teacher daily task

Important Daily Teaching Tasks

• Tips & Strategies
• An Introduction to Teaching
• Policies & Discipline
• Community Involvement
• School Administration
• Technology in the Classroom
• Teaching Adult Learners
• Issues In Education
• Teaching Resources
• Becoming A Teacher
• Assessments & Tests
• Elementary Education
• Secondary Education
• Special Education
• Homeschooling
• M.Ed., Curriculum and Instruction, University of Florida
• B.A., History, University of Florida

Almost every task that a teacher is expected to perform on a daily basis falls into one of six categories. Some of these duties—such as lesson planning, classroom management, and assessment—are so critical that they are used by teacher assessment tools to evaluate teacher effectiveness. Others are more basic organizational and operational chores.

If you are just starting out or considering teaching, it helps to know what your responsibilities will include. Find out whether there are any additional school-specific duties that you will be expected to take on as well.

Here are the six main categories of teaching duties.

Planning, Developing, and Organizing Instruction

Lesson planning is a critical aspect of teaching that often happens days before a lesson is taught. Planning, developing and organizing instruction are some of the biggest duties of the job.

When you plan lessons effectively, day-to-day teaching tasks become much easier and more successful. Many teachers feel that they do not have time to dedicate to careful lesson planning. If this is true for you, know that lesson planning is worth the effort because it simplifies your teaching in the long run.

Implementing Assessment

Assessment should take place in your classroom every day, whether it is formative or summative. You will not be able to tell if your instruction is working if you don't regularly test student comprehension. As you sit down to develop a lesson, you need to also include systems for measuring how well students have achieved its learning goals. Do the same for entire units and subjects.

Assessments are not only a measure of your success as a teacher but a tool to be used for exceptional planning. Reflect on your assessments and study their results to determine how you should proceed after a lesson—are there students you need to meet with? Is the whole class ready to move on?

Researching the Newest Teaching Methods

An often-overlooked teaching task that makes all the difference between a good teacher and a great one is research. Teachers must make determinations about what will best suit their classroom in terms of lesson delivery, accommodations and modifications for differently-abled students, student work structures, and more.

In order to make informed decisions about these, effective teachers research often and remain open-minded. You must keep up on the latest developments and look for new tools for your teaching arsenal that will improve your teaching practice.

Classroom Management

Many new teachers find this area of teaching most intimidating. But with a couple of tools and a little practice using them, you can create a practical  classroom management  policy to help you keep your classroom under control.

A firm discipline policy is a great place to start. Post rules for student conduct—and the consequences of breaking them—somewhere in the classroom for all to see. Fairly and consistently enforce these to establish a functional system of classroom management.

Other Professional Obligations

Every teacher must meet certain professional obligations depending on their school, district, state, and area of certification. These range from menial tasks such as hall duty during a planning period or after school to more involved tasks like those needed to meet requirements for recertification (professional development, college courses, etc.).

Teachers can also go above and beyond to sponsor a club, chair a committee, or even host after-school study sessions in their classroom. While these are usually not required, they are often highly encouraged sacrifices.

For many teachers, the abundance of paperwork that comes with the job is the most annoying part. To have to spend time taking attendance, recording grades, making copies, and documenting student progress are all necessary evils. These housekeeping and recordkeeping tasks are just part of the job description.

Regardless of how you feel about them, how you handle these tasks says a lot about your organizational skills. Put systems in place to make these tedious processes more efficient so that you will be able to spend more time teaching and interacting with students and less time doing paperwork.

• Pros and Cons of Teaching
• Duties and Responsibilities of a Substitute Teacher
• Seven Strategies to Provide Help for Teachers
• Preparing a Dynamic Lesson Plan
• A Complete Guide to First-Year Teaching
• Strategies for Teachers: The Power of Preparation and Planning
• Teacher Interview Questions and Suggested Answers
• What Teachers Do Beyond the Classroom When No One Is Looking
• What Is the Role of a Teacher?
• Components of a Well-Written Lesson Plan
• 10 New Year's Resolutions for Teachers
• Teacher Housekeeping Tasks
• How Teachers Can Build a Trusting Relationship With Their Principal
• Building an Effective Classroom
• Helpful Classroom Management Strategies Every Teacher Should Try
• Back to School Checklist for Teachers

Introducing TeachCatalystAI

TeachCatalystAI is a professional teaching assistant tool designed to help teachers create lesson plan, teaching materials, and many more with ease. Our AI-powered tool will help you streamline your classroom management, making it easier to keep track of students, assignments, and behavior. Our AI-powered tools and templates are great and configured to make you effective in teaching.

What Do Teachers Do on a Daily Basis?

Affiliate Disclaimer

As an affiliate, we may earn a commission from qualifying purchases. We get commissions for purchases made through links on this website from Amazon and other third parties.

Teachers have a lot of responsibility. They are responsible for the education of their students and for preparing them for their future. Teachers must also be able to work with different types of people, which can be difficult at times.  So, what do teachers do on a daily basis?

Moreover, teachers are responsible for teaching a class, preparing lesson plans, grading assignments, meeting with parents, and much more. While each day may be different, there are some common duties that teachers typically perform on a daily basis.

Stay with me and let’s look at some of the common activities teachers do on a daily basis.

25 Things Teachers Do on a Daily Basis

Teachers are some of the most important people in our society. They play a vital role in shaping the minds of our youth and preparing them for the future. Here are 25 things teachers do on a daily basis that you may not be aware of:

1. Teachers plan and prepare lessons on a daily basis.

Teachers plan and prepare lessons on a daily basis. This allows them to be organized and efficient in their teaching. It also allows them to be responsive to the needs of their students.

2. Teachers teach lessons.

Teachers teach lessons on a daily basis in order to help their students learn the material. They typically start with a lesson plan and then adapt it to fit the needs of their students. In addition to teaching lessons, teachers also grade papers, prepare for tests, and meet with parents.

3. Teachers give assignments and homework.

Teachers give assignments and homework to help students learn and practice what they are being taught in class. Homework can be used to reinforce what was learned in class or it can be used to introduce new material.

By giving assignments and homework, teachers can ensure that students are learning the material and progressing in their understanding of it.

4. Hold meetings with parents, guardians, and students.

Teachers hold meetings with parents, guardians, and students on a daily basis. They discuss the progress of the students and the areas where they need improvement. They also set goals for the students and plan how to achieve them.

5. Attend school events.

Teachers play an important role in school events. They help plan and organize the event and make sure that everything runs smoothly. They also attend the event to support the students and to show their interest in the school.

6. Participate in professional development opportunities.

Teachers are always looking for ways to improve their skills and abilities, and one way they can do this is by participating in professional development opportunities. These can include attending conferences, workshops, and courses offered by professional organizations or educational institutions.

By taking advantage of these opportunities, teachers can learn new techniques and strategies, keep up with current trends in education, and network with other professionals.

7. Serve on committees.

School teachers often serve on committees, which can be a great way to get involved in the decision-making process at your school. By serving on a committee, you can help shape policies and procedures that affect the day-to-day operations of the school. This is a great way to use your expertise to make a positive impact on your school community.

8. Grade papers and tests.

Teachers grade papers and tests in order to assess student learning. This process usually involves providing feedback to students on their performance. Grading can be done in a number of ways, but most commonly involves assigning a letter grade or percentage score.

9. Write report cards and progress reports.

Teachers write report cards and progress reports to communicate a student’s academic progress and performance to parents and guardians. These documents typically include grades, comments on specific areas of strength and weakness, and recommendations for improvement. Progress reports are usually sent home mid-way through a grading period, while report cards are generally sent at the end.

10. Keep up-to-date with current educational research.

Teachers play an important role in keeping up-to-date with current educational research. By doing so, they are able to provide their students with the most up-to-date information and resources available. This allows students to be better prepared for their future studies and careers.

11. Maintain student records.

Teachers play an important role in maintaining student records. They keep track of students’ progress and ensure that all required information is accurately recorded. This allows parents and administrators to monitor student progress and identify areas where additional support may be needed.

12. Monitor students’ attendance and tardiness.

Teachers play an important role in ensuring that students attend school regularly and arrive on time. They may do this by monitoring attendance patterns and tardiness and intervening when necessary. This can help to ensure that students have the opportunity to learn and succeed in school.

13. In-school suspension or lunch detention supervision

In-school suspension or lunch detention supervision is a process whereby a student who has been accused of breaking school rules is temporarily removed from the general student population and placed in a separate, supervised area within the school. This type of discipline is typically used as a last resort after other methods, such as verbal warnings or detention, have failed to change the student’s behavior.

14. Observe other teachers in action.

Many teachers who observe other teachers in action can learn a great deal about different teaching methods and strategies . By watching other teachers, they can see what works well and what doesn’t work so well. This can help them to improve their own teaching skills.

15. Take on additional administrative roles.

As teachers take on additional administrative roles, they often have to juggle more responsibilities and may have less time for teaching. This can be a challenge, but it can also lead to new opportunities for professional development and growth. In addition, taking on additional roles can help teachers build their leadership skills and knowledge.

16. Teachers chaperone field trips or dances.

Teachers chaperone field trips or dances to ensure that students are behaving appropriately and not causing any trouble. This allows students to enjoy the event while also staying safe. Chaperoning can be a fun way for teachers to get involved in their students’ lives outside of the classroom.

17. Teachers proctor exams.

Teachers proctor exams in order to ensure that students are not cheating. This is done by having the teacher watch the students as they take the exam. If the teacher sees anything suspicious, they will investigate.

18. Edit the school newspaper or yearbook

Teachers play an important role in school newspapers and yearbooks. They help students select articles and photos, write headlines and captions, and edit the final product. Teachers also advise student editors on issues such as grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

19. Serve as a mentor to new teachers.

Teachers play an important role in the development of new teachers. By serving as a mentor, they can help new teachers learn the ropes and become successful in their own right.

In addition to providing guidance and support, mentors can also offer insight and advice based on their own experiences in the classroom. By serving as a mentor, teachers can help ensure that new teachers are well-prepared to meet the challenges of the teaching profession.

20. Assist with the implementation of new technology in the classroom.

Teachers are key in helping to implement new technology in the classroom . They help to train students on how to use new devices and software and can provide feedback on how well the technology is working in the classroom setting. By working with teachers, new technology can be successfully integrated into the classroom and improve the learning experience for all students.

21. Create graphic organizers or PowerPoints for lessons.

Teachers create graphic organizers or PowerPoints to help students learn and remember information. By using visuals, students can see how information is related and better understand the concepts being taught. Graphic organizers also help teachers organize their thoughts and ideas before presenting a lesson.

22. Research best practices for teaching specific content areas

There is a wealth of research available on best practices for teaching specific content areas. Teachers can consult this research to learn about effective instructional strategies, assessment methods, and ways to engage students in learning. By staying up to date on the latest research, teachers can ensure that they are using the most effective methods to help their students succeed.

23. Develop individualized education plans (IEPs) for special-needs students.

Teachers develop individualized education plans (IEPs) for special-needs students. This ensures that each student receives the special education, customized instruction, and support they need to succeed. IEPs help teachers track progress and adjust their teaching methods as needed.

24. Collaborate with other teachers to differentiate instruction. 

Differentiating instruction is important for meeting the needs of all students in a classroom. Teachers can collaborate with each other to create differentiated lessons and activities. This can help ensure that all students are able to learn and succeed in the classroom.

25. Attend meetings with management and administration to improve the academic curriculum.

Teachers often attend meetings with management and administration in order to improve the academic curriculum. This helps ensure that the curriculum is up-to-date and meets the needs of students. In addition, these meetings can help identify areas where teachers may need additional training.

In conclusion, teachers have a lot of duties and responsibilities on a daily basis. They are in charge of molding young minds and helping students reach their potential. They work long hours and are constantly preparing for classes and grading papers. Teaching is a demanding profession, but it is also very rewarding. Teachers make a difference in the lives of their students every day.

Furthermore, teachers are responsible for preparing lessons, grading papers, meeting with parents, and much more. They also have to deal with disruptive students and parents. Despite the challenges that they face, teachers continue to have a positive impact on the lives of their students. Thanks for your time!

About the author

Latest Posts

How to Warn Students Effectively in Your Classroom

Uncover the strategic tactics for effectively warning students in your classroom and fostering a positive learning environment with proven methods.

13 Teacher Burnout Symptoms

A comprehensive understanding of teacher burnout symptoms is essential for educators to navigate challenges and prioritize well-being.

Causes of Disruptive Behaviour in the Classroom

Intriguing insights into the causes of disruptive behavior in the classroom shed light on underlying factors affecting student conduct.

• Our Mission

Time Management Tips for Teachers

While much of teachers’ time use is predetermined by the bell, these strategies can help you utilize the unstructured time effectively.

If you’ve ever found yourself overwhelmed with your workload as a teacher, you’re not alone. It turns out, it’s not just you. A few of the major reasons why tackling your to-do list is so challenging are a function of the job itself.

For all grade levels, the majority of the teaching day consists of managed time—that is, time when your schedule is dictated, including time spent teaching classes or attending meetings. Even secondary teachers typically have, at most, an hour and a half of unmanaged time throughout their school day, in which they’re expected to get all of their nonteaching tasks completed: grading, lesson planning, making copies, calling home, and more.

What’s more, that unmanaged time isn’t structured for the type of creative or analytical work that teachers need to do, including lesson planning and analyzing student data. That type of work requires flow, which can take a minimum of 10–15 minutes of focused time to achieve. For most teachers, planning time comes in 10-to-45-minute chunks, making flow difficult—if not impossible—to achieve.

Teachers also have many different types of work to do. There are creative tasks like lesson planning, logistical tasks like making copies or sorting student work, and analytical tasks like grading. The variety of tasks leads teachers to task-switch by default, which decreases productivity. 

The good news is that there are ways to increase efficiency and productivity in the way teachers plan and execute their day-to-day work. And hacking your schedule to work for you can result in working less without compromising effectiveness.

How much time do you actually have?

The first step in taking control of your schedule is understanding how much time you have and how that time is structured. Start by conducting a time audit, which consists of two parts: observation and analyzing your findings.

For three to five days, record how much time you spend on different activities. This doesn’t have to be detailed—jot down quick notes in your planner or even on sticky notes. Try to do this in real time—for example, you might record that you used 20 minutes before students arrived to make copies, grab a coffee, and get slides loaded.

After the observation period, analyze your time by reflecting on the following questions:

• Where is your time actually going? What’s taking up the most time?
• Do you want your time to be spent on those activities?
• How much time do you have? Add up your unmanaged time—does the number surprise you?

Map out your schedule

Using Google Calendar or your paper planner, lay out your schedule for the upcoming week. This includes times you’re teaching students directly, as well as any meetings or duties you have. Some commitments—like class coverage or individualized education program (IEP) meetings—may not fall on the same day from week to week, but do your best to account for that time. You should end up with something like this example .

Next, take time to analyze your schedule by noting the following:

• Where are your blocks of time? How long are they?
• Where do you typically have high energy or low energy?
• Where do you think is best for creative work?

Hack your schedule

Now that you’ve identified your unmanaged work time, it’s time to figure out your plan of action to work most efficiently. Do this by adding your unmanaged workload into your schedule. Here’s how:

Create a list of all tasks you do regularly: This includes lesson planning, grading, making copies, calling home, and creating assessments. The goal is to capture your habitual tasks.

Assign a time estimate to each task: How much time do you typically spend on each? It may be helpful to further break down larger tasks (like grading) by class period or subject.

Batch your work: Batching refers to grouping like tasks together , a productivity strategy that works by minimizing task switching— task switching is very common but has been shown to be unproductive . Batching helps to lessen the cognitive lift associated with switching between different tasks. For this step, you’ll categorize your task list based on task type. Some categories may include the following:

• Creative tasks (like lesson planning or writing parent emails)
•  Decision-making/analytical tasks (like analyzing student data)
•  Logistics tasks (like making copies or completing paperwork)
• 15-minute-or-less tasks

Use your time estimates: Calculate how much time each group of weekly tasks typically takes you. Using your mapped schedule and time audit information, assign your work to time within your schedule.

It’s helpful to have a list of 15-minute-or-less tasks, since teachers often have five, 10, or 15 minutes of unmanaged time. Knowing what tasks fit into these time slots can help you work through your to-do list more efficiently. When you’re done, your schedule may look something like this illustration .

What to Do If You Have Too Much Work and Too Little Time

The reality of teaching is that teachers often have far more than 40 hours of work a week. A 2012 report from Scholastic and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation stated that teachers work an average of 53 hours a week . If that’s you, here are three tips to work more reasonable hours while feeling good about it: 

Know that your to-do list will never be fully done: The nature of teaching is that there’s always more to do. A great strategy is to focus on getting clear on what work is most important and doing those tasks first.

Decide how much you want to work and commit to it: If you choose to work outside of your contract hours, set boundaries on your time. Schedule appointments for when you want to leave each day, or choose to work for a set amount of time or only one day on the weekend.

Involve your administrator: Your principal or department chair is your manager, and teachers should feel empowered to involve them in helping to prioritize work. Make a list of all the work on your plate, along with your time estimates, and share that you don’t have enough time to get it all done. Ask for help identifying the most important tasks (and which ones might be able to shift off your plate).

Aiming to work even a few hours less each week can have a significant impact on your overall well-being.

