Why should I do it:
- Some students have difficulty regulating themselves and keeping track of time in their head
- Some students need more defined and predictable structure
- The timer can provide motivation as the student can try to “beat” the clock
- Some students respond better to an object setting boundaries than an adult telling them what to do
When should I do it:
- When student has difficulty staying on task
- When a student takes too long to finish a task
- When a student has low motivation
- When a student frequently fails to complete work on time even though they are capable
- When a student is reluctant to follow verbal directives, warnings, signals, and indicators
- When a student responds poorly to verbally being told to do something
How do I do it:
- Get a small timer and place on student’s desk
- For each assignment, give student several minutes to complete it
- If timer is too distracting for student, keep it on your desk but show student how much time they have
- You can also break up the assignment and use the timer for each portion
- Challenge the student to beat the timer
- With oppositional and defiant students, shift the students focus away from you telling them what to do by “blaming” the timer, for example, “the timer says you a few minutes left”
Resources & Support for technique:
