As classrooms across the UK come back to life with the start of the new academic year, it’s time to finalise your displays, and if you haven’t already got one, find a classroom clock. Having a clock on your classroom wall isn’t only beneficial to enable teachers to keep lessons on track but also to support students in learning to tell the time. If you’re not sure what type of clock would work best, read on for the top five features we believe you should be looking for when shopping for a classroom clock.
1.Large enough to see across the classroom
With an average class size of around 25 children, plus teaching staff, it’s important that any educational clock you place on the wall can be seen by everyone in the classroom. If the clock is too small the numbers might be too difficult for children to read easily and deter them from making progress in their independent time telling.
Top Tip – Choose a clock that has been designed with ease and simplicity in mind and is large enough to be easily visible across the classroom.
2.Featuring a clear to read clock face
Once you’ve found a clock that is large enough to be seen by the whole class, it’s time to consider the actual clock face. If the clock itself is large but the numbers are small, faint or the face is crowded with other information, it is going to be difficult to view clearly from a distance. It is best to opt for a large, clear face design with bold numbers and hands to make it as easy as possible for children to see and understand.
Top Tip – The most effective classroom clocks will feature a clear design with numbers and hands that are easy to see.
3.Featuring a simple to use time teaching system
Why settle for any old clock for your classroom walls when you can have one that will actually aid the teaching process? By choosing a teaching clock for your classroom, you can ensure good time keeping and support learning. A simple time teaching system will always be best as anything too complicated might confuse children or go against your curriculum guidelines.
Top Tip – Find a time teaching clock that has been designed with the input of parents or teachers as this is more likely to feature a simple time teaching system that will help little learners get to grips with expressing the time.
4.Colourful and engaging
Children tend to prefer bright colours from an early age as their eyes are not yet fully developed to be able to appreciate pastel colours. For this reason, teaching aids that are bright, bold and colourful tend to be more engaging and better received. When choosing a clock for your classroom, a colourful face might be more appealing to young eyes and minds and clever use of colour can also help them to distinguish the different areas on the clock face.
Top Tip – When choosing clocks for your school, find those that have been designed with engagement in mind and use colour to depict the past and to sides of a clock face or help break down the minutes into blocks of five.
5.Comes with curriculum notes
Anything that can make teachers’ lives easier is going to be welcome in the classroom. Having a classroom clock can support children in Year 1 to meet the statutory curriculum requirements of telling the time to the hour and half past the hour and those in Year 2 to tell and write the time to five minutes, including quarter past and to the hour.
Top Tip – Innovative teaching clocks come with curriculum notes printed on the back so you can take the clock off the wall to demonstrate certain times to the class and have helpful notes to guide you.
Finding the right clock for your classroom walls can make a huge difference to children’s confidence as well as reducing frustration and helping teachers to save time.
EasyRead Time Teacher have developed a simple time teaching system for use in the classroom and at home. Visit their website to view their range of clocks for schools.