• Blended Learning
• Communications
• Competency-Based Learning
• Crisis Management
• Curriculum Strategy & Adoption
• Decision-Making
• Digital Content
• Innovative Leadership
• Instructional Model Design
• Learning Walks
• New School Design
• Organizational Leadership & Change Management
• Personalized Learning
• Professional Development
• Remote Work
• Return Planning
• School Districts
• Social & Emotional Learning
• Statewide Initiatives & Consortia
• Strategic Planning
• Teacher Retention
• Teams & Culture
• Virtual Learning

By: Questen Reynolds on May 9th, 2023

Print/Save as PDF

A Day in the Life of a Teacher: All The Things Teachers Do

Teachers  |  Education Elements  |  Teacher Retention  |  Teams & Culture  |  School Leadership

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! This time of year is truly special to me. For 7 years, I worked as a classroom teacher. It was the hardest job I ever loved. Supporting my students academically, contributing to a positive school culture and communicating with families and community members, all made teaching such a wonderful professional experience. In my role as a Design Principal at Education Elements, I no longer work in the classroom, but I use the skills to support school leaders and districts.

As the school year comes to a close, it is important to honor the hardworking teachers who commit their lives to shaping future generations. Teachers are the backbone of our society. They validate our identities, encourage excellence and motivate strong habits. We’ve all been affected by a teacher who helped shape the trajectory of our lives. The teacher who encouraged us to pursue that college major, helped us study for a test or join a specific team all deserve recognition. They commit time, effort and resources that are often hidden, yet have a profound impact on their practice. The recent COVID pandemic made teaching even more challenging and yet teachers rose to the challenge. Teachers did this all the while making a national average of $ 56,483 .

So how do teachers rise to the challenge every day? What might a typical day look like? Seeing it all laid out may give you even more appreciation for all that teachers do. Here’s a list of what a day in my life might look like as a middle school teacher:

• Wake up early (5:00 am!)
• Drink coffee or tea to start the day
• Prepare the classroom and lessons
• Update the white/chalkboard
• Lesson question and standard
• Positive intention
• Quote of the Day 
• Arrange lesson materials
• Sharpen pencils
• Organize books
• Greet students at arrival (7:00am)
• Teach engaging and culturally responsive lessons 
• Encourage students to task risks answering challenging questions
• Affirm students for their participation
• Assess student mastery of the lesson
• Correct off task behavior
• Record lesson for practice growth
• Schedule time to review lesson video
• Grade exit tickets (formative assessments)
• Input data into tracker
• Share data with coach
• Plan to reteach a lesson based on the data
• Celebrate students (yay!)
• Sanitize and organize classroom
• Adhere to COVID protocols
• Support common times (recess, lunch etc)
• Play sports/games with students
• Encourage healthy eating habits
• Bond with students (throughout the day)
• Provide advice and resources
• Connect with students
• Build relationships 
• Advocate and encourage students
• Hold students accountable to poor choices
• Communicate with parents (throughout the day)
• Positive and instructive calls
• Students say their good-byes! (4:00pm)
• Attend grade team and school meetings (4:30pm or later)
• Meet with other teachers to create initiatives for students

Outside of school hours (after 6:00pm and on weekends)

• Grade additional assessments
• Apply lesson feedback to lesson plans for the upcoming week
• Contact families
• Check inbox for emails

This list by no means represents all teachers. However, it paints the picture of how teachers rise to the challenge to support their students and school community. Noticeably missing are the times teachers take to eat, drink water and go to the bathroom. It is not uncommon for a teacher to go the day without drinking water or eating a proper lunch. Teachers often sacrifice their personal needs for their students. Someone once said, “Teaching is the one profession that creates all other professions.”- Unknown. Teachers deserve more than a week. They deserve to be celebrated everyday. This week, but every day after,  find a teacher and thank them. You can thank them with your kind words or gestures: a gift card, food or a mug to name a few ideas.  

Classroom Management Toolbox

Eastern Washington University

Daily Tasks

This tool is used every day and can vary from switching tasks each day or keeping them the same over the period of a week. The purpose of daily tasks is to include the students in the classroom by assigning each a “task” or jobs to do for the day. The teacher should create a list of tasks for the classroom at the beginning of the year and then give each student a task to do on a daily basis. Along with this, the teacher should also introduce this system in a way that students will understand what it consists of, then ensure students are doing their tasks until he/she can see that they get the hang of it to do themselves. The tasks assigned should not include ones that will interfere with/disrupt lessons rather those that will benefit the classroom environment. Daily tasks are a good way of incorporating students into the classroom by working together alongside other students to ensure that each task is completely. The teacher can also create a task chart which displays each task and indicates to the students who has was task for the given day.

More Information – Tool Source: Cornerstoneforteacher.com and Scholastic.com

1 thought on “Daily Tasks”

I implemented in my classroom the “Daily Task” preventative tool. I am placed in a suburban 1st-grade classroom, with 20 students. The tool was simple to prepare. I thought of 20 different jobs that can be done throughout the classroom and found pictures that relate to the task. I then wrote each of the students’ names on a clothespin to identify which student had what job for the day. The prep time took about 30-40 minutes. To teach the tool, I introduced it during our morning message. It took about 20 minutes to explain the structure of class jobs, the rotation, and what each job entailed. Some jobs can be done throughout the day, others are completed right before the end of the day. I noticed that students really enjoy helping take care of our classroom. The job a student has rotated each week, students love to come in on a Monday and find out their job for the upcoming week. I believe this tool was a success. Our classroom was much cleaner, and I noticed students helping one another more than I had before. Students understood their role with the new tool. Everyone has a job, we all contribute, and I can ask to help others if they need help with their job. I think adjustments to make it better would be giving students more time to complete their jobs. Some days we are very busy getting through content, that students don’t have enough time to properly do their job.

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Campus Safety

509.359.6498 Office

509.359.6498 Cheney

509.359.6498 Spokane

[email protected]

Records & Registration

509.359.2321

[email protected]

Need Tech Assistance?

509.359.2247

[email protected]

EWU ACCESSIBILITY

509.359.6871

[email protected]

EWU Accessibility

Student Affairs

509.359.7924

[email protected]

University Housing

509.359.2451

[email protected]

Housing & Residential Life

Register to Vote

Register to Vote (RCW 29A.08.310)

509.359.6200

© 2023 INSIDE.EWU.EDU

Understanding teachers’ routines to inform classroom technology design

• Open access
• Published: 12 May 2016
• Volume 22 , pages 1347–1376, ( 2017 )

Cite this article

You have full access to this open access article

• Pengcheng An 1 ,
• Saskia Bakker 1 &
• Berry Eggen 1  

10k Accesses

10 Citations

Explore all metrics

Secondary school teachers have quite busy and complex routines in their classrooms. However, present classroom technologies usually require focused attention from teachers while being interacted with, which restricts their use in teachers’ daily routines. Peripheral interaction is a human-computer interaction style that aims to enable interaction to take place both in the center and periphery of users’ attention and naturally shift between the two. We believe that classroom technologies employing the principles of peripheral interaction can reduce attentional resources required for teachers to interact with the technologies, and thus make technologies seamlessly blend into teachers’ routines. In order to design such technologies, a thorough understanding of users’ existing routines is crucial. In this paper, we present a qualitative study on everyday routines of seven Dutch secondary school teachers using contextmapping methodology. The results of two qualitative content analyses reveal an overview of teachers’ routine tasks in their classrooms, as well as rich and vivid contextual information about how teachers allocated their attention in their routines and how teachers experience their routines. Based on these findings, we present opportunities and considerations that may inform the design and development of classroom technologies which are to become part of teachers’ routines.

Similar content being viewed by others

Interaction between Teachers and Teaching Materials

FeetForward: On Blending New Classroom Technologies into Secondary School Teachers’ Routines

Towards Context-Aware Classrooms: Lessons Learnt from the ACTUA Project

Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.

1 Introduction

Secondary school teachers usually have quite busy everyday routines. During a lesson, they need to perform various tasks including interacting with 30 or more students and using different artefacts (e.g. whiteboard, computer, documents and timers) in order to successfully organize classroom activities. Frequently, a teacher needs to divide attention or switch between doing different tasks. For example, a teacher may be reading texts to students while at the same time observing if students are paying attention, or a teacher might need to answer a question from a student while in the middle of helping another student. As a result of busy routines teachers have, they are not always able to serve all the students equally, e.g. if there are several hands of students’ in the air requiring the teacher’s attention at one moment, the teacher has to choose who to help. Among other things due to these scenarios, teachers’ work has been considered increasingly complex and intensive (Brante 2009 ).

Technologies are making their way into classrooms. Computing artefacts such as laptops, tablet computers, mobile devices, interactive whiteboards, augmented school desks and tangible interfaces (Antona et al. 2010 ; Beauchamp 2004 ; Horn and Jacob 2007 ; Stanton et al. 2001 ), are being used and developed to facilitate both teaching and learning. Technologies can valuably support teachers’ work, e.g. by making the lessons more appealing to students, giving access to diverse up-to-date resources, and effecting working processes to increase students’ productivity (Ruthven et al. 2004 ). Along with many opportunities, these emerging technologies also bring challenges to teachers’ work. More human-computer interfaces usually means even more tasks to perform, and more objects to attend to. Supporting technologies often unintentionally bring new complexity to teachers’ work (Cuban et al. 2001 ), which makes it challenging for teachers to successfully adopt such technologies as part of their existing busy everyday routines. Although schools, in developed countries, are normally well equipped with ICT infrastructure, computers still remain relatively infrequently used for educational purposes (Urhahne et al. 2010 ). The reality of “high access and low use of technology in schools” (Cuban et al. 2001 ) reveals a gap between present technology and teachers’ work in the classroom. This gap is partly caused by restricted and inconvenient access to the technologies and partially by the time pressure experienced by teachers (Becker 2000 ; Cuban et al. 2001 ). In other words, those technologies do not seem to fit well into teachers’ busy everyday routines because of the effort and time required to use them. It is therefore deemed important to take the context and routines of teachers into account in order to design successful classroom technologies to facilitate teachers’ work.

Undoubtedly, computing technology has great potential to support teachers’ work. However, we believe that such technology can only successfully blend into teachers’ busy everyday routines, when their interaction designs demand only limited attentional resources. We believe this can be achieved by relying on the principles of peripheral interaction (Bakker et al. 2014 ), an interaction paradigm inspired by calm technology (Weiser and Brown 1997 ). By enabling interaction both in the background, or periphery , and in the center of a user’s attention, and allowing frequent shifts between the two, “peripheral interaction design can support computing technology to fluently embed in and become a meaningful part of people’s everyday routines” (Bakker et al. 2014 , p. 239).

In order to successfully design such peripheral interaction systems for teachers, a thorough understanding of existing routines (Bakker et al. 2014 ) in classrooms is essential. Routines are seen as “the very glue of everyday life” (Tolmie et al. 2002 , p. 399), since they encompass an enormous amount of our everyday actions and put them coherently together like one threads beads on a string, thus making our everyday actions unremarkable and unhesitating. It is estimated by researchers (Dean 2013 ; Wood et al. 2002 ) that half of our daily lives consist of performance of routine behaviors which are habituated and intuitive, so that we do not have to allocate much attention on them. We believe that a detailed understanding of routines in the context is crucial as input for developing interaction design which can be successfully used as part of teachers’ everyday work. In particular, a detailed understanding of teacher’s tasks and allocation of attention in those routines is needed. While various related studies have aimed to explore and develop new technologies for classroom use, no related work is known to the authors, which focuses on revealing vivid contextual and experiential information about classroom routines of teachers to inform the design and development of classroom technology.

With the aims of gaining rich contextual insights in teachers’ everyday routines as input for interaction design, we present a qualitative study on the daily routines of 7 Dutch secondary school teachers, using the contextmapping methodology (Visser et al. 2005 ). This study addresses the following research questions: 1. What tasks do teachers do as part of their everyday routines? 2. How do teachers allocate their attention during their everyday routines? 3. How do teachers experience their everyday routines?

In this paper, we will first address related work on classroom technology and explorations of teachers’ everyday routines. Subsequently, we will describe how we implemented the contextmapping methodology and qualitative content analysis (Hsieh and Shannon 2005 ) in our study, after which results from two analyses will be presented and discussed. Finally, we will present design opportunities based on our study results, which can support human-computer interaction to better blend into the everyday routines in secondary school classrooms.

2 Related work

2.1 classroom technologies.

The majority of today’s secondary school classrooms, in developed countries, have (laptop) computers, smartboard and Internet facilities present (Brummelhuis et al. 2015 ). Mobile devices such as tablet computers and smartphones are being increasingly used in classrooms as well, and numerous software applications are commercially available to help teachers in various activities such as organizing the class (e.g. Class Dojo , https :// www.classdojo.com /), explaining class exercises (e.g. Socrative , http :// www.socrative.com /) and taking notes (e.g. Clear , http :// realmacsoftware.com / clear / ).

However, running on laptops, tablets and smartphones, these applications require teachers to visually focus on the graphical user interfaces to accomplish successful interactions. For example, if a teacher wants to take a note after observing a certain student’s performance when walking around the classroom, the teacher may have to take a mobile phone out of his or her pocket, unlock the screen, locate the icon of the note-taking application, and add a new note, before he or she can input the content. During the whole process, the teacher has to pay attention to the interaction with the touchscreen and valuable time to devote to supporting students is lost.

While a lot of studies on designing classroom technologies focus on facilitating learning activities (e.g., Bodén et al. 2013 ; Charoenying 2008 ; da Silva et al. 2011 ; Sylla 2013 ; Zhang et al. 2010 ), only few research explorations also concern designing interactions which demand limited attentional resources from users (the teacher or the students). These works are known in the areas of ambient displays - displays designed to present information without requiring focused attention of users (Pousman and Stasko 2006 ) -, tangible user interfaces - interfaces provide users tangible representations of digital data to interact with (Shaer 2009 ) - and peripheral interaction (Bakker et al. 2014 ). Some examples of these related classroom technologies will be addressed below.

Lamberty et al. ( 2010 ) introduced an ambient display which aims to support elementary school students to remain aware of what their peers are doing when they are all working on an individual computer to solve design challenges related to fractions and symmetry. The ClassSearch system (Moraveji et al. 2011 ) offers the teacher and students awareness of Web search activities in the classroom to facilitate social learning and teacher-led discourse by means of an ambient display. Sturm et al. ( 2006 ) described an unobtrusive service providing the teacher feedback of the attention level as well as the interest level of students through an ambient display while he or she is lecturing. Alavi and Dillenbourg ( 2012 ) addressed a system with interactive lamps called Lantern that means to facilitate interaction between tutors and students working in teams by displaying ambient information about work status of each team. van Alphen and Bakker ( 2015 ) presented Lernanto, an ambient display of each student’s real-time performance based on their own levels as well as the subject one is working on to help the teacher to give differentiated instructions by easily perceiving the students’ information at a glance.

Above are examples of explorations on designing classroom technologies, which display relevant information to students and teachers that can be perceived without focused attention. Some devices are also known which can be manipulated by users (the teacher or the students) at a low attentional level. For example, Subtle Stone (Alsmeyer et al. 2008 ) is a device that enables each student to communicate their emotional experience to the teacher in real time during the lesson, by easily squeezing a handheld orb containing LED lights. Bakker et al. ( 2012 ) addressed several technologies designed for primary school teachers as attempts of peripheral interaction in the context of classrooms. For example, Notelet (Bakker et al. 2014 ) is an interactive bracelet for the teacher to wear around the wrist, with which the teacher can actuate a camera mounted in a corner of the classroom to take a picture of the classroom at the moment the teacher wanted to record a certain behavior of a student. FireFlies (Bakker et al. 2013 ) is an interactive system, consisting of a light-object for each student and a tangible teacher tool with small beads mapping to each light-object to control the color of light-objects both separately and collectively. Teachers can use this system to quickly and silently communicate short messages to children during busy classroom situations.

The related work discussed presents explorations of classroom technologies designed to demand limited attentional resources while being interacted with. These examples indicate that peripheral interaction, enabling human-computer interaction to take place in both the periphery and the center of the user’s attention, is a promising direction to more fluently embed supportive technology in the everyday routines in the classroom. In order to more systematically explore and develop technologies that can effortlessly merge into teachers’ everyday routines, we believe the next step is to gain a solid understanding of teachers’ existing everyday routines, enabling us to lay out opportunities for the development of multiple supportive technologies that leverage peripheral interaction. Since no related research is known to the authors that presents the required contextual insights, this paper presents a qualitative contextmapping study to reach these aims.

2.2 Teachers’ routines

A number of related studies on teachers’ routines are known in the area of Computer-Supported Collaborative learning (CSCL). Greiffenhagen (Greiffenhagen 2011 ), for example, analyzed teachers’ work during collaborative learning activities to find out how teachers intervene in pupils’ learning. Prieto et al. (Prieto Santos et al. 2015 ) presented a study on teachers’ ‘orchestration load’ (the mental load required to facilitate CSCL activities in daily work) using mobile eye-tracking technology in both a lab and a field setting, finding that the increased load for teachers to facilitate and monitor CSCL activities can be challenging for CSCL practice.

Other related studies on teachers’ routines are known in the areas of educational science and sociology. Some studies investigate teachers’ routines out of class. For example, Yinger ( 2009 ) has studied teachers’ routines in ‘preactive teaching’, which takes place before or after class when the teacher is alone. Aili and Brante ( 2007 ) presented a study on teachers’ non-classroom (tuition-free) work to see how teachers employ their professional knowledge in studied situations. Other studies have explored teachers’ activities during lessons. For example, Doyle ( 1977 ) presented results of an ecological analysis about activities in classroom environment, which indicated that teachers have to face multidimensionality, simultaneity, and unpredictability in the classroom and in turn develop strategies to reduce the complexity of their work. Golombek ( 1998 ) studied how the personal practical knowledge of teachers informed their practice in classrooms using class observations, interviews and stimulus recall reports. In another study, Brante ( 2009 ) gathered data of teachers’ multitasking behaviors to investigate teachers’ busy work conditions and suggested to have fewer pupils per class and encourage teachers to talk about how to improve the situation in the local school.

