"The person doing the talking is the person doing the learning. (Someone said that...) No one likes to talk more than me and inadvertently I will talk talk talk until the bell rings. Ooops. What if your time to talk was constrained? Could you be more efficient with your words? Set a timer for 5 minutes. When the timer goes off, it is time for the students to do something or for them to talk. You can set another 5 minute timer as often as you want, but not back to back :) Now your time is more available to sit with kids and give them feedback to their face (something Catlin Tucker advocates).
One way I keep myself to 5 minutes max at a time is I don't use my 5 minutes to give basic directions or things kids can copy. I take advantage of technology if I can, or photocopy and tape to student group tables, to provide the directions and basic information."
--Alice Keeler
Note: Taken from www.alicekeeler.com (Newsletter)
