040112Journal

A popular concept in modern education is described, frequently, by the term "time on task." Time on task is meant to be interpreted as the amount of time a student spends actively engaged in order to learn.

During school, time on task is compromised or interrupted by factors derived from actual and activity time. Actual time is the number of minutes spent during the day on the logistics of school including arrival, locker time and transition to class, lunch, announcements, and bathroom and nurse time. Activity time is the amount spent on work related to learning including doing assignments and worksheets, reviewing material and taking both formative and summative assessments including dip sticking and taking tests and quizzes. One might also argue that lecturing is a form of activity time as well. What’s left is engaged time, the amount that students actually spend on learning. A formula that might work well to calculate time on task is:

time on task = (time on task – (time off task = (actual time + activity time) - engaged time))

A recent quiz in computer science class demonstrated a very low comprehension rate for the subject matter, despite having spent the previous 4 days learning, practicing and reviewing the material. According to the above formula an analysis of time spent going over the material revealed a shockingly low time on task figure.

Time off Task	Engaged Time Activity	Engaged Time	Actual Time Activity	Actual Time	Activity Time Activity	Activity Time
	Lecture Discussion Review	10 minutes 15 minutes 15 minutes	Arrive at class/settle in Bathroom Access Nurse Access	3 minutes 5 minutes (avg) 10 minutes (avg)	Do Now/Comment Lab Exercise	15 minutes 5 minutes 15 minutes
totals
13 minutes		40 minutes		18 minutes		35 minutes

So, out of a 50 minute period, only 47 minutes is actually time on task. And if we move the lecture and review to activity time, the results become even more skewed.

28 minutes

15 minutes

18 minutes

60 minutes

Out of a 50 minute period, only 22 minutes is actually time on task.

Last week, I re-taught the computer science material using a variety of strategies to encourage more active engagement in the material replacing the lecture with activities including:

Think, pair share

I explained a concept on the board to a few students, then made them explain the concept to others students, switching roles for the other concepts.

Question & Answer

I utilized this technique a number of ways:

• Handing out index cards, asked students to write a question, then had students try to answer.
• Wrote student names on strips of paper, then pulling out a strip, asked student to answer questions.
• Displayed computer code snippets on the board and called out names, asking to respond rapidly.

Small group work

Showing a small selection of computer code, I had students work together to decipher meaning and figure out how it worked.

Code Review

Showing a computer code for an application, I had the entire class work together to decipher meaning and figure out how it worked.

After retesting the computer science class, with a similar quiz, the results were significantly improved, demonstrating a very higher comprehension rate for the subject matter. Restructuring the traditional lecture, into engaged time activities seemed to yield a higher incidence of content retention.

For the upcoming chapter, I shall combine the lecture with these additional exercises to improve participation and increase learning.

Education is an independent, self-directed activity. I believe that the only way that schools will improve across the nation is when students begin to actively participate in their own learning experience. And what is the role of teachers? To assist, by providing instructional scaffolding, constructing and orchestrating activities that assist students to engage in this learning experience, converting activity based time into, more fruitful and productive engagement.