The mentioned studies in the area of CSCL revealed interesting aspects of teacher routines in CSCL activities. Whereas they focus on the application of technologies in CSCL settings, the study presented in this paper aims to investigate mainstream secondary school classrooms where various types of teaching and learning activities take place. While being setup from an educational or sociological perspective, the other related studies we discussed above have also provided insights into our work. Specifically, they delineated some attributes of teachers’ routines, such as simultaneity (highlighting that multiple activities need to be done at the same moment) (Doyle 1977 ), complexity, intensity and multitasking (Brante 2009 ). These factors - describing teacher’s routines as being rather busy and complex - indicate that designing classroom technologies, which avoid imposing a high attentional burden on teachers, seems meaningful. Therefore, inspired by these related studies, the study presented in this paper further investigates the context from a design perspective using contextmapping methodology (Visser et al. 2005 ) to contribute insights on classroom routines of secondary school teachers, as well as considerations which can be applied by classroom technology designers and design-researchers, who aim to fluently embed their designs into teachers’ routines.

3 Methodology

3.1 contextmapping methodology.

The purpose of the study presented in this paper is to gain a rich contextual understanding of teachers’ everyday routines in order to inform the design of classroom technologies which are to become a part of these routines. We conducted the study, using the methodology of contextmapping (Visser et al. 2005 ). This method is developed to extract the experience and ‘latent needs’ of users to inspire or improve product design, but has also been used by researchers to study people’s hidden experiences or subconscious behaviors (Bakker et al. 2011 ; Offermans et al. 2014 ). Contextmapping consists of two phases: the sensitization phase and the group session phase . In the sensitization phase, participants individually perform exercises in their home or work environment over the course of a few days, to prepare or ‘sensitize’ them for the topic of the study. In the group session phase, participants take part in group discussions and participatory activities to reflect on and express their thoughts, feeling, and experiences regarding the topic of the study, often through the making of artefacts or collages (Visser et al. 2005 ).

Everyday routines are often ‘unremarkable’ (Tolmie et al. 2002 ); they have been repeated so many times in daily life that people are usually not aware of the details of their daily routines. For example, we can easily remember what dinner we have prepared yesterday, but we may find it difficult to clearly recall in detail how we attended to and interacted with the objects around us in our kitchen. Similarly, if asked about their everyday routines, teachers likely easily remember the content of lessons, but it may not be easy for them to explain the details of how they divide or switch their attention to accomplish different tasks in their lessons. We therefore decided to use the method contextmapping, which enables participants to be sensitized towards their routine experiences that normally go unnoticed before we ask them about these experiences in a group discussion, as also applied in (Bakker et al. 2011 ). Additionally, the contextmapping method enabled us to gather insights and inspiration for the design of classroom technologies through creative participatory techniques used in the group session.

3.2 Participants

For this study we recruited seven secondary school teachers in The Netherlands as participants. As Table 1 shows, at the moment of the study, P1, P2, and P7 were working in the same school (school S1), while P4, P5, and P6 were each employed at a different school (schools S2, S3, and S4, respectively). P3 recently graduated as a teacher and was at the moment of the study pursuing a graduate degree. This number of participants is within the range of recommended numbers of participants for contextmapping studies (Visser et al. 2005 ), and was expected to allow for in-depth exploration of individual’s routines. To increase the reliability of this qualitative research, we chose to recruit a varying group of teachers which was divers in gender, age, teaching experience and teaching subjects as also shown in Table 1 . We believe by doing this the gathered data could cover a wide range of classroom routines of secondary school teachers.

3.3 Study design

Following the contextmapping method, our study consisted of a sensitizing phase and a group session phase. We decided to use two different approaches to sensitizing: a stimulated recall interview and an exercise booklet.

3.3.1 Sensitization phase 1: Stimulated recall interview

In the first part of the sensitizing phase, we chose to use a stimulated recall interview (SRI), an interview technique in which a video of a participant’s behavior in a real-life setting is recorded, after which the participant is interviewed while playing back the recording (Dempsey 2010 ). Our reason for using the SRI technique is twofold. First, as mentioned before, people are usually not consciously aware of their routine behaviors in everyday life. By looking at and reflecting on the recording, each participant likely becomes more aware of his or her own routines, sensitizing them for the group session. Second, the recordings and particularly participants’ reflections on these recordings can give us a rich understanding of not only which tasks are part of teachers’ everyday routines, but also what they are attending to, what they are thinking about, and what the meanings of their actions are.

While some of the participants taught more than one subject at the moment of the study, only one class among the subjects was recorded for the stimulated recall interview (see Table 2 ). Before each stimulated recall interview, one 50-min lesson of each participant was recorded on video. A digital camera was placed in the back of the classroom. Additionally, a researcher was sitting at the back of the classroom to silently observe the participant and take notes of moments that might be selected as video clips to play back in the interview. For the recorded music lesson of Participant P1, the observer had to take the camera and follow the teacher sometimes, since the teacher had to change her positions among the main classroom, and several rehearsal rooms every now and then to help students while teaching. Participant P3 did not participate in the stimulated recall interview because he was not employed as a teacher at the moment of the study. For participants P6, only 30 min of the lesson could be recorded due a sudden change of the teacher’s schedule.

Interviews were conducted in English. Each interview was conducted as soon as possible after the recorded lesson, so that the participant had fresh memories about the lesson. In each case, the interval between the lesson and the interview was less than one and a half hours. In between the lesson and the interview, the researcher watched the video and selected five to seven clips to be played in the interview. Each video clip lasted one to three minutes. The video clips were selected to cover different class activities (e.g. moments in which the teacher provided whole-class instructions or lectures, moments in which he or she facilitated students’ working, fragments in which the teacher walked around the classroom, and footage of participants interacting with the interactive whiteboard or computers) as well as different time periods of the lesson. This way, the interviews would cover a comprehensive overview of the teachers’ routines.

In each stimulated recall interview, the selected video clips were played to the participant in chronological order. While watching each video clip, the participant was asked to explain what was happening in the video, using questions such as: “What are you doing now?” “What is in your mind right now?” “Where do you put your attention?” “What do you see?” and “What do you hear?”. Depending on the speed of speaking of the participants, the researcher would, at moments, pause or replay parts of a clip. Each interview lasted around 30 min. The interviews were audio-recorded for analysis.

3.3.2 Sensitization phase 2: Exercise booklet

After the stimulated recall interview, each participant was given a sensitizing booklet (shown in Fig. 1 ) with four exercises. They were asked to perform each exercise on a separate day whenever it suited them (either at school or at home). Each exercise was designed to take less than 20 min. It took one to two weeks for each participant to complete the booklet before it was handed back to the researchers. Texts on the booklets were in both English and Dutch, the participants could choose either language to fill in the booklets.

Exercise booklets used for sensitization

The aim of using a sensitizing booklet is similar to that of using the SRI technique, which is to sensitize participants about their unremarkable routine behaviors that they are normally not consciously aware of, so that in the group sessions they can more insightfully discuss about the tacit knowledge (Visser et al. 2005 ) that they act upon in their daily routines. Different from the SRI technique, sensitizing booklets trigger participants to reflect on their own behaviors with less intrusion (participants keep and complete the booklets by themselves) and more freedom (participants can choose suitable places and time to finish the exercises) during longer periods of time (one to two weeks in our case) before the group sessions.

In line with the contextmapping method, the four exercises were designed to help participants to gradually reflect on easy aspects (daily activities and daily objects) to more difficult ones (teachers’ multitasking behaviors and their experiences on them). In the first exercise, the teachers were triggered to reflect on their conventional class activities, by listing a chronological overview of their activities during one typical lesson along a timeline printed on one page of the booklet. They were also asked to mark locations of their activities and draw curves indicating their footprints of doing those activities on a layout map of their classrooms. In the second exercise, the teachers were encouraged to think about various everyday tools (e.g. mark pen, whiteboard, laptop computer, or mobile phone) they use in their classrooms, by describing the usage of each tool. A layout map was also provided for participants to indicate the locations of using those tools. In the third exercise, teachers were asked to reflect on moments at which they did more than one thing at the same time (multitasking), by describing examples from their own experience. The final exercise asked teachers to think about their effortful and effortless situations when doing tasks in their classrooms.

The booklets were collected from participants before the group sessions. Information filled by the participants was used in the preparation of these sessions.

3.3.3 Group session

After the sensitization phase, each participant joined a group session. Three such sessions were conducted, each in English, and each with two participants. One teacher (P7) could not participate in a group session due to unforeseen circumstances. The interval between the recall interview and the group session for each participant was 1 to 3 weeks. Two group sessions were conducted in a meeting room at the university and one session was held in a classroom of a secondary school where the two participants worked. Snacks and drinks were offered to the participants to create a relaxing trustful atmosphere.

Each session lasted for about one and a half hour, and mainly contained three parts: a group discussion and two collage making activities. The sessions were recorded on video for later analysis, and were scheduled as follows:

Introduction (5 min): To start the session, the researcher gave a brief introduction about the setup of the group session, and let the two participants introduce themselves to each other.

Group discussion (30 min): The exercise booklets from the sensitizing phase were given back to each participant, after which a group discussion started. The discussion consisted of four parts, corresponding to four exercises in the booklet. First, participants were asked to look at their lists of class activities in the first exercise of their booklets, and reflect on what their busiest moments are in their lessons. Second, based on the tools they listed in the second exercise in their booklets, participants were asked to discuss how they use these tools in their lessons. Third, participants were asked to share and discuss examples of multitasking behaviors. And fourth, participants were asked to talk and reflect on situations in their routines they find difficult or effortless.

Break (10 min)

Collage making: experience teaching (25 min): After a break, the first collage making exercise was introduced. We chose to have two collage making activities because collages are a low-threshold means of expressing (latent) thoughts and experiences for people who are not experienced in the fields of creativity and design (Visser et al. 2005 ). In this collage each participants was given a set of sheets on which 150 words and 200 pictures were printed. They were asked to use these words and pictures to make a collage that expresses their thoughts, feelings and experiences regarding their everyday routines in the classroom (see Fig. 2 ). They were given 15 min to make the collage and 5 min for each to explain their collage to the group.

Break (5 min)

Collage Making: robot fantasy (25 min): After a short break, the second collage making activity started. Each participant was given a set of sheets depicting images of robot parts and of different kinds of daily objects, which teachers may use in daily work (such as electronic devices and stationery equipment). The participants were asked to use these images to design a robot that could help them in their daily routines in the classrooms, by cutting out and sticking together these images on an empty sheet (see Fig. 3 ) in 15 min. After creating their robot, each participant were asked to explain how his or her robot would help him or her in 5 min. The purpose of this collage making activity is to help teachers in exploring their latent needs for classroom technologies, which can provide insight into the experience of their everyday routines. Additionally we included this exercise to serve as inspiration for future classroom technology design, however, these inspirational outcomes are out of the scope of this paper.

Collages made by participants in the first collage making activity: experience teaching

Collages made by participants in the second collage making activity: robot fantasy

3.4 Data analysis

3.4.1 analysis approach.

The aim of the study described in this paper is to help designers and developers of classroom technologies gain contextual and vivid understanding about routines of secondary school teachers into which the technologies are supposed to be blended. According to our research interest, what we want to extract from the data is an overview of teachers’ mundane tasks in the classroom and lived experiences and vivid images about how they allocate their attention while fulfilling the tasks, as well as how they experience their routines.

The study yielded various types of qualitative data (including videos, audio records, filled in exercise booklets, and collages). Contextmapping commonly leads to “rich, lively and varied”, but “a complex set” and “not readily structured” data (Visser et al. 2005 , p. 133). In order to gain structured insights from our study we analyzed the data gathered using qualitative content analysis (Hsieh and Shannon 2005 ). This approach helps gain knowledge and understanding of the phenomenon being studied through semantic classification of the quotes selected from verbal data to identify themes or patterns of the data from a naturalistic paradigm (Hsieh and Shannon 2005 ). To enable analysis, we transcribed all audio and video data from stimulated recall interviews and group sessions verbatim.

3.4.2 Analysis process

Our study means to answer the following research questions: 1. What tasks do teachers do as part of their everyday routines? 2. How do teachers allocate their attention during their everyday routines? 3. How do teachers experience their everyday routines? To answer these questions, we conducted two qualitative content analyses on the data gathered in our contextmapping study. The first analysis, which we will refer to as the routine tasks analysis , aimed to answer research question 1. For this routine tasks analysis we analyzed the transcripts of the stimulated recall interviews in which teachers reported and reflected on their behaviors while looking at a video recorded in their classroom. The second analysis, which we will refer to as the routine experience analysis , aims to answer research questions 2 and 3. For this analysis, we analyzed the transcripts of both the stimulated recall interviews and group sessions.

Selecting quotes

Following the qualitative content analysis approach, we selected quotes from the transcripts that related to our research questions. While selecting, we also labeled the quotes based on their content, to get an initial overview of possible categorizations of quotes.

For the routine task analysis we selected quotes from the SRI transcripts that mention a task of a teacher. A task can include bodily movements, such as writing on the whiteboard, a perceptual action, such as looking around the classroom, or a mental activity, such as thinking about a teaching plan for this class. We aimed to select quotes that were mutually exclusive: if the same task happening in the same period of time was mentioned twice, then only one mention of this task was selected as a quote. As a result of this process, 183 quotes were selected for the routine task analysis .

Quotes for the routine experience analysis mean to offer contextual information about how teachers utilize their attentional resources, and how they think about and experience their tasks. Therefore, in this analysis, based on our research questions 2 and 3, we generally selected two kinds of quotes: 1. Quotes about how teachers’ attention is allocated, such as how teachers perform multitasking, how teachers attend to mental tasks (e.g. reflecting on goals, making decisions), how teachers respond to interruptions. 2. Quotes indicating teachers’ thoughts about and experiences of their routines, such as what their busiest moments in their lessons are and what situations are difficult or effortless to them. Based on these questions, we select quotes and built an initial set of categories. Each quote in this analysis is usually longer than a quote for the routine task analysis so that some contextual meaning can be kept for coders. 137 quotes were selected for routine experience analysis from the entire set of data.

Collaborative coding

After selecting the quotes from the transcripts, we set up two collaborative coding sessions. In order to guarantee the reliability of the coding results, two coders were involved in these sessions: the first author (the first coder) and a researcher (the second coder) who is familiar with qualitative content analysis but not familiar with the research topic of this study. At the start of the sessions, this second coder was informed of the setup, goals and research questions of the study.

The two analyses were conducted in separate coding sessions, each of which used an identical process:

The quotes (183 in routine task analysis and 137 in routine experience analysis ) were divided equally over the two coders. The selection for each coder included quote from different interviews or group sessions (quotes for routine task analysis did not cover group sessions) and from different participants.

Each coder read his/her quotes to get first impressions of their content. Following, each coder individually created an initial categorization for their set of quotes.

Subsequently, the two coders presented their initial coding results to each other and discussed these to come to a shared categorization of quotes. As a result of these discussions, they reached an agreement on a combined set of categories.

4 Results and discussion

After the routine task analysis , a categorization of quotes from SRIs emerged in which teachers’ mundane tasks were classified into five main categories, showing us an overview of what tasks teachers do as part of their everyday routines (research question 1). An emerged categorization of quotes selected from both SRIs and group sessions for routine experience analysis revealed rich and vivid contextual information encompassing how teachers allocate their attention during their everyday routines (research question 2), and how teachers experience their everyday routines (research question 3). In this section, the results of the two analyses will separately be presented and discussed.

4.1 Routine tasks analysis

The purpose of this analysis is to gain an overview of teachers’ everyday tasks and an impression of teachers’ classroom routines before we discuss how they allocate their attention into their tasks and how they experience their routines. Resulting from the process of collaborative coding of 183 quotes, which described teachers’ tasks reported in Stimulated Recall Interviews, five main categories of teachers’ routine tasks emerged (see Table 3 for detailed information and exemplar quotes of each category). Since the large majority of tasks involved communication between students and teachers, the categorization also describes different ways of information flow between teacher and students, presented in Table 3 and Fig. 4 .

An overview of the categorization of teachers’ daily tasks emerged in routine task analysis. The arrows indicate the information flow between students and the teacher

The categories sensing , dialoguing , and imparting make up the majority of tasks found in the routine task analysis (131 out of 183 quotes). These categories describe communicative tasks, most of which reflect the nature of pedagogical activity: the communication between teacher and students. The quotes in these three categories reveal that this communication happens at multiple levels (see Fig. 5 ). Tasks belonging to categories of sensing and imparting are mostly focused on communicating with students at class-level, or large-group-level. For example, when teacher is explaining new knowledge to students ( imparting ), he or she usually treats the group as a whole. The teacher may try to assess an overall student reaction ( sensing ) and adjust his or her way of explaining accordingly, rather than putting attention on particular students too much. On the other hand, when performing tasks belonging to the category dialoguing , for example when helping a student or a small group of students, the teacher communicates with student in an individual-level or small-group-level.

Multiple levels of teachers’ communicative tasks with students

In classroom situation, tasks of sensing , dialoguing and imparting do not have clear boundaries between each other. And the communication levels of them are not absolute. They intertwine to each other to compose pedagogical activities. For example, when lecturing to students ( Imparting ), a teacher may also ask a question to an individual student and give him or her feedback ( dialoguing ). Or when a teacher is helping a small group of students ( dialoguing ), he or she may also try to listen to other students to keep an overview of what students are doing ( sensing ).

