In my last post, I suggested that the day’s most important concepts should be taught in the mid- to late-morning. I’d like to add a few more thoughts on timing. In the plethora of details that teachers deal with every day, timing tends to get lost, a victim of the need to get 6 impossible things done before breakfast.

Let me add a suggestion to yesterday’s post: During the day, frontload the most important part of any lessons for the first 25 minutes of their class period/time block. Attention spans vary. If you want a rigorous new math concept to make the journey to long-term memory, introduce and practice the concept when students are fresh. Later in the period, you can add necessary reinforcement. Even in the later afternoon, those first few minutes of a math, English or history period tend to be the golden minutes, windows of opportunity.

Take advantage of your best minutes before you break into group work. Whole-group instruction has become much maligned nowadays, but the period’s best minutes should not be used only for a fortunate few. Find ways to share the front part of your time block with all your students. Those early minutes are hammers that can pound down the toughest nails.