Depending on whom you ask, the ability to think on one’s feet can either be a good or bad thing. Now, your initial reaction might be, “Hey, Todd! Being able to think on your feet is a good thing. Especially if you’re a teacher.” And I would agree with you, of course. There’s no way to plan for every little eventuality that might befall you in your classroom. There’s no way to plan for Leah’s spontaneous vomiting during your geometry hands-on after lunch. There’s no way to plan for the out-of-left-field question from Christopher that you just have to answer.
On the other hand, you may be the type of teacher who plans for every contingency and, above all else, does not allow for out-of-left-field questions or violently ill students. Okay, on the latter point none of us has that much control.
That’s my point. Teachers are adept at making most moments into teaching moments. Teachers are agile ad-libbers. Teachers, like military platoon leaders, are masters in the art of quick, strategic thinking.
One of the great joys in a teacher’s life is that moment when a lesson is complete, work is done, and the entire class is on the same page—with a relatively equal grasp of the ideas and skills you’ve just taught. And then—BOOM! You suddenly find yourself with extra time.
What do you do? How do you fill those unexpected moments of free class time? What’s your go-to game or your go-to reinforcement activity? In this era of value-added everything and high-stakes this-and-that, what is your best “time filler”?
Now’s the time to share your ideas. Even if you’re in Walla Walla, there may be a teacher in Grand Rapids or Port Jervis who would benefit from your idea.
That’s a great question. I like to fill those extra moments with a fun learning game. Sometimes our class will hold a spelling or math competition. Other times we get out the personal white boards and the kids answer questions about what they’re learning in every subject. One of their favorite things to do is pretend to be the teacher. I call up one student at a time to teach something to the class that they’ve already learned this week or last. It can be something in math, science, history, english, etc. These are some great time-fillers that are also advantageous for learning.
Just as a side note: beware of some of the games you play. You may run into an unfortunate, yet comical situation. See what I mean by clicking on this link and reading my blog titled, “Let’s Play a Game.”
http://theresourcefulteacher.com/index.php/everyday-events/55-lets-play-a-game