In this analysis, teachers’ daily tasks in classrooms were classified into five categories ( sensing , imparting , dialoguing , reflecting , and others ), which gives us an overview on what tasks teachers do as part of their everyday routines. The results also have shown that the majority of teachers’ routine tasks ( sensing , imparting , and dialoguing ) involves multilevel communication between the teacher and the students.

4.2 Routine experience analysis

For the routine experience analysis - analysis of how teachers allocate their attention while working and how they experience their everyday routines - we selected quotes from both the stimulated recall interviews and group sessions. Most of the 137 selected quotes for this analysis are longer than quotes selected for the routine task analysis in order to preserve their contextual meaning for coders. As a result, some of these quotes provide multi-facet insights. In this analysis, we therefore placed some of the quotes into more than one theme or category. The analysis resulted in two main themes of quotes, corresponding to two of our research questions: 2. How do teachers allocate their attention during their everyday routines? 3. How do teachers experience their everyday routines? In each theme, there are several dominant categories revealing contextual information of different aspects of teachers’ routines, and we will introduce and discuss these categories here one by one. The quotes not belonging to any of these categories have been sorted into categories called others (4 quotes in the theme 1 and 8 quotes in the theme 2) in both themes, which are not going to be discussed. See Table 4 for a detailed overview of the categorization.

4.2.1 Theme 1: How do teachers allocate their attention during their everyday routines?

Quotes in the first theme provide insights into how teachers allocate attention while working. As shown in the Table 4 , three dominant categories emerged from the analysis: multitasking , interruptions , and reflective tasks .

Category 1: Multitasking

—“While you’re doing a lesson, you’re constantly trying to perceive…” (P4 in the group session).

Twenty-five quotes describing situations in which teachers do more than one tasks at the same time are sorted into this category. While analyzing these quotes, we found that 18 of them describe an example in which a task is performed together with a sensing task such as listening to or observing students. We call them ‘ X  +  Sensing tasks ’ (see Table 4 ). For example, one of our participants reported that when reading texts to students, “I suppose half of my brain is on the words I’m reading […] and half of me is checking if they are following” (P2 in the SRI). In another example, a teacher said, “when I am writing on the board, I try to listen to what they (students) are saying” (P5 in the group session). We already found in routine task analysis that sensing students is a large classification among all the teacher tasks (see Table 3 ), and here it is shown that sensing is the most common side task of teachers’ multitasking behaviors in their routines.

As shown in the Table 4 , among the 18 quotes of X  +  Sensing tasks , 7 quotes mention that teachers sense students by listening, 6 mention that teachers sense students by visual observation, and 5 quotes do not have clear information about how the teacher senses students. It may indicate that auditory perception is as a common way as visual perception for teachers to sense students when they are performing multitasking, especially when their visual perception is needed to perform the other task, for example, writing on the board, looking at the screen, or talking to other students. This is in accordance with results of related research, which found that awareness of peripheral information is mostly gained through auditory perception in everyday life (Bakker et al. 2011 ).

Quotes in the sub-category X  +  Sensing tasks furthermore reveal various purposes of sensing students while teaching. For example, when a teacher is giving a lecture or demonstration to students, he or she may want to know if students are paying attention, if they understand what he or she is talking about, or if what has been written on the board is clear enough for students to read. When a teacher is using a computer, he or she may occasionally ‘sweep around the classroom’ (P6 in the group session) to see if students are doing their work or if there is any student who needs help. Even if a teacher is helping individual students, he or she may listen to other students nearby, “trying to sense what the other students are doing” (P6 in the group session), or “if they possibly have the same problems” (P5 in the group session). And sometimes, a teacher allocates his or her attention to students while doing something, just “to keep an overview of what’s happening” (P6 in the group session) in the classroom.

Since X  +  Sensing tasks show a dominant proportion among the examples of multitasking, the remaining quotes are sorted as “ Other multitasking situations ” (7 quotes). This sub-category contains examples in which a sensing task is not involved. For example, a teacher was “greeting students coming in, also starting up the computer” (P6 in group session) at the beginning of the class.

In this category, we found that sensing students is a very common side task in teachers’ everyday routines. Teachers also indicate that it is crucial for them. “While you’re doing a lesson, you’re constantly trying to perceive or listen to the students.” (P4 in the group session) “Whatever I’m doing, I‘m trying to figure out what students are thinking…” (P5 in the group session).

Category 2: Interruptions

—“There are a lot of decisions to make.” (P5 in the group session).

When performing a certain task, such as lecturing, facilitating students’ group work, or walking around the classroom to oversee students working, a teacher also regularly confronts different interruptions, after which task switching might occur. 23 quotes in this category describe examples of how teachers deal with interruptions in their routines. There are mainly two types of interruptions: external interruptions (18 quotes) which are caused by students or technologies, and self-interruptions (5 quotes) which are initiated by teachers themselves (see Table 4 ). We found that most of the external interruptions are caused by students (16 out of 18 quotes). Others are caused by technologies such as social network applications (2 quotes). And five quotes from the sub-category self-interruptions show us that teachers tend to initiate self-interruptions to perform secondary or supportive tasks including interaction with technologies when their workload is low.

As shown in the Table 4 , we found that there are two kinds of events causing external interruptions : direct interrupting events (9 quotes) and indirect interrupting events (9 quotes). Direct interrupting events refer to situations in which the interruptions directly request a teacher’s attention. For example, students raise their hands to ask questions while the teacher is lecturing; or when the teacher is helping a group of students, a student from another group come to the teacher asking for help. In situations of direct interrupting events , teachers have to react to the interrupting events immediately, by either helping the student(s) directly or indicating that the student(s) will be attended to later. As a consequence, the current task of the teacher has to be paused while the teacher has to react to the events. When discussing the situation that the students have questions while the teacher is doing something else, P4 for example indicated, “you have to decide on ‘which will I do?’ ‘Will I listen to the students first and then finish the other tasks?’”. Even if the teacher decides to attend to the interrupting event later, a small task interruption occurs when informing students that their requests will be dealt with later. However, this can be done in a quite tacit manner, for example with an ‘automatic nod’ to the students (P4 in the group session).

Nine quotes describe indirect interrupting events (see Table 4 ), situations which are not directly intended to request the teacher’s reaction immediately, for example, when a teacher perceives that a student is distracted, falling behind the schedule of the lesson, or saying something interesting in the group discussion, or when the teachers notice that there are new messages from his or her social network. Unlike direct interrupting events , indirect interrupting events do not necessarily require the teacher to stop his or her current activity. In other word, these events are more deferrable and ignorable than direct interrupting events . If they get deferred by the teacher, they may become a self-interruption which will initiated by the teacher later. For example, P4 reported a moment during his lesson in the SRI when he noticed that one of students was playing with his phone. P4 decided to carry on his activity and deal with it later, “I just let it be until I had some time talk to him.” Teachers may also decide to react to the indirect interrupting events immediately. For example, P6 reported in the SRI that when he was helping a few students in his class, he noticed that some other students were getting distracted. So he decided to take action immediately, “So for me that is a cue: okay, now I have to go over there and check…” Interestingly, two quotes from indirect interrupting events describe interruptions caused by WhatsApp messages from colleagues (P5 in the group session) or friends (P6 in the group session) during their lesson. P5 described an example that during her lesson she looked at her phone to check her agenda, “And then I notice that there are a lot of WhatsApp notifications from my colleagues asking me to do things, then there’s another information load coming” Both P5 and P6 thought receiving such messages while working was ‘quite intrusive’ (P6 in the group session) to them.

In the sub-category self-interruptions (see Table 4 ), there are five quotes showing us that low-workload periods, usually when students are working independently with the teacher observing, are prone to initiate self-interruptions to carry out secondary or supportive tasks. These tasks can include interacting with technologies, such as answering emails from colleagues (P4 in the group session), using administration software (P3 in the SRI), or checking the laptop (P7 in the SRI). At low-workload moments, teachers decide to switch their attention from students to secondary or supportive tasks since “right now they (students) do not need my attention” (P7 in the SRI), “that could be the moment I could do something else” (P3 in the group session).

In this category, we found that while teaching, teachers have to regularly deal with interrupting events mostly caused by students, and sometimes by technologies. Being interrupted, teachers have to make quick decisions on whether, when and how to react to those interruptions. As stated by P5, “there’re a lot of decisions to make.” Some of the interruptions need immediate reactions and some of the interruptions can be deferred to become self-initiated interruptions later. Teachers tend to initiate self-interruptions to interact with technologies during low-workload periods when they do not have to pay much attention to students.

Category 3: Reflective Tasks

—“My mind is doing a lot of things at the same time.” (P6 in the group session).

As Table 4 shows, 27 quotes in this category describe what reflective tasks teachers attend to when they are teaching. We found that teachers may have multiple goals or sub-goals to pursuit in a pedagogical activity, and they need to occasionally check if (sub-) goals are being fulfilled (17 quotes). Additionally we found that teachers occasionally think about if they need to adjust their lesson plan according to the condition of the class (10 quotes).

In the sub-category multiple ( sub- ) goals , 3 quotes describe long-term goals (see Table 4 ), which always direct the teacher’s behavior while he or she is working. For example, P6 indicated in the group session that there were some general goals in his mind: “I try to encourage students, make them gain knowledge, give them some change inside”. P2 indicated in the group session that she aimed to give students “a feeling of success” while teaching. These long-term goals , as P2 felt, are “sitting away in some part of your brain all the time…” And teachers occasionally think about how they can achieve those goals. And that, for P2, felt like “a kind of multitasking”. Besides those long-term general goals, there are also some more concrete (sub-) goals for teachers to pursuit in different classroom activities, which is categorized in further sub-category short-term goals (14 quotes). Given the complex nature of pedagogical work, an activity of a teacher may have multiple sub-goals, which the teacher has to check in his or her mind every now and then while doing the specific work. For example, P3 (in the group session) reported that while lecturing, besides attending to things he is talking about, he was also thinking about “Are they (students) reading? Are they paying attention? How am I doing? Am I clear?” in his mind.

Teaching is dynamic and unpredictable. The sub-category adjusting plans (see Table 4 ) includes quotes describing that every now and then in the classrooms, teachers have to decide whether to readjust their plans or ways of teaching according to the conditions of the class at the moment (10 quotes). As P4 described in the group session that to him a plan for a lesson is just like “some recipe in your head”, and he has to “keep track of where you were in your recipe…” and this is usually done by the teacher perceiving the conditions of the class by experience. Once the teacher finds that students respond or behave differently than expected, he or she might adjust the plan (for example, the teacher quickens the pace of teaching or slows it down) to a certain extend to fit the current situations. P2 (in the group session) thought that as an experienced teacher, “you can assess the atmosphere” of the class, and “possibly to change a plan to fit what the atmosphere is.”

In this category, we found that while teaching, teachers may occasionally focus their attention on checking if they kept on fulfilling their multiple (sub-) goals, and also think about whether to adjust their teaching plan to better fit to the current situations of the class. These reflective tasks may give a teacher a feeling that “my mind is doing a lot of things at the same time” (P6 in the group session).

4.2.2 Theme 2: How do teachers experience their everyday routines?

This theme collects quotes describing teachers’ feelings and experiences of their routines. There are two dominant categories: the first describing the busiest moments that teachers find during their lessons, and the second describing situations which teachers find effortless or difficult while working.

Category 1: Busiest Moments

—“The beginning of the lesson is the busiest time.” (P2 in the group session).

21 quotes in this category describe the moments teachers think are busiest in their lesson. As it shows in the Table 4 , there are 18 quotes in the sub-category Beginnings and transitions indicating that teachers find the beginnings of and transitions between lessons and class activities are the busiest moments in their routines. There are also some other reasons that may cause teachers’ feeling of busyness from the sub-category other busiest moments (3 quotes).

All the participants agreed that the beginning of a lesson is the busiest moment for them (12 quotes in the further sub-category beginnings of lessons ). On one hand, at the beginning of a lesson a teacher may have a lot of ‘physical stuff’ (P4 in the group session), or ‘mechanical things’ (P2 in the group session) to do, such as starting up the computer to prepare the slides or take attendance of students, opening the textbook at the right page, collecting homework, writing down the planning of the lesson on the whiteboard or moving things from place to place. Meanwhile, the teacher also has to interact with students coming into the classroom: greeting students, having casual conversations, keeping an overview of what students are doing, and asking them to prepare for the lesson. Additionally, the beginning of a lesson can also be considered as a transition between two lessons during which students from the previous lesson may still have questions that need to be answered while students for the next lesson are coming into the classroom at the same time. All situations described above make teachers feel that “there are lots of things happening at the same time.” (P6 in the group session) Apart from the beginning of a lesson, or transition between two lessons, the participants indicated that the beginnings of and transitions between different teaching activities also lead busy moments (6 quotes in the further sub-category beginnings of class activities ). For example, P3 told us in the group session that he felt the moments when he switched from lecturing to overseeing students working on their own are very busy for him. At such moments he may have to describe to students what they have to do, answer questions from students, and help some of the students who have difficulties.

In the sub-category other busiest moments , three quotes describe busiest moments other than beginnings or transitions. For example, P5 (in the group session) found the moment in which her students were doing practical experiments very busy, because there might be some students doing wrong things at the same time and she needs to correct them all. A sudden arising of multiple questions from students at some points is also considered by P4 (in the group session) as a busy moment.

Teachers indicated that after the busyness at the start of lessons or lesson-periods, their routines usually get less busy (3 quotes belonging to the sub-category Beginnings and transitions from P1, P2 and P6 in the group sessions). One participant experienced that, “The beginning is the hard thing. And once you’ve got people doing, you’ve got the thing going, and it’s a bit like starting up a machine. Once you got it started, it’s going to run itself” (P2 in the group session). P1 (in the group session) said that, “In the beginning, I think, It’s hard…” and she had to allocate her attention to students who needed different helps, but once started, students will get to a point where they do not need much attention from the teacher, and she thought “then that becomes much easier”.

This category shows us that the start of, and transitions between, lessons and class activities are the busiest moments considered by teachers. Multiple tasks to fulfill make their workload relatively high at these moments. But after these moments, teaching may become less busy for them since students may get to a more autonomous learning state, and the intensity of tasks may get reduced.

Category 2: Effortless or Difficult

—“Becomes easier.” (P6 in the group session).

It is shown in Table 4 that 47 quotes in this category describe classroom situations that teachers see as difficult parts of their routines, and situations they see as effortless parts of their routines. In the sub-category becoming easier , 17 quotes reveal that as a teacher gets more experienced in teaching, some of the tasks will get more effortless or even automatic for him or her. The sub-category attending to individuals (13 quotes) indicates that teachers think it is difficult to attend to every individual student in their lessons, given the current number of students they have for each class. The 17 quotes remaining compose the sub-category various opinions which reflects various opinions from teachers about their effortless or difficult situations.

The sub-category various opinions shows us that different teachers have different opinions about which parts of their routines they find difficult or effortless, and some of the views are even opposite to each other. For example, one of our participants, who had one year of teaching experience, thought that while giving a lecture, paying attention to students’ behavior is “a little bit difficult” (P3 in the group session). However, another participant who has been teaching for 6 years thought that “While I’m explaining or demonstrating things on the board, I can easily observe what’s happening in the class.” (P6 in the group session).

Participants reasoned that these differences depend on how experienced a teacher is (i.e. how long he or she has been teaching), which is shown by the sub-category Becoming easier (17 quotes). Quotes in this sub-category show situations that have become easier for teachers after years of teaching. For example, P6 (in the group session) indicated that, “I think when teaching a longer time, (you) already have quite some good ideas why people get stuck…” When talking about the multiple tasks that need to be done at the start of the lesson, P4 (in the group session) commented that, “After you get more experienced, you kind of do those things simultaneously…” P4 added that, at beginning of the lesson, although interaction with students may still take a lot of time, finishing the ‘physical’ setup (such as starting up computer and smartboard and moving things from place to place) is getting ‘easier’ (“it takes less time, I think, and not much attention” (P4 in the group session)). Similarly, P3 (in the group session) thought that “some parts of your lesson will become […] automated”. Therefore, “you can easily pay attention to something else”.

As concluded earlier, our participants indicated that they always try to be aware of what every student is doing. However, the sub-category attending to individuals (13 quotes) shows that a bottleneck of a teacher’s attention seems to appear when higher numbers of students are involved. P6 indicated (in the group session) that it is doable for him to remain aware of what everyone is doing in class of 15 students, while most of time, there are 25 or more students. P2 thought that if there are 30 students, “it’s easier for students to slip through the cracks” (P2 in the SRI). P7 indicated that it is possible for her to be aware of what other students are doing while helping a group of students in a small class, but “if there were 20 students, it gets more difficult” (P7 in the SRI). P5 (in the SRI) thought it is ‘hectic’ to attend to all the students in a class of 29 students.

There are more situations described in the sub-category various opinions , showing that teachers have diverse opinions on which tasks of theirs are difficult or effortless. For example, P1 and P3 mentioned that to deal with students with negative attitudes are quite effortful. P1 (in the group session) said that “when the attitude of students is poor, that burdens me.” For another example, P5 (in the group session) told us that she had difficulty to type something on the computer and meanwhile answer a question from a student, while she could easily hear what students are talking about and write things on the whiteboard simultaneously.

In this category we found that teachers’ opinions on whether their tasks are effortless or difficult can be quite different depending on how many years they have been teaching. As a teacher gets more experienced in teaching, he or she may get better at doing things simultaneously: some tasks will become ‘automated’, which imposes a lower workload. Additionally, we found that most participants thought that, even though remaining aware of all students’ current state and progress is important, it is difficult to realize this in classes consisting of 20 or more students.

