Category: Teaching

Managing time effectively is crucial for teachers, and it’s also often important to effectively communicate to students how much time they have for a given task. Visual timers are one of the best tools I’ve found to help teacher and students all together manage their time more effectively. They help students who struggle with transitions, and they’re also helpful for students (and teachers) with ADHD.

There is a tool out there recommended by Jessica Minahan, author of The Behavior Code called a “time timer.” However, these timers cost at least $20 to $30. There is an app for smart phones which is more affordable, for $2.99. However, to get a desktop version, you need to pay about $20.

Alternatively, the best free timers I’ve found available online are here:

https://www.online-stopwatch.com/sensory-timers/

This one is my personal favorite:

https://www.online-stopwatch.com/sensory-timers/ring/

Another valuable time management tool is called the Pomodoro timer. It’s basically a tomato kitchen timer, and the technique for using it to manage your time is called the Pomodoro technique. You can read about it here:

https://francescocirillo.com/pages/pomodoro-technique

Here’s an online version of the timer:

https://tomato-timer.com/