The New Technology Approach to Teaching Elapsed Time and the Calendar
Unfortunately, organization and time management skills are not innate. It is the responsibility of both the parent and the teacher to help your child maintain routines and make “sense of time.” This process begins by entering the sequence. In the primary grades icons make excellent models. We select a routine and introduce sequence words: first, next, then, and after. This teaches him to learn the order in which he does things and he is now better equipped to plan his day. After mastering this concept, the child can understand the meaning of today, yesterday and tomorrow. At this point, he is ready to present the schedule. One of the eight math standards in the Common Core is reading and understanding the calendar.
The study of the calendar begins with knowing the names and the sequence of the days of the week. What comes before Monday? After Tuesday? This now sets the stage for reading the calendar and planning Monty’s events with his son. This study needs to “come to life” and be taken out of the old paper calendar. It must be relevant to the child’s daily activities and learning must be engaging and entertaining. This should be a multi-sensory approach and work
Kinesthetically swiping an iPad and then reinforcing it with voice activation. Start by doing one day at a time. This approach is successfully achieved through our world of apps, which today’s youth can take advantage of at such a young age. Constant practice with the app will reinforce the skill in an entertaining and memorable way.
Another abstract concept to understand is elapsed time. Students need to be responsible for their time and develop a “sense of time.” There are a variety of ways to refer to time: a quarter to 5 or fifteen minutes to 5. Time needs to be taught in everyday life situations so that we can relate to its importance. Practice with your child using relevant questions. If it is now 3:00 and dinner is served at 5:30, how long will he wait? Or I put the cake in the oven at 1:20 and it will be ready in 45 minutes. When will the cake be finished? Or I spent 45 minutes on math, 30 minutes on history, and 35 minutes on English, how much time did I spend on homework? There are many strategies available. Do not select the subtraction algorithm because this does not always work.
The best strategy is to have an understanding of what is being asked. Some teachers prefer the T chart, the time line, or the big clock. I highly recommend the technological approach of a proper application. Ask them to move the hands of a large clock (hour hand and minute hand in different colors) and participate in the movement. This activity should return to the calendar. How many days until my birthday? We expose the child to the themes and then reinforce them with fun games and icons and voice to enjoy and build our knowledge. Technology makes these abstract concepts concrete and part of our everyday lives so they can be an innate part of your life.