4.3 Limitations

Although the study has yielded rich and vivid contextual information needed to answer our research questions, there naturally are also a number of limitations to the research conducted. Because of the choice to conduct an in-depth qualitative study using contextmapping methodology, in line with the qualitative aims of our research, the number of involved participants is relatively low. By involving seven participants, though diverse in gender, age, teaching experience and teaching subjects, the study could likely not cover all possible teaching scenarios, resulting in a potential bias. A bias could furthermore be caused by the fact that in the sensitization phase, we conducted SRIs based on the recording of one single lesson of each participant. More diverse routine activities might have been covered when recording multiple lessons of one teacher and when involving a larger participant group. Another limitation of this study is that during the research, both P3 and P7 were not able to participate in the complete process of the study (P3 was not able to participate in the SRI and P7 missed the group session). While the mentioned limitations indicate suggestions for improvement in study design for future studies with similar aims, we also recognize these limitations as inherent to the in-depth and qualitative approach chosen, which we believe to be essential given the qualitative nature of the research questions.

5 Design opportunities

The starting point of this study is the assumption that secondary school teachers have quite busy everyday routines in their classrooms. Based on this assumption, we believe that employing the principles of peripheral interaction (Bakker et al. 2014 ) which concerns reducing the attentional resources required from users is meaningful to design and development of classroom technologies. Therefore, from a perspective of design, the contextmapping study presented in this paper was conducted to gain a better understanding on secondary school teachers’ existing routines. The study results with rich and vivid contextual information reflect the busy and dynamic nature of everyday routines of secondary school teachers, which has verified our basic assumption and thus has supported that teachers’ routines in classrooms are a very promising context for deploying peripheral interaction. Undoubtedly, classroom technologies which do not require much focused attention to interact with will disburden teachers who are already quite busy, and enable them to focus beyond the technologies thus to have more attentional resources for students. Based on findings from the analyses, here we identify several design opportunities to inform designers and developers of classroom technologies.

5.1 Design opportunity 1: Disburdening teachers’ eyes and ears

From our two analyses we concluded that sensing (with the purpose of remaining aware of students’ activities, attention levels, or emotional states) is the most common side tasks in teachers’ everyday routines. It seems that whatever teachers are doing, they always try to keep aware of students’ state. As a result, teachers’ visual and auditory attention is frequently occupied by sensing students while they are teaching. According to Multiple Resource Theory (MRT) (Wickens 2002 ), if two tasks require the same modality or cognitive resource, interference will occur so that it may not be possible to be performed in parallel. Therefore, on the one hand, developers and designers might try to reduce the amount of focused visual or auditory attention required from teachers to interact with the technologies, for example, by means of ambient display (Mankoff et al. 2003 ), or ambient soundscape (Butz and Jung 2005 ). On the other hand, developers and designers might explore alternative modalities for the interaction between teachers and technologies. Haptic perception (e.g., (Williams and Michelitsch 2003 )), proprioception (sense of the positions and postures of our own body and limbs, see, for example, (Lopes et al. 2015 )) and other modalities of perception may also be utilized to support teachers’ technology-related tasks, making the tasks easier to be performed in quasi parallel with other tasks. For example, imagine a bracelet that can work as a timer and give haptic feedback to the teacher. If the teacher sets the bracelet for a 20-min period for students to do some exercises, while he or she is walking around and helping students, the bracelet will perform a subtle vibration pattern every five minutes to help the teacher remain aware of how much time has passed in this period, before it will give a stronger feedback to indicate the time is up. By using haptic perception to keep general time awareness in classroom activities, the teacher does not have to visually focus on a timer application on the computer.

5.2 Design opportunity 2: Design for interruptibility

As we found in our study, while working, teachers have to deal with various interrupting events mostly caused by students, and sometimes also by technologies. We also found that teachers prefer to initiate self-interruptions to interact with the technologies (for example, emails, or administration software) when they are in low-workload conditions. To fit in these highly dynamic everyday routines, technology-supported tasks might be designed to be flexible enough, so that they can be potentially interrupted by, switched with other tasks, and deferred by teachers. Of course also they should be resumed effortlessly without causing much extra mental load. To explain this, we can take one of teacher routine tasks, recording attendance, as an example. A current way for a teacher to fulfill this task is to use school administration software on his or her laptop. The teacher has to fill attendance information into a digital name list of all the students and then submit it. If the teacher gets interrupted by another task and has to leave his or her desk, after the interrupting task, he or she needs to go back to the desk and scan through the list on the screen to find out the point where he or she just stopped to resume the task. To make this task more interruptible, a possible concept design may be a mobile application for attendance recording. When the application is focused, one student’s name will be displayed on the screen each time, and only after inputting attendance of this student, it will be replaced by the name of another student, until all the information is completed. In this way, the whole task is divided into small fragments, and teachers can choose to finish several fragments at a small time slot when they are not busy. Once interrupted, teachers can resume this task more effortlessly. Moreover, when designing technology-supported tasks for teachers, we may try to avoid these technologies to cause direct interrupting events to teachers when their workload is already relatively high (such as at the beginnings of and transitions between lessons and activities at which they feel considerably busy as we found). To achieve this, classroom technology might be designed to be activity-aware (for example, the system knows which activity or situation the user is in currently) and user-adaptive (for example, the system knows how much mental load the user has, and thus determines whether or not to interrupt the user).

5.3 Design opportunity 3: More information for teachers

In our study we found that teachers have multiple goals and sub-goals to pursuit when they are in different activities, and they have to regularly check if they keep achieving these (sub-) goals. Additionally, they frequently assess whether they should adjust their plans or strategies of teaching in order to fulfill their (sub-) goals, based on the current context in the classrooms, such as students’ feedback, performance, or attention level. This finding reflects how dynamic classroom activities are for teachers, and explains why sensing tasks are crucial to them. Therefore, it will be meaningful for teachers that more relevant information, especially that cannot be directly or easily perceived by sensing tasks (e.g. attention level, emotional state of each students, student performance in certain exercises,), can be presented to them in real-time. For example, imagine there is an ambient display system presenting in real-time information about how much time the teacher has spent on helping each student. While a teacher is teaching, he or she may sometimes notice the information, and it could support the teacher to make decisions on whether he or she should spend more time on helping a student or whether he or she should go to another student. However as we mentioned in the design opportunity 1, such displays should be unobtrusive, unarrestive, and ignorable, so that the information could support teachers assess and adjust their teaching more efficiently without causing much extra cognitive load. Some of the related work we addressed before, such as studies done by Moraveji et al. ( 2011 ); Sturm et al. ( 2006 ), and van Alphen and Bakker ( 2015 ) can be seen as early explorations into this direction and have shown their potential value for teachers. We believe that there is more space to be explored in this opportunity.

5.4 Design opportunity 4: Design for personalization

From routine experience analysis , we concluded that teachers’ experiences and feelings of their routines can be rather different. Moreover, different teachers have different capabilities of task performing. Factors such as years of teaching experience lead to this differentiation. We also found from our participants who are diverse in the subjects taught by them that teachers of different subjects have different activities in their lessons. For example, one of the most common teaching activities for an English teacher might be to read the textbook to students and explain the content, whereas a mathematics teacher, what he or she frequently does in the lessons might be demonstrating calculations on the whiteboard for students to follow. Now that teachers differ in experience, capability, activity of their daily work, it is reasonable for classroom technologies to be personalized to adapt to different preferences of teachers. For example, imagine that there is a handheld controller, which has some shortcut buttons that can help the teacher remotely activate and simply manipulate laptop-based applications displayed on the smart whiteboard. Since different teachers may have different frequently used applications, teachers may prefer to define the functions of the shortcut buttons by themselves. For example, the English teacher may want to have an online dictionary mapped to a button, while the mathematics teacher may want to have a virtual calculator for demonstrating to students. For teachers who are quick learners of using technologies, they may set more shortcut buttons than those who are not experienced in using technologies. Additionally, as the teacher gets more familiar with using the controller, he or she may define more shortcut buttons to control applications. Therefore, in order to make the technologies fit into different routines of teachers, we might try to make the classroom technologies open-ended, and enable personalization by users.

5.5 Design opportunity 5: Support for multilevel communication

As our routine task analysis shows, communication between students and teachers in pedagogical activities are multilevel, which means that some of the communicative tasks take place on class-level, whereas some of them take place on small-group or individual level. When doing tasks belonging to sensing or imparting , teachers usually see the entire class or a group of students as a whole. And while performing tasks belonging to dialoguing , teachers tend to address students as individuals or small groups. However, we also found that communication on individual-level is somewhat constrained because of the large numbers of students in one class: evenly divide attention to each individual student is challenging. An opportunity for classroom technologies might be to facilitate these multilevel communications in pedagogical activities, supporting teachers to manage, instruct, or help students flexibly and precisely, so that they can not only teach the class as a whole, but also easily track the learning of groups or individuals and correspondingly give each student specific instructions, explanations, or missions when they need. For example, as we addressed in the related work section of this paper, FireFlies (Bakker et al. 2013 ) enables a teacher to give simple feedback to students individually through changing the color of a student’s lamp, while the teacher is overseeing students working. Another example, Subtle Stone (Alsmeyer et al. 2008 ) helps each student communicate his or her current emotion to the teacher by squeezing an orb. And the teacher can be aware of not only the overall emotional state of the class but also different emotions of individuals, based on which he or she could adjust teaching. These examples show us how technologies can facilitate multilevel communication in pedagogical activities, and we believe that there are more possibilities to explore.

6 Conclusion

In this paper, we present a qualitative study on classroom routines of secondary school teachers from an interaction-design perspective. We started from the assumption that secondary school teachers have quite busy routines in which a lot of their attentional resources need to be occupied by various daily tasks. We therefore believe that employing the principals of peripheral interaction (Bakker et al. 2014 ), which can reduce attentional resources required from users, is meaningful for design and development of classroom technologies. In order to design and develop technologies that can be used in the periphery of teachers’ attention, and become seamless part of teachers’ routines, a thorough understanding of existing routines of secondary school teachers is needed. Therefore, this paper targets on informing the designers and developers aiming to design such classroom technologies with rich and vivid contextual information on teachers’ routines gained by using contextmapping (Visser et al. 2005 ) methodology. Results of two analyses presented in this paper address our three research questions: 1. What tasks do teachers do as part of their everyday routines? 2. How do teachers allocate their attention during their everyday routines? 3. How do teachers experience their everyday routines?

To address research question 1, routine task analysis has been conducted. A categorization of teachers’ classroom tasks emerged from the analysis providing an overview of teachers’ routine tasks. In the categorization, teachers’ routine tasks are classified into five categories ( sensing , imparting , dialoguing , reflecting , and others ). And a multilevel feature of teachers’ communicative tasks ( sensing , imparting , and dialoguing ) is also reflected by the analysis. To answer research question 2 and 3, we conducted routine experience analysis . The first part of the results (theme 1) shows us vivid pictures of how teachers allocate attention in their routines. We found that whatever tasks teachers are doing, they always try to also attend to students to get aware of their state. While teaching, teachers frequently confront different interrupting events externally, and they also initiate self-interruptions when their work-load is relatively low. Occasionally, teachers need to reflect on multiple (sub-) goals and teaching plans in their minds and think about whether they should adjust their teaching plans based on what they have sensed from the class. The second part of results (theme 2) of routine experience analysis shows how teachers experience their routines. We found that beginnings of, and transitions between, lessons and different teaching activities are considered as the busiest moments for teachers. And teachers feel less busy when students get to a more autonomous learning state after the busy starts of activities. We found that teachers’ opinions on which tasks are effortless and which tasks are difficult differentiate depending on years of teaching experience. For an experienced teacher, some of the tasks may have become effortless or even automatic. Additionally, we found that allocating enough attentional resources to each individual student is considered as difficult by most of the teachers, if the number of students per class is higher than 20.

Results of this study show us rich and vivid information about busy and dynamic routines of secondary school teachers, which verified our basic assumption. Our findings therefore support our approach of exploring peripheral interaction as a meaningful human-computer-interaction style for secondary school teachers. Based on findings from the analyses, we identified five design opportunities. We propose that classroom technologies may reduce focused visual or auditory attention required from teachers, and leverage their capabilities of peripheral perception. Teachers’ tasks supported by technologies may have more flexibility to be interruptible, which means they can be interleaved with other daily tasks, or deferred by teachers, without demanding much mental effort to resume. We believe that it is meaningful for technologies to present more real-time information (such as status or performance of students) to teachers, in an unobtrusive and unarrestive manner, so that teachers can be better aided to fulfill goals and make decisions. We also suggest that classroom technologies can be open-ended and easily personalized by users to support teachers who have different routines and various preferences of using technologies. Last but not the least, we think the classroom technology may facilitate the multilevel communication between students and teachers, so that teachers can not only interact with students on the class or group level, but also have effective dialogues with individuals. These design opportunities and considerations mean to inform the design and development of classroom technologies that are to become a fluent part of teachers’ everyday routines. We expect that the findings and conclusions of this paper could help designers and developers gain better insights into the context of classroom technologies, especially routines of secondary school teachers.

Aili, C., & Brante, G. (2007). Qualifying teacher work: Everyday work as basis for the autonomy of the teaching profession. Teachers and Teaching : theory and practice . http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13540600701299791 . Accessed 10 November 2015

Alavi, H. S., & Dillenbourg, P. (2012). An ambient awareness tool for supporting supervised collaborative problem solving. IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies, 5 (3), 264–274. doi: 10.1109/TLT.2012.7 .

Article   Google Scholar  

Alsmeyer, M., Luckin, R., & Good, J. (2008). Developing a novel interface for capturing self reports of affect. Proc. CHI ‘ 08 , ACM Press , 2883. doi: 10.1145/1358628.1358778

Antona, M., Margetis, G., Ntoa, S., Leonidis, A., Korozi, M., Paparoulis, G., & Stephanidis, C. (2010). Ambient intelligence in the classroom: an augmented school desk. In International Conference on Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics .

Google Scholar  

Bakker, S., van den Hoven, E., & Eggen, B. (2011). Knowing by ear: Leveraging human attention abilities in interaction design. Journal on Multimodal User Interfaces, 5 (3–4), 197–209. doi: 10.1007/s12193-011-0062-8 .

Bakker, S., van den Hoven, E., Eggen, B., & Overbeeke, K. (2012). Exploring peripheral interaction Design for Primary School Teachers. In Proceedings of the Sixth International Conference on Tangible, Embedded and Embodied Interaction - TEI ‘12, 1(212) (pp. 245–252). doi: 10.1145/2148131.2148184 .

Chapter   Google Scholar  

Bakker, S., van den Hoven, E., & Eggen, B. (2013). FireFlies: Physical peripheral interaction design for the everyday routine of primary school teachers. In Proceedings of Tangible and Embodied Interaction , TEI 2013 , Feb 10–13 , 2013 , Barcelona (p. 8 pages). http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=2460634

Bakker, S., van den Hoven, E., & Eggen, B. (2014). Peripheral interaction: Characteristics and considerations. Personal and Ubiquitous Computing , 239–254. doi: 10.1007/s00779-014-0775-2 .

Beauchamp, G. (2004). Teacher use of the interactive whiteboard in primary schools: Towards an effective transition framework. Technology, Pedagogy and Education, 13 (3), 327–348. doi: 10.1080/14759390400200186 .

Becker, H. J. (2000). Findings from the teaching, learning, and computing survey: Is Larry Cuban right? Education Policy Analysis Archives, 8 (51), 1–31. doi: 10.14507/epaa.v8n51.2000 .

Bodén, M., Dekker, A., Viller, S., & Matthews, B. (2013). Augmenting play and learning in the primary classroom. In Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Interaction Design and Children - IDC ‘13 (pp. 228–236). New York, New York, USA: ACM Press. doi: 10.1145/2485760.2485767 .

Brante, G. (2009). Multitasking and synchronous work: Complexities in teacher work. Teaching and Teacher Education, 25 (3), 430–436. doi: 10.1016/j.tate.2008.09.015 .

Brummelhuis, A. ten, Kramer, M., Post, P., & Zintel, C. (2015). Vier in balans-monitor 2015. Kennisnet. https://www.kennisnet.nl/fileadmin/kennisnet/publicatie/vierinbalans/Vier_in_balans_monitor_2015.pdf

Butz, A., & Jung, R. (2005). Seamless user notification in ambient soundscapes. In Proceedings of the 10th international conference on Intelligent user interfaces - IUI ‘’05 (p. 320). New York: ACM Press. doi: 10.1145/1040830.1040914

Charoenying, T. (2008). Accountable game designs for classroom learning. In Proceedings of the 7th international conference on Interaction design and children - IDC ‘’08 (p. 1). New York: ACM Press. doi: 10.1145/1463689.1463703

Cuban, L., Kirkpatrick, H., & Peck, C. (2001). High access and low use of Technologies in High School Classrooms: Explaining an apparent paradox. American Educational Research Journal, 38 (4), 813–834. doi: 10.3102/00028312038004813 .

da Silva, V. C., Santos de Goes Jr., E., da Hora França, M. & Ambrósio, P. E. (2011). Words Game in an Educational Context: Augmented Reality Aplication. In 2011 XIII Symposium on Virtual Reality (pp. 128–133). IEEE. doi: 10.1109/SVR.2011.38

Dean, J. (2013). Making Habits, Breaking Habits: Why We Do Things, Why We Don’t, and How to Make Any Change Stick . Boston: Da Capo Press.

Dempsey, N. P. (2010). Stimulated recall interviews in ethnography. Qualitative Sociology, 33 (3), 349–367. doi: 10.1007/s11133-010-9157-x .

Doyle, W. (1977). Learning the Classroom Environment: An Ecological Analysis of Induction Into Teaching. http://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED135782 . Accessed 10 November 2015

Golombek, P. R. (1998). A study of language teachers’ personal practical knowledge. TESOL Quarterly, 32 (3), 447–464. doi: 10.2307/3588117 .

