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:
(Items with footnotes link to external websites)

• Helping to motivate and focus students using a timer ¹
• Use a Timer as a Parenting Tool ²
• Online Timer ³

Footnotes:

1. Hartjes, E. (2011). Helping to motivate and focus students using a timer. [http://www.teachersatrisk.com/2011/04/25/helping-to-motivate-and-focus-students-using-a-timer/].
2. Hacker, B. (2008). Use a Timer as a Parenting Tool. [http://suite101.com/article/use-a-timer-as-a-parenting-tool-a44860].
3. Online Stopwatch. Online Timer. [http://www.online-stopwatch.com/eggtimer-countdown/full-screen/].