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Literacy PK-3

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Literacy PK-3>Strategies>Timers

Timers

Overview

Timers help students learn to self-pace and transition.

By using timers, learners develop greater awareness of their ability to pay Attention and are able to use strategies, like breaking up a task, to increase their productivity.
Having a visual or audio timer when working on a specific task helps students develop time management skills and focuses their Attention on completing the assignment. This increased Attention is associated with a greater feeling of classroom belonging and student engagement. Timers also support Self-regulation and Motivation by explicitly showing time expectations and facilitating when it is time to transition to another task.
Developers can achieve these same results by embedding a visual or audio timer in their product. This awareness of time facilitates a smoother transition between activities and supports greater Attention for each activity.
Use It in the Classroom
Watch how this teacher explains how she uses timers in the classroom. Through the use of visual and auditory timers, students can gauge how much time remains which can support greater Attention and task completion.
Design It into Your Product
Videos are chosen as examples of strategies in action. These choices are not endorsements of the products or evidence of use of research to develop the feature.
Learn how a developer created a visual timer, which is also available as an app, to help learners see and understand time passing during an activity. Since learners can visually see a countdown of time, they develop a conceptual understanding of time and are able to better maintain their Attention.
Learn More
Self-Regulation: Subtopic that explores children's developing ability to regulate their behavior on Digital Promise's Research Map
References: Timers
Cohen, J. (2001). Social and emotional education: Core concepts and practices. In J. Cohen (Ed.), _Caring classrooms/intelligent schools: The social emotional education of young children _(Chapter 1). New York: Teachers College Press.
Dahlin, K.I.E. (2010). Effects of working memory training on reading in children with special needs. Reading and Writing, 24(4), 479-491.
Dieker, L. A., Delisio, L., & Bukaty, C. (2015). Tuning in with technology. In W. W. Murawski & K. L. Scott (Eds.), What really works in elementary education: Research-based practical strategies for every teacher. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Jensen, E. (2005). Teaching with the brain in mind, 2nd edition. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
McClelland, M. M., Cameron, C. E., Connor, C. M., Farris, C. L., Jewkes, A. M., & Morrison, F. J. (2007). Links between behavioral regulation and preschoolers' literacy, vocabulary, and math skills. Developmental Psychology, 43(4), 947-959.
Opprezzo, M., & Schwartz, D.L. (2014). Give your ideas some legs: The positive effect of walking on creative thinking. The Journal of Experimental Psychology, 40(4), 1142-1152.
Pagani, L. S., Fitzpatrick, C., & Parent, S. (2012). Relating kindergarten attention to subsequent developmental pathways of classroom engagement in elementary school. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 40(5), 715-725.
Singer, K. (2015). Sensory processing disorders in elementary school: Identification and management strategies for teachers in the inclusive classroom (Unpublished master's thesis). University of Ontario, Canada.

Additional Resources

Additional examples, research, and professional development. These resources are possible representations of this strategy, not endorsements.

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