Greiffenhagen, C. (2011). Making rounds: The routine work of the teacher during collaborative learning with computers. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 7 (1), 11–42. doi: 10.1007/s11412-011-9134-8 .

Horn, M. S., & Jacob, R. J. K. (2007). Designing tangible programming languages for classroom use. In Proceedings of the 1st international conference on Tangible and embedded interaction - TEI ‘’07 (p. 159). New York: ACM Press. doi: 10.1145/1226969.1227003

Hsieh, H.-F., & Shannon, S. E. (2005). Three approaches to qualitative content analysis. Qualitative Health Research, 15 (9), 1277–1288. doi: 10.1177/1049732305276687 .

Lamberty, K. K., Froiland, K., Biatek, J., & Adams, S. (2010). Encouraging awareness of peers’ learning activities using large displays in the periphery. In Proceedings of the 28th of the international conference extended abstracts on Human factors in computing systems - CHI EA ‘’10 (p. 3655). New York: ACM Press. doi: 10.1145/1753846.1754034

Lopes, P., Ion, A., Mueller, W., Hoffmann, D., Jonell, P., & Baudisch, P. (2015). Proprioceptive interaction. In Proceedings of the 33rd Annual ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - CHI ‘15 (pp. 939–948). New York, New York, USA: ACM Press. doi: 10.1145/2702123.2702461 .

Mankoff, J., Dey, A. K., Hsieh, G., Kientz, J., Lederer, S., & Ames, M. (2003). Heuristic evaluation of ambient displays. In Proceedings of the conference on Human factors in computing systems - CHI ‘’03 (p. 169). New York: ACM Press. doi: 10.1145/642611.642642

Moraveji, N., Morris, M., Morris, D., Czerwinski, M., & Henry Riche, N. (2011). ClassSearch: Facilitating the Development of Web Search Skills Through Social Learning. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 1797–1806). doi: 10.1145/1978942.1979203

Offermans, S. A. M., van Essen, H. A., & Eggen, J. H. (2014). User interaction with everyday lighting systems. Personal and Ubiquitous Computing, 18 (8), 2035–2055. doi: 10.1007/s00779-014-0759-2 .

Pousman, Z., & Stasko, J. (2006). A taxonomy of ambient information systems: four patterns of design. Proceedings of the working conference on Advanced visual interfaces , 67–74. doi: 10.1145/1133265.1133277

Prieto Santos, L. P., Sharma, K., Wen, Y., & Dillenbourg, P. (2015). The burden of facilitating collaboration: Towards estimation of teacher orchestration load using eye-tracking measures. Exploring the Material Conditions of Learning : The Computer Supported Collaborative Learning ( CSCL ) Conference 2015, 1, 212–219. http://infoscience.epfl.ch/record/209187 . Accessed 10 November 2015

Ruthven, K., Hennessy, S., & Brindley, S. (2004). Teacher representations of the successful use of computer-based tools and resources in secondary-school English, mathematics and science. Teaching and Teacher Education, 20 (3), 259–275. doi: 10.1016/j.tate.2004.02.002 .

Shaer, O. (2009). Tangible user interfaces: Past, present, and future directions. Foundations and Trends® in Human–Computer Interaction, 3 (1–2), 1–137. doi: 10.1561/1100000026 .

Stanton, D., Pridmore, T., Bayon, V., Neale, H., Ghali, A., Benford, S., et al. (2001). Classroom collaboration in the design of tangible interfaces for storytelling. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on Human factors in computing systems - CHI ‘01 (pp. 482–489). New York, New York, USA: ACM Press. doi: 10.1145/365024.365322 .

Sturm, J., Iqbal, R., & Terken, J. (2006). Development of peripheral feedback to support lectures. In S. Renals & S. Bengio (Eds.), Machine learning for multimodal interaction (pp. 138–149). Berlin: Springer. doi: 10.1007/11677482 .

Sylla, C. (2013). Designing a tangible interface for collaborative storytelling to access “embodiment” and meaning making. In Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Interaction Design and Children - IDC ‘’13 (p. 651). New York: ACM Press. doi: 10.1145/2485760.2485881

Tolmie, P., Pycock, J., Diggins, T., MacLean, A., & Karsenty, A. (2002). Unremarkable computing. Computer-Human Interaction (CHI) Conference 2002, 1 (1), 399–406. doi: 10.1145/503447.503448 .

Urhahne, D., Schanze, S., Bell, T., Mansfield, A., & Holmes, J. (2010). Role of the teacher in computer-supported collaborative inquiry learning. International Journal of Science Education, 32 (2), 221–243. doi: 10.1080/09500690802516967 .

van Alphen, E., & Bakker, S. (2015). Lernanto: An Ambient Display to Support Differentiated Instruction. In 11th International Conference on Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (pp. 759–760).

Visser, F. S., Stappers, P. J., van der Lugt, R., & Sanders, E. B.-N. (2005). Contextmapping: Experiences from practice. CoDesign, 1 (January 2015), 119–149. doi: 10.1080/15710880500135987 .

Weiser, M., & Brown, J. S. (1997). The Coming Age of Calm Technology. In Beyond Calculation (pp. 75–85). doi: 10.1007/978-1-4612-0685-9_6

Wickens, C. D. (2002). Multiple resources and performance prediction. Theoretical Issues in Ergonomics Science, 3 (2), 159–177. doi: 10.1080/14639220210123806 .

Williams, J., & Michelitsch, G. (2003). Designing effective haptic interaction. In CHI ‘’03 extended abstracts on Human factors in computing systems - CHI '03 (p. 856). New York: ACM Press. doi: 10.1145/765891.766033

Wood, W., Quinn, J. M., & Kashy, D. a. (2002). Habits in everyday life: Thought, emotion, and action. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 83 (6), 1281–1297. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.83.6.1281 .

Yinger, R. (2009). Routines in teacher planning. Theory Into Practice . http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13540600701299791 . Accessed 10 November 2015

Zhang, Z., Shrubsole, P., & Janse, M. (2010). Learning environmental factors through playful interaction. In Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Interaction Design and Children - IDC ‘’10 (p. 166). New York: ACM Press. doi: 10.1145/1810543.1810562

Download references

Acknowledgments

We thank the seven secondary school teachers for participating our study despite their busy jobs. And we thank the second coder of the two analyses for nice help.

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

Department of Industrial Design, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600, MB, Eindhoven, The Netherlands

Pengcheng An, Saskia Bakker & Berry Eggen

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Pengcheng An .

Rights and permissions

Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

An, P., Bakker, S. & Eggen, B. Understanding teachers’ routines to inform classroom technology design. Educ Inf Technol 22 , 1347–1376 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-016-9494-9

Download citation

Published : 12 May 2016

Issue Date : July 2017

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-016-9494-9

Share this article

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

• Classroom technology
• Secondary school teacher
• Peripheral interaction
• Contextmapping
• Stimulated recall interview
• Find a journal
• Publish with us
• Track your research

• Teacher Planner Templates

Teacher daily planner

Teacher planner templates.

• Subject / Course name
• Lesson Duration
• Lesson Objectives
• Summary of tasks / Action plan
• Materials / Equipment
• Download free
• Home Work / Tasks

• Daily Attendance Tracker

• Daily Chores
• Weekly Chores
• Monthly Chores

• Daily Mins./Pages I Want To Read
• Total Books Read
• Favorite Author
• Favorite Books
• Favorite Quote
• Yearly Reading Tracker

RECOMMENDED

Weekly Lesson Plan Templates Weekly Lesson Plan Templates read more..

Teacher Planners 8 Best Teacher Planners To Help You Stay Organized in 2024 read more..

Recommended for you

• All-in-One Access
• 2024 Calendars
• Kindle Scribe
• Christmas Planning
• For Teachers
• For Students
• Digital Planners
• Happy Planner
• Traveler's Notebook
• Print-ready planners
• About People
• Motivational
• Lined Paper
• Graph Paper
• Dot Grid Paper
• Cornell Notes
• Daily Calendars
• Weekly Calendar
• Monthly Undated
• Calendar Schedule
• Blank Calendars
• Photo Calendars
• Daily Schedule
• Daily Task List Templates
• Daily Timetable Templates
• Daily with To Do List
• Dated daily planner templates
• Daily hourly planner templates
• Daily Undated
• Weekly Horizontal
• Week at a Glance
• Weekly Hourly Planners
• Weekly with To Do List
• Single page per week
• Weekly Goals Templates
• Two pages per week
• Weekly Schedule
• Weekly Undated
• Weekly Meal
• Monthly Budget
• Monthly Goals Templates
• Monthly Meal Planners
• Bill tracker
• Expenses Tracker
• Finance Templates
• Household budget
• Weekly budget
• Personal budget
• Attendance Sheet
• Business Planning
• Client Management
• Contact Trackers
• Order Tracking
• Product & Supply
• Social Media
• Work Schedule
• Meeting Agenda
• Mileage Tracker
• SMART Goal Templates
• Goal Tracker Templates
• Life Goals Templates
• Goal Setting Templates
• Goal Setting Worksheets
• Checklist Templates
• Weight Loss Planners
• Fitness & Workout templates
• Wellness & Self-Care
• Food calendar templates
• Grocery & Shopping Lists
• Food Diary Templates
• Recipe Books
• Food Inventory
• Reading Log
• Chore Chart Templates
• Lesson Plan Templates
• Weekly Lesson Plan Templates
• Gradebook Templates
• Class Attendance Sheets
• Student Information Sheets
• Habit Tracker
• Mood Trackers
• Password Log
• Homeschooling
• Travel itinerary
• Packing list
• Wedding guest list
• Wedding plan checklists
• Wedding budget
• Invitations

Recently added:

• Digital Fitness Planner (Light Theme)
• Mom's Digital Planner
• Digital Student Planner (Light Theme)
• Daily Gratitude Digital Planner
• Digital Student Planner (Dark Theme)

daily to do lists for teachers

All Formats

Resource types, all resource types.

• Rating Count
• Price (Ascending)
• Price (Descending)
• Most Recent

Daily to do lists for teachers

Teacher To Do List Brain Dump to Daily List

FREE Teacher To - Do List / Daily Teacher Planner

FREE Daily To Do List Teacher Organization Template Color Black and White

Daily Planner | Today Notepad | Teacher's To Do List | 4 Templates

Printable & Digital Daily Teacher To Do List - 5 Pastel Color Options

To Do Lists | Checklist for Teachers | Daily | Weekly | Monthly | Teacher Desk

WEEKLY PLANNER : TEACHER WEEKLY PLANNER: LIST TO DO FOR YOUR DAILY LIFE MEMORY

Teacher To Do List and Daily Planning Sheet (Monday Through Friday)

Teacher To Do List and Daily Planning Sheet in Blue (Monday Through Friday)

Daily To Do List / Teacher Organizer/ Teacher To Do List / Planner Page

Daily Schedule & To - Do List - Printable for Teachers , Students, and Busy Moms

Weekly To Do List Templates - Editable Teacher To Do List - Weekly Teacher Notes

Teacher Notebook | Teacher Planner

Boho Rainbow Binder Covers, Calendar, & Helpful Classroom Forms | Teacher Binder

Teacher To Do Lists Notes Checklists | Editable Templates for Organization

• Google Apps™

Google Sheets To - Do List Editable Daily Checklist Weekly List Planning Bundle

• Google Sheets™

Black and White in Bloom Theme Organized Teacher's Tool Kit + Decor Pack

Digital Resources Teacher Planner | Boho Daily Agenda Google Slides | To Do List

Know-It-All Nautical Classroom Theme Organized Teacher's Tool Kit + Decor Pack

Specialist Teacher Planner | Daily Lesson Planning Sheets | Teacher Calendars

Specialist Teacher Planner | Daily Lesson Planning Sheets

Special Education Teacher Planner | Monthly Printable Pages for Organization

Teacher To Do List | Printable + Google Doc Templates

• Google Drive™ folder

COLORFUL Digital Teacher Planner (NOT DATED)

• We're hiring
• Help & FAQ
• Privacy policy
• Student privacy
• Terms of service
• Tell us what you think

• Try for free

Daily Tasks Checklist

Featured 5th Grade Resources

Related Resources

• Grades 6-12
• School Leaders

Win 10 Summer Reading Books from ThriftBooks 📚!

5 Free Visual Schedule Templates (Plus How To Use Them)

Accommodations to empower your students.

A visual schedule sounds easy enough—a schedule with pictures. But it’s more than that. A visual schedule is meant to communicate where a child should be throughout the day or what a child should be doing. They are also meant to be an individualized tool that students learn to manage by themselves.

We created a bundle of five free printable visual schedule templates, including a daily schedule, work and reward board, daily routine, first-then board, and binder schedule. Just submit your email to get them all! Plus read on for more info about how to use your visual schedules.

What is a visual schedule?

A visual schedule uses pictures to show activities or the steps in an activity. They are often used to help students with disabilities, like autism, understand and manage their daily activities. Visual schedules can use pictures, photos, or words depending on the child. And, visual schedules can be use with kids from preschool through high school, it’s all about matching the visual schedule with the child’s needs.

What is included in a visual schedule?

A visual schedule will have pictures for daily routines, like reading, math, lunch. It will also have things like weekly specials and events, gym class, art, speech or occupational therapy. And, it may also have images for occasional events, like a field trip, picture day, or a fire drill. All the pictures can be changed out so that the student can see what is going to happen that day.

A student may use a visual schedule for the entire day or a portion of the day. For example, a child may use a visual schedule to help them during a non-preferred activity. There may be separate pictures for each part of a reading group lesson to help the child stay focused and complete all the activities.

Or, a visual schedule may help a child learn and practice a routine, like using the bathroom and washing hands, or how to take out, use, and put away a classroom material. A morning routine visual schedule, for example, may have pictures to show a child the steps they need to complete when they arrive (unpack backpack, fill water bottle, etc). The idea is that the student has the opportunity to practice and learn the routine, with visual supports to give structure and reinforcement.

Who needs a visual schedule?

Visual schedules are typically for kids who are autistic, have ADHD, have developmental delays, or who process visual information easier than auditory or written information. A visual schedule is a very specific accommodation and will typically be recommended for a student based during an Individual Education Plan (IEP) or Multi-tiered Systems of Supports (MTSS) meeting.

Read more: What Is MTSS?

Read more: What Is Special Education?

Visual schedules for autism

For students with autism, who often have strengths processing visual information and deficits processing auditory information, visual schedules provide a quick way to see where they are supposed to be or what they are supposed to be doing.

For autistic kids, visual schedules:

• Increase understanding through the use of images
• Provide predictability and routine
• Communicate changes in routine in a familiar way
• Help students understand what is expected of them without having to rely on verbal directions
• Provide some control over their schedule as they move the image from “to do” to “done”
• Generate independence as they learn to manage the visual schedule themselves

The ultimate goal of a visual schedule is that the student learns to manage it themselves. So, at the start of the year, you’ll be teaching and reinforcing the routines and images, but in winter and spring, start handing over the task of managing the visual schedule to the student.

Visual schedules for ADHD

For kids with ADHD, who may struggle with executive functioning and processing verbal directions, visual schedules can:

• Provide organization for their day or an activity
• Help them know what’s expected of them
• Reduce stress around transitioning from one activity to another
• Reduce behavior concerns related to understanding what is expected of them

How do I use visual schedules?

We’ve provided five different versions of visual schedules that you can download and use with students in your classroom.

Daily Schedule

Use this visual schedule to help a child move through their entire school day. Post the schedule in a place that’s accessible, like on the side of your whiteboard or on their desk. Then, model and teach the student how to move each image from “to do” to “all done” as you move through your day.

Tip: The images in the visual schedule should be of where the student should be rather than what they are presently doing. For example, an image of the carpet rather than of morning meeting. The focus is on helping the student know where to be and when throughout the day.

Work and Reward Board

Use this visual schedule template to show a student what they have to do to work for a reward. A student will use this visual schedule as they move through their day. So, you can put it at their desk and place the three things they have to do (read, write, read) before they earn their reward. When implementing this visual schedule, it can be helpful to have the student select their reward, and take off the “to dos” as they go. Also, make sure to keep the tasks manageable. A student that can work for five minutes will need three tasks they can do in the span of five minutes to earn a reward, while a student who can work for an entire block will need images that equate to longer amounts of time.

Daily Routine

A visual schedule for a daily routine helps students who need reminders during routines, like arrival, dismissal, lunch, or another time. Post this where the student will perform the routine, or put it into a binder if the routine involves moving from one place to the next, to help the student work through the routine independently.

First-Then board

A First-Then board shows a student what they are doing, in order and in manageable chunks. You could use a First-Then visual schedule with a small group of students to show them that they are going to do writing first, then break. Or you could provide each student their own First-Then schedule to help them manage their individual work.

Binder visual schedule

A visual schedule that fits into a binder can help older students who move from class to class and need a visual reminder of where to go next. Or it can go into a work binder to show students how to move through a block of time, like literacy block.

How do I assemble my visual schedule printable?

Get ready to cut and laminate!

• Print out the schedule you need.
• Use the images we provided or pull your own from photos of your classroom and students.
• Laminate the images.
• Add Velcro on the back.
• Post the schedule where your student can access it. For example, you may put the schedule at the student’s desk, or you may have it in a binder that they refer to after every lesson.

Do you use visual schedules? Come share in the We Are Teachers HELPLINE group on Facebook .

Plus, check out the best autism resources for educators ., you might also like.

