alone until he is done with the assignment. Have the child record the actual time spent on the activity.
4. Grade the work ASAP. Require an acceptable grade.
5. Meet with the student and discuss success if the child completed the work in an appropriate amount of time or close to the estimated time.
6. If the child works more than about 5 minutes over the estimated time (depending on age of the child and difficulty of work), you need to help the student evaluate the difficulty of work assigned.
CAUTION ABOUT TIMING ACTIVITIES
I’ve found it to be
detrimental
to use timers and stop watches when you want children to be creative. It tends to stifle their creativity and students seem to get so caught up in the time crunch that quality of work can suffer.
Example: I require students to use their spelling words in meaningful, creative sentences weekly. Some kids would crank the sentences out in 15-20 minutes and others seemed to take hours.
So == I started using stop watches and timers. The length of sentences dropped as did the quality.
To combat this, I now require the sentences have an average six or more words in each sentence. Students do half the words on
Tuesday and the rest on Wednesday. They are given 15- 20 minutes. If student does not complete all the words, I don’t penalize them but grade what is completed. Most students finish the
sentences by Wednesday. Those that don’t get all the words done are still praised for what they do complete.
I find quality of work is more important than quantity or speed.
When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.
SMILE
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When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.
DISCLAIMER
This information is for educational purposes only. Much of the information is from classes and workshops I've taken AND GIVEN during my 30+ years of working with ADD & ADHD students - sprinkled with my own comments, thoughts and insights.
Some information is acquired from the INTERNET. Be aware that not all information on the WWW is accurate. Use your own judgment. This information is not intended to replace information from your doctor, therapist, lawyer, psychologist, nutritionist or psychiatrist. Consult your child's (or your own) doctor for additional input.