26 Genius Lining-Up Strategies To Make Your Life Easier

Because getting kids to line up shouldn't be rocket science. Continue Reading

Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved. 5335 Gate Parkway, Jacksonville, FL 32256

👨‍👩‍👧‍👧  🎉 🥳    Give us 30 minutes, and we’ll give you $50      🥳  🎉 👨‍👩‍👧‍👧

Childcare Management System

Manage everything for your school from billing, to staff, to classrooms, and more.

Business Operations

Automate invoicing, streamline enrollment, and run your entire business using one system.

Classroom Management

Digitize your classrooms so educators can focus on caring for children.

Staff Management

Optimize schedules, track time logs, and give your staff the tools to succeed.

Parent Communications

Connect with families through photos, videos, messages, and more.

Who Uses KT

Manage your entire business in one system.

Automate processes and oversee your school with ease.

Save time in the classroom and focus on the children in your care.

Never miss a moment of your child’s development.

See who we are and what we care about most.

Send us a message and we’ll get back to you shortly.

Learn more about becoming a member of our troop.

Latest Content

Propel your business with a next-gen childcare management platform.

Latest Content Latest Content

Want to get a demo?

See how our platform can transform your center.

Take a tour Take a tour

Contact a sales rep

Contact Support

Parents Login

Centers Login

Phone: (716) 261-9889

Schedule a Demo Schedule a Demo

Free Daily and Weekly Printable Tasks List Templates for Childcare Teachers

• July 8, 2021

Throughout the day, your teachers are overwhelmed with a range of tasks and responsibilities. Being an early educator is a busy role and requires efficiency and organization. Using daily and weekly task and to-do lists can help keep teachers on track with their daily duties. Whether it’s lesson plans, daily activities, cleaning schedules, breaks, lunches, etc., a task list template can help. 

Kangarootime has created free, downloadable, and printed to-do list templates for ECE teachers. These templates can be used by teachers in your center to help improve organization. 

These templates can be used to outline weekly responsibilities along with daily tasks and activities. To download these templates for free, fill out the form below. 

Give Your Staff the Tools to Succeed

To-do lists are a great help to keep your staff members organized. Take it a step further and help make their classroom management easier through a childcare software system. With a CCMS like Kangarootime, you can digitize your classrooms. Now, teachers can send digital daily notes, communicate with parents, share photos, and more. 

Give your staff the resources and technology they need to perform their best. To learn more about Kangarootime and schedule a demo, click here. 

Free, Downloadable and Printable Daily and Weekly To-Do Lists for ECE Professionals

To download these templates for free, fill out the form below and the files will be sent to your email.

Kangarootime is the leading all-in-one childcare management software for daycares and preschools. With billing and invoicing capabilities, parent communication and staff management tools and classroom automation, Kangarootime helps childcare centers grow and scale. To learn more about optimizing your center with Kangarootime, visit kangarootime.com.

In this webinar, Evelyn Knight joins us to delve into the critical role your financial mindset plays in the success…

Continuous Improvement is the process of analyzing, upgrading, and advancing systems within an organization to improve efficiency and performance. This…

Buffalo, NY, April 30, 2024 

Kangarootime, the leading provider of childcare management software, has launched a revolutionary new…

related resources

This year, Teacher Appreciation Week takes place from May 6-10. This week reminds us of how important…

• Press Release

Kangarootime, the leading childcare management software provider, has acquired Clay , the fastest-growing AI platform in early education….

Hiring, onboarding, and retaining staff are all top-of-mind for childcare providers. Keeping these processes as effective and efficient as possible…

10-Minute Kangarootime Software Demo and Walkthrough

Topbar Social Icons

New to PE? Class Schedule Resources

Creating a daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly schedule as a PE Teacher is much different than creating one as a classroom teacher.

Not only do you have limited amounts of time with each class, but you see every class and every student throughout the month.

Keeping organized is essential and I am sharing some of my favorite ways to do that today, along with some time-saving and sanity-saving resources.

Organizing the Year

Organizing your week.

Organizing Your Day

Organizing your class.

My Favorite Planner

No comments

Post a comment.

Thank you for your comment!

• Our Services
• Customer Service
• Cleaning for Health
• How We Quote
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Testimonials
• Our Guarantee
• Banks & Financial
• Industrial & Manufacturing
• Medical Facilities
• Business Offices
• Religious Facilities
• Franchise Program
• Low Cost Startup
• Mint Condition Advantage
• Support/Equipment
• Master Franchise Program
• Ultimate Marketing Business
• Recurring Revenue
• Benefits of a Master Franchisee
• Atlanta, GA
• Charlotte, NC
• Chattanooga, TN
• Franklin, TN
• Fort Lauderdale, FL
• Greenville, SC
• Houston, TX
• Jacksonville, FL
• Kansas City, MO
• Lancaster, PA
• Phoenix, AZ
• Raleigh, NC
• Salt Lake City, UT
• Winston-Salem, NC
• (866) 891-6468
• (678) 254-0961
• (803) 548-6121 ext. 107.
• (954) 809-8370
• (713) 909-0010
• (904) 379-6267
• (717) 682-6866
• (919) 380-6468
• (801) 597-2679
• (704) 707-5310
• (615) 807-1913
• (864) 527-1263
• (913) 912-3495
• (480) 716-2500
• GET YOUR FREE QUOTE
• SET UP A CONSULTATION

Classroom Cleaning Checklist: Daily, Weekly, and Monthly Duties

Keeping a classroom clean can be a challenge for teachers and custodians. Classrooms get a lot of use each day and without regular cleaning, the mess can accumulate. With a classroom cleaning checklist, you can keep classrooms tidy, hygienic, and fresh for each new day.

With daily, weekly, and monthly checklists, you can be assured that everything is being cleaned as it should and nothing is getting skipped.

How to Clean a Classroom? Start With the Right Classroom Clean-up Checklist

There are many facets and details to classroom cleaning procedures. By having a set of school custodian duties checklists for different types of routine cleaning, you can ensure that your classroom is properly cleaned and you’re not doing more work than necessary.

Check out these school custodial cleaning checklists to get your school organized around cleaning.

Daily Classroom Cleaning Checklist

To get a clean classroom daily, follow the checklist below.

Clean Up and Take Out Trash

Students are notorious for putting trash anywhere but in the garbage cans. Check the room for trash. Be sure to check under desks and chairs and in areas where students keep their things.

It’s important to bag and take out the trash every day, even if the bag isn’t full. Kids often put leftover food in classroom garbage cans, so it’s important to remove these bags to prevent issues with pests.

Put Away Materials

Starting the day with an organized classroom is essential. Thus, all materials should be put away at the end of the day. Ideally, teachers will have classroom procedures in place to help the students manage their materials.

However, there will be times where some supplies are left out. Be sure to put everything in its proper place so that everything is ready to go on the following day.

Disinfect Desks and Chairs

Germs can spread easily in classrooms. Kids sit close together, share supplies, and often don’t keep their hands to themselves. Between Covid-19, the flu, and other viruses, it’s important to disinfect desks and chairs daily.

Use a disinfectant spray or wipes to wipe down all desks and chairs. Don’t forget to clean the teacher’s desk and chair as well.

Disinfect Other High-Touch Surfaces

Students don’t just touch their desks and chairs. Many places in the classroom are touched multiple times per day, like doorknobs, handles, supply boxes, and pencil sharpeners. Look around the room for other places that students frequently touch.

As with the desks and chairs, wipe with a disinfectant spray or a wipe.

Depending on your school’s policies, you may or may not have to mop each day, but classrooms need to be swept every day. Be sure to reach all walkways and under tables, desks, and chairs.

Weekly Classroom Cleaning Checklist

Below are several tasks that should be part of your weekly classroom cleaning checklist.

Disinfect Hardware

Technology can often build up dust and oil residue over a week. You should clean keyboards, screens, headphones, and other tech at least once a week. Be sure to refer to product cleaning manuals to make sure you’re using the right cleaning products and procedures.

Dust areas like bookshelves and cubbies. Dust any other areas that aren’t cleaned daily.

Whiteboards and Chalkboards

Whiteboards and chalkboards need to be cleaned regularly. Dry erase markers can eventually leave some color behind if boards aren’t cleaned at least once a week. Be sure to use proper cleaning materials, especially on electronic boards.

Tidy Materials

While most materials should be put away at the end of each day, some areas should be tidied at least once a week. Check bookshelves and supply areas to make sure everything is organized and in its place.

Mop and Vacuum

If you don’t mop or vacuum daily, it needs to be done during the weekly clean.

Monthly Classroom Cleaning Checklist

Below are the tasks that should be part of a monthly custodial cleaning checklist.

Clean Garbage Cans

Whether you’re in a daycare or a high school, garbage cans can get pretty nasty. Garbage cans should at least be wiped down with a disinfectant. For those that are particularly dirty, such as those used for food disposal, you may need to clean them outside with a hose and soap.

Disinfect/Dust Cabinets and Other Surfaces

If there are surfaces like cabinets and shelves that aren’t high-touch surfaces, be sure to dust them monthly. If these areas are touched, it’s important to disinfect them as well.

Clean Windows and Blinds

Windows and blinds can get particularly dusty. It’s important to keep dust out of the classroom as some students have allergies. Be sure to dust and wipe down windows at least once a month.

Clean Ceiling Fans and Vents

Fans and vents can also get dusty and cause problems for kids with allergies. Use a ceiling fan cleaner and clean or change out vents once a month, especially during the summer months.

Daycare Cleaning Checklist

This daycare cleaning checklist template helps you set up a daycare cleaning schedule. Most states have strict regulations about how daycares should be cleaned and how often. Since small children are in the process of getting vaccinations and don’t have developed immune systems, it’s essential to clean these spaces to stop the spread of illness.

Daycare Cleaning Checklist Template

Preschool Cleaning Checklist

Much like daycares, preschools also have standards to follow for cleaning. Be sure to follow a preschool classroom cleaning checklist to make sure you’re getting everything done. Check out this preschool cleaning checklist template to stay organized.

Classroom Cleaning Checklist

There’s a lot to keep up with when teaching, so teachers shouldn’t have to worry about remembering what needs to be cleaned each day. This classroom cleaning checklist for teachers can help you stay on task.

Tips on Cleaning Other School Areas & a Complete School Cleaning Checklist

There are many other areas in a school that get a lot of traffic. It’s important to have a school janitor checklist to keep these spaces well-maintained.

Cafeterias can be a big mess, especially after an entire school has passed through. It’s important to thoroughly clean this space since it’s where people eat. Be sure to include these tasks on your school custodian duties checklist.

• Pick up trash
• Disinfect tables and chairs
• Sweep and mop floors
• Take out trash
• Disinfect serving areas that are high-touch

Gymnasiums get dirty, especially if there are several groups of kids having PE and sports practices each day.

• Wipe off bleachers
• Disinfect sports equipment
• Sweep floors
• Mop and wax floors (before games)

Bathrooms are one of the most challenging areas to clean in a school. Even students who are neat in other areas can make a mess in the restroom.

• Pick up and take out the trash
• Disinfect sinks and countertops
• Clean mirrors
• Disinfect toilets
• Disinfect doorknobs, handles, and locks
• Refill soap dispensers, toilet paper, and paper towels

Teacher Spaces

While teachers typically aren’t as messy as students, it’s vital to keep their spaces clean and disinfected. Some viruses like Covid-19 are more likely to spread between adults; it’s important to disinfect spaces where teachers are coming in close contact with one another.

• Disinfect high-touch spaces like copiers, chairs, tables, supplies, and coffee pots

Outdoor Spaces

Outdoor spaces do require some cleaning, especially with the prevalence of viruses like Covid-19. Playgrounds and other outdoor areas need to be tidied for safety and disinfected to prevent the spread of disease.

• Collect and put away playground toys
• Clean high-touch areas like swings, hands, rails, picnic tables, etc.

Hallways need daily cleaning because students tend to track in dirt, especially on rainy days.

• Clean rugs (vacuum or wash)
• Disinfect lockers and cubbies
• Refill sanitizing stations

Have Your School Professionally Cleaned With Mint Condition

Keeping a school clean can be a challenge. Why not outsource the job to the professional cleaners at Mint Condition ? Our commercial cleaning services will keep your school in tip-top shape, and you can focus on creating a wonderful learning environment.

Final Points on Cleaning Classrooms

Cleaning classrooms is a task that requires organization. Each school should have a school custodian duties checklist along with a list of things teachers should do. By splitting these checklists by daily, weekly, and monthly tasks, you can ensure that your school will stay clean.

FAQs Related to Classroom Cleaning Checklists

Have a few more questions about keeping classrooms clean? We have answers!

How Often Should a Classroom Be Cleaned?

Classrooms should get a basic cleaning daily with deeper cleans weekly and monthly. A good general cleaning each day will ensure that classrooms don’t get too messy. Regular disinfecting will prevent the spread of disease amongst your students and teachers.

If you’re trying to prevent the spread of germs, the CDC recommends following this cleaning procedure and schedule .

What Can You Do to Keep Your Classroom Clean?

There are two main things to do to keep your classroom clean: set up procedures for your students so that they help you keep your room clean and use a regular cleaning schedule to prevent overwhelming messes. When cleaning is a group effort between students, teachers, and custodians, schools stay clean.

How Do You Promote Cleanliness at School?

To promote cleanliness at school, teachers and administration should set a good example. By setting up procedures and educating students about germs, schools can stay clean and germ-free. It’s important to remember that kids need to be taught how to clean and practice good hygiene.

How Do You Keep Your Classroom Smelling Good?

With a group of preteens or teens, it can be challenging to keep your classroom smelling good, especially by the afternoon. Air fresheners and essential oils can help, as can increasing airflow in your classroom. Regular cleaning will also keep things smelling fresh.

What Teachers Really Want for Teacher Appreciation Week

• Share article

It’s that time of year again for social media posts, emails, and gifts thanking teachers for their hard work —and legions of teachers who still report feeling unappreciated. For years, writers have taken to Education Week’s opinion pages to mark the week with both heartfelt thanks and searching reflections on how to make that appreciation last far longer than five days.

In 2021, teachers of the year from seven states came together to write “ It’s Teacher Appreciation Week. Flowers? Mugs? We’re Looking for Something More ,” expressing their hopes for appreciative gestures that won’t wilt by the end of the week.

Their No. 1 ask? “Include teachers in education decisions.”

Another former state teacher of the year came to a similar conclusion several years earlier, when 2014 Texas Teacher of the Year Monica Washington argued that messages of appreciation ring hollow when they aren’t accompanied by a seat at the decisionmaking table: “We are often told that we are ‘valued professionals’ who ‘change the lives of our students every day.’ But we are also micromanaged to immobility, not trusted to make the simplest decisions that affect students’ learning and well-being.”

Sharif El-Mekki has taken on a principal eye view of this conundrum in several recent essays. “What if we made Teacher Appreciation Week last all year?” he asked school leaders last spring , before laying out five actionable recommendations.

Several months later, the former principal kept the theme of teacher appreciation alive into the fall by offering “ The 4 Gifts Principals Should Give Teachers This Year (Hint: Not Another School Mug) .”

That’s not the only call to action opinion writers had for principals. Explaining her own approach in “ Why One Principal Is Asking Her Staff to Do Less ,” Indiana Principal Crystal Thorpe dialed in on the ABCs of school—academics, behavior, and culture—to slow down the runaway snowball of demands on teachers.

For some quick-hit ideas of how school leaders can back up those “thank you” emails with action, look no further than teacher and blogger Larry Ferlazzo’s three roundups of educators sharing the one thing principals can do to support their teachers:

• 7 Ways Principals Can Support Teachers
• Principals: Supporting Your Teachers Doesn’t Have to Be Such Hard Work
• Advice for Principals: Empower Your Teachers

Part of appreciating teachers starts with respecting their profession as more than just a steppingstone to administration or some other career changes. That’s the message of “ Why I’m Happy Being ‘Just a Teacher,’ ” in which Amanda Myers works through her response to a recent dinner party guest who pushed for answers on her “next step” after teaching. The widespread assumption that every teacher is an administrator-in-waiting undermines the valuable types of leadership that teachers bring to the job they already have, she writes.

Gratitude doesn’t just come from outside the profession: Teachers are ready to appreciate each other as well. Just look at what these teachers and student-teachers had to say about the educators who inspired them:

Those words of affirmation are just in line with instructional coach Lisa Westman’s prescriptions in the 2017 opinion essay “ Teachers, Do We Appreciate One Another? ” To help her fellow educators join the mutual-appreciation party, Westman translates the popular love languages—gift giving, words of affirmation, quality time, acts of service, and physical connection—into work-appropriate gestures to make colleagues feel valued.

“Teachers most frequently say they feel unappreciated by society and administration,” she wrote. “And it is easy to look outward at factors we cannot control, we can’t make society appreciate us. But, when we look inward, we must ask, what part do we, teachers, play in creating a culture of appreciation?”

A decade into retirement, former English teacher Laurie Barnoski was still feeling the appreciation when she sat down to write a love letter to teaching back in 2018. After reconnecting with four former students—two of whom had gone on to become English teachers themselves—she was reminded of the long-tail influence of her job.

“By taking time to say thank you,” she wrote, “my students were telling me that my 32 years in the classroom meant something; my goal to have a positive impact on my students was complete. They gave me the greatest gift human beings can give one another: They told me that I mattered.”

Sign Up for EdWeek Update

Edweek top school jobs.

Sign Up & Sign In

Accessibility links

• Skip to content
• Accessibility Help

KS1 / KS2 English: Understanding different poetry formats

BBC Teach > Primary Resources > English KS1 / English KS2 > Understanding Poetry with Joseph Coelho

Video summary

Poetry works in many different forms: Haiku, Concrete poems, Sonnets, and Limericks all offer amazing ways to discover poetry.

Poet Joseph Coelho shows us how to recognise these different forms and explores how the way words are put together on a page can affect how you read a poem.

In explaining Haikus, Joe outlines how syllables work and how choosing the right words for your poem takes time and trying out different words until you find the right one.

He investigates how to select appropriate forms and how to use other poems as a model for your own.

Teacher notes

Ideas for the classroom

Key Stage 1 (age 5-7):

Before watching:.

Share with the children BEwARe by James Carter.

Allow time for the children to savour the language, discuss likes, dislikes, questions they have about the performance or connections they have – could they guess what the animal is, for example, using their wider knowledge? Is this like other poems they have read before? How is it the same? How is it different?

After watching:

Go back to the poem, looking at how it is laid out on the page. What do the children notice about the way this poem is constructed? How does each line work? What does each phrase do? What is special about the way the title is written? The poem is built up of a series of kennings, a two-word phrase that describes an object in an interesting way. Kennings were first used in Anglo-Saxon and Norse poetry. Take another animal that is really well known to the children, such as a dog. Could they think of other kennings that could describe a dog?

Now compare this poem with Jungle Cat by Kate Wakeling. Discuss likes, dislikes, questions they have about the performance or connections they have. How is it different to BEwARe? Is there anything similar about it? Look at the freeness of the structure; this is an example of free verse, which has the natural rhythm of spoken language with no obvious form or style.

Encourage the children to have a go at writing their own kenning or free verse poetry, perhaps inspired by animals as they have seen the other poets do.

Key Stage 2 (age 7-11):

Share with the children a variety of poems showcasing different poetic forms. This could be done by giving small groups different examples to explore and discuss or by pinning them up around the room for the children to move round and explore. Allow time for the children to explore what each poem is like, how it looks on the page, any patterns within the poem.

Encourage the children to talk more about different poetic forms and structures, as Joe does with Haiku and Sonnets in the episode.

Give time and space for children to explore working with different forms and structures in their own independent poetry writing, perhaps inspired by topics and themes they have seen and explored in other poetry. Reflect on which forms they found easier to write in and why and whether particular forms suited certain themes or topics more than others.

This short film will be relevant for teaching English at primary school.

More from Understanding Poetry with Joseph Coelho:

How to perform poetry

Joseph Coelho explores all the different ways you can perform a poem.

How to express yourself with poetry

Joseph Coelho explores the way we can express our feelings using poetry.

How to have fun writing poetry

Joseph Coelho explores onomatopoeia, phonics and all the ways you can have fun writing a poem.

How to write poetry about your life

Joe Coelho explains how to write poetry about experience.

Playing with words

Joseph Coelho explores how poetic devices can enable children to develop their literacy skill.

How to understand a poem

Joseph Coelho looks at how poems make you feel and what they mean to you.

Does poetry need to rhyme?

Joseph Coelho shows that poetry doesn’t have to rhyme, but when it does, it can be inventive and witty.

Making pictures with words

Joseph Coelho shows us how to utilise figurative and descriptive language to the best effect.

How are music and poetry connected?

Joseph Coelho demonstrates how many of the elements that make up poems are often mirrored in music.

G. B Shaw The Elite Eng School 4+

Dynamic technosoft, designed for ipad, screenshots, description.

The G. B Shaw The Elite Eng School App offers a comprehensive academic management solution tailored for educational institutions, teachers, students, and parents. Simplify your daily tasks and enrich your educational experience effortlessly! Features: For Teachers: Easily manage attendance records with a simple tap. Simplify homework assignments, grading, and communication with parents. Quickly enter grades and comments for report cards. For Students: Submit homework assignments with ease. Stay informed about attendance and academic progress. Access report cards and track your educational journey. For Parents: Receive real-time attendance alerts for your child. Effortlessly monitor homework assignments and grades. Conveniently pay school fees and access fee summaries. For Non-Teaching Staff: Efficiently manage attendance and leave requests. Stay connected with colleagues and administrators. Streamline daily operations effortlessly. For the Public: Explore the school without needing to log in. Discover: Upcoming events and past activities. Vision, mission, and admission procedures. Notices, academic programs, suggestions, facilities, and galleries. Holiday schedules for planning your visits. Key Benefits: Seamless communication: Stay connected with your educational community. Efficient task management: Simplify daily activities, from attendance to homework. Accessible information: Public access promotes transparency and engagement. Empower your education: Monitor progress and analyze student activities. User-friendly and secure: Your data is protected, and navigation is intuitive. Experience the future of academic management with the G. B Shaw The Elite Eng School App. Whether you're a teacher, student, parent, or part of the community, this app puts the school at your fingertips. Download now and elevate your educational journey!

App Privacy

The developer, DYNAMIC TECHNOSOFT , indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .

Data Not Collected

The developer does not collect any data from this app.

Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More

Information

• App Support
• Privacy Policy

More By This Developer

Kaski Modernized Academy:Pokha

Paramount Boarding High School

Sunshine Academy : KTM

Dynamic Academic ERP

Bhat Bhateni Montessori

Ankuram Academy : Chitwan

Heated conversations between Marion Franklin parents, teachers & CCS closure task force

by Stephanie Duprey

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — Heated conversations on the south side Tuesday night. The Columbus City Schools Facilities Task Force announced Marion Franklin High School could be on the chopping block.

The task force was created to determine which of the district's buildings could close or merge.

The task force was supposed to have a private meeting, but several parents and teachers showed up demanding answers.

This meeting wasn't necessarily planned, so as you can imagine, it was a little disorganized.

But the task force took time to listen, and people pleaded their case on why Marion Franklin should be left alone.

"There will be a huge attendance barrier, students that live within two miles will be expected to walk to South, and others will have to rely on bussing that we don't even have figured out now. Have you considered the extreme safety risk involved in merging these schools? You may not know we struggle to make it through sporting events without issue," one teacher said during the conversation.

Many who call Marion Franklin High home have concerns about attendance, safety, and more.

Last week, the CCS task force announced that any of 20 schools could be closed under its nine scenarios.

Marion Franklin members showed up to a task force meeting Tuesday night, forcing the group to explain what's at stake.

Things got heated a few times.

The task force says Marion Franklin was put on the list after it looked at enrollment, building conditions and student retention.

For Marion Franklin, the proposal is Marion merges with South High School, making one regional high school for grades 9-12.

According to CCS data, as of now there are about 390 students at Marion Franklin across grades 9-12.

South carries 7th grade through 12th.

The number of students in 7th and 8th combined is almost the same number of students total at Marion Franklin.

In this idea, those 7th and 8th graders would go to Buckeye Middle School.

This is just a recommendation. Nothing is set in stone.

While the task force is still figuring out more logistics, it answered questions best it could at this point.

"We heard our responses are gonna get lost in the sauce, the QR codes are specific scenarios there are two scenarios for Marion Franklin so if you want to make sure your voice is heard," task force members said.

You can find all the information on the Marion Franklin proposal and future dates for other schools in the scenarios here .

This article is free to read if you register or sign in.

Simply register at no cost.

Questions or problems? Email [email protected] or call 0711 046 000 .

Senators push for enhanced perks for ECDE teachers

Lawmakers want 10 per cent of county budgets to go to early childhood sector.

• Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) tutors could soon enjoy enhanced perks if governors implement a resolution of the Senate.

This is even as the Council of Governors mulls providing capitation for ECDE centres just like other levels of education; primary, secondary and vocational.

Early Childhood Development Education teachers could soon enjoy enhanced perks if governors implement a resolution of the Senate.

“If the capitation is provided, this would enable more ECDE teachers to be employed on permanent and pensionable terms,” CoG Education Committee chairman Kahiga Mutahi said.

Mutahi, in a report to the Senate, added that capitation would cover teaching and learning materials, school feeding programmes, classroom management and infrastructure.

These, he said, take the bulk of the ECDE budget every financial year.

Counties should implement the tutor’s scheme of service and provide additional budgets in what could be a windfall for the teachers.

A report by the Senate Education Committee currently pending approval by the House also recommends the National Treasury provides grants to the counties.

“The counties should implement the ECDE teachers’ scheme of service and provide budgets for ECDE teacher’s salary increment to attain minimum salaries in line with SRC guidelines,” the committee states.

Slow implementation of the scheme of service for ECDE teachers has led to their slow and irregular remuneration, adversely affecting their morale. 

In addition, the committee directed the county public service boards and the Intergovernmental Technical Relations committee to review the job description and roles of the tutors.

“The Council of Governors, the Teachers Service Commission and the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development should within 90 days after tabling of this report establish modalities and create collaboration framework on ECDE teachers’ management and capacity building, and develop a program to roll out CBC to ECDE learners and teachers.”

Data provided by the CoG shows that some 32,656 ECDE teachers are employed in 38 counties.

Of the total number, 30, 249 are on contracts, while only 2,407 are on permanent and pensionable terms.

“Five county governments have fully implemented the scheme of service, five have partially implemented while the rest are yet to implement the scheme of service.” 

Currently, the lowest paid ECDE certificate holder earns Sh9, 420 monthly, while the highest paid graduate teacher is paid Sh59,770.

“The bulk of the ECDE teachers have a monthly remuneration ranging between Sh12,000 and Sh22, 000 across all cadre,” the report states.

A framework to establish conditional granting and ring-fencing for governments to fund the ECDE sector should also be established.

“The county governments should provide sufficient resources to the ECDE sector and the county assemblies should consider enhanced legislation aimed at increasing annual budgetary allocating to the ECDE sector at least 10 per cent of the county revenue.” 

The Ministry of Education and the TSC should facilitate their quality assurance and standards officers to undertake rigorous monitoring and inspections of the centres.

Bungoma's new policy to enhance ECDE capitation, teacher-student ratio

Wamatangi to increase bursary kitty to sh1bn for free secondary school, sh12bn stalled projects in 10 counties, most popular, 1,717 people killed in road accidents since january – ntsa, limuru iii dangerous and can divide kenya, ruto men warn, [photos] raila attends installation of seme council, church lauded for role in supporting health, education, limuru iii: rise above regional politics, says mudavadi, latest videos, our frontline officers now have a hospital where they can be treated ..., the news brief: why disquiet has rocked azimio’s mt kenya troops, sign up for the free star email newsletter and receive the latest kenya news daily..

Which Columbus City schools will close? Board solicits feedback on 20 possible closures

Twenty Columbus City Schools face the possibility of closure under nine different scenario recommendations presented by the Superintendent's Community Facilities Task Force at Tuesday's board of education meeting.

Students, parents, teachers and staff got a first look at which of the district's more than 110 buildings might close as the task force presented its recommendations at the school board meeting. The scenarios include a number of possible ways students could be moved around to other schools, either by moving programs, consolidating area schools or closing buildings.

Superintendent Angela Chapman reiterated at the meeting that the scenarios are initial recommendations and feedback from the community will inform any final approvals to be made in June.

"I would say to all of our parents, community members and stakeholders, to take a deep breath," Chapman said before the board went into executive session. "These are initial recommendations that have been submitted to begin the conversation about where we go from here."

About 30 Columbus Education Association members and district parents, all wearing red shirts, gathered in the parking lot before Tuesday's meeting to push back on what the educators' union called "rushed recommendations" to close and consolidate buildings. So many people showed up for the school board meeting to hear the task force's presentation that the board had to open an overflow room for people to view the meeting.

After the district successfully passed a nearly $100-million levy in November, district officials said it would close some of the 113 school buildings in the state's largest district,  The Dispatch previously reported .

Columbus City Schools is the state's largest school district with about 46,000 students, but enrollment peaked at 110,173 during the 1971-72 school year.

The Superintendent's Community Facilities Task Force was formed in early 2024 and includes nearly two dozen members of the public, parents and educational professionals.

Which Columbus City Schools might potentially close?

Community Facilities Task Force Co-Chairs Al Edmondson and Jim Negron presented nine different scenarios to the board that included which schools might close or consolidate.

The scenarios are:

Scenario 1A

• South High School and Marion Franklin High School consolidate to one regional high school at South serving grades 9-12;
• Buckeye Middle School closes and is replaced by Marion Franklin Middle School serving grades 6-8;
• Livingston, Fairwood, Siebert, Stewart, Moler, Lincoln Park and Southwood elementary schools transition to K-5 schools or consolidate. Fairwood, Siebert and Moler would close.

Scenario 1B

• South High School and Marion Franklin High School consolidate to one regional high school at South serving grades 9-12. Marion Franklin would close;
• Buckeye Middle School would remain open and take the 7th and 8th grade students from South High School;
• Fairwood, Siebert and Moler elementary schools would consolidate with area schools and close.
• Starling K-8 School moves grades 6-8 to traditional middle schools and becomes Starling K-5;
• West Broad, Valleyview and Lindbergh elementary schools would consolidate with area schools and close.

Scenario 3A

• Gifted Academy programs housed at the Everett Facility will be split between Oakland Park Elementary School and Dominion Middle School. Everett Facility would close;
• Cranbrook and Hubbard elementary schools would consolidate with area schools and close.

Scenario 3B

• Ridgeview Middle School consolidates with Dominion Middle School. Gifted Academy students from the Everett Facility would relocate to Ridgeview and Everett would close;
• Linden McKinley High School moves 7th and 8th grade students to area middle schools, serves grades 9-12 and draws a new boundary;
• Duxberry, North Linden, Northtowne and Innis elementary schools would consolidate with area schools and close.
• Eastmoor Academy moves to East High School and redistricts, leaving a middle school at Eastmoor;
• Johnson Park and Sherwood middle schools consolidate with Eastmoor campus and those buildings would close;
• Broadleigh Elementary School would consolidate with area schools and close.

Scenario 6A

• Columbus Alternative High School moves to East High School and the building at McGuffey Road closes;
• Duxberry Arts K-5 moves to Fort Hayes Metropolitan Education Center and Duxberry building closes;
• Columbus City Preparatory School for Boys at Old Eastmoor Middle School co-locates with Columbus City Preparatory School for Girls and Old Eastmoor building closes;

Scenario 6B

• Columbus Downtown High School merges with Fort Hayes Metropolitan Education Center;

Many parents in the room scoffed as Negron walked the board through the scenarios.

When asked if the district would ultimately pursue just one of the scenarios or if multiple scenarios could be enacted, Negron did not directly answer the question. Rather, he said he wants to hear from the community.

"I don't live in a world of hypothesis, so we have to trust the process," Negron said.

Parents, students call on board to 'press pause' on school closure discussions

Rita Hallaveld, whose daughter attends Duxberry Park Elementary School, said at Tuesday's meeting that she's disappointed over what she believes has been the district's lack of transparency leading up to this point. She questioned why Columbus City Schools are considering closing buildings rather than working to increase enrollment.

Hallaveld said the scenarios presented are "inequitable" and don't seem to reflect where the city is growing.

"For Linden schools to close when Linden is one of the fastest-growing neighborhoods? It doesn't make sense," she said.

Marielle Henault, a parent of three students at CCS schools, said she was troubled by how the board has interacted with community members since voters passed the district's levy in November.

"I'm frankly devastated by the 'business-as-usual approach' by this facilities task force," Henault said.

"Do this with us, not for us or at us," she said.

Josephine Amponsah provided a student's perspective on potential school closings in an emotional testimony Tuesday.

Amponsah, a 17-year-old senior at Independence High School, said school closings ultimately impact students the most.

"The emotional and mental effects on these students are not protocol," Amponsah said through tears. "We as students pay the biggest cut emotionally."

Teacher's union president quit task force before recommendations

In late April, Columbus Education Association President John Coneglio, who heads the union representing more than 4,500 teachers and other educational professionals in the district, resigned from the task force, The Dispatch previously reported.

In an open letter to the district, Coneglio said that after six meetings of the Superintendent's Community Facilities Task Force, it was evident to him that the "sole focus of the committee is solely on the mass closure of neighborhood schools and the further managed decline" of the district. He also said the task force lacked transparency and said the closures would disproportionately impact "disadvantaged neighborhoods and communities of color."

"Our Board of Education now has a unique opportunity to work with the community and build the district of the future, not return to the same failed policies of the past," Coneglio said in a statement. "It has become clear to me that the current Task Force is another iteration of previous failed attempts."

District says process has been transparent, open in engagement

In response to Coneglio, Columbus City Schools emphasized in a prepared statement that district officials believe the process had been transparent and that "it’s important that we have representation from our labor partners, who represent so many of our employees."

"We believe our students, our teachers, and all of our staff must have access to the best curriculum, facilities, technology, and resources so they can be successful," the CCS response to Coneglio said. "That means focusing on our resources instead of spreading them out."

Russell Brown, the district's chief of strategy and performance, told The Dispatch last month that CCS wants to make all of the data, including interactive databases, meeting summaries and presentations available to the public .

That way, Brown said, "Everybody can understand what we're looking at."

Building capacity, utilization major considerations in recommendations

Brown said the biggest factors considered by the task force were building capacity and utilization.

While there are 113 CCS school buildings, not all of them are uniformly occupied, The Dispatch previously reported . In fact, some schools have utilization below 25% of their capacity, while enrollment at others is up to 120% of capacity. Utilization refers to the percentage of a school building's capacity that is used based on a four-year average of enrollment.

"If over half the kids in the building are picking to go somewhere, that's probably telling you something," Brown said. "Certainly people are choosing not to be there."

Beyond simply closing the buildings, Brown said, the district will also have options of having specialty schools inside of other schools, or combining schools.

Brown said he wanted to emphasize that May will be an opportunity for the public to interact on the recommendations before the board acts. Even then, he said, there will be a period of years while the district aims for a soft landing of potential closures.

"We look forward to hearing from people in this process. This should be an ongoing dialogue with the community," Brown said. "It will take time, and we'll want to engage with the community as we implement (the new facilities plan)."

[email protected]

@Colebehr_report

[email protected]

@sheridan120