For the past few weeks, I’ve been sharing information about time…And it’s ‘about time’ this topic gets the attention it deserves! I wrote about:
1 – the notion of paying more attention to the passage of time more concretely using a Time-Timer
2 – the notion of how children develop a perception of ‘time’ and the passage of ‘time’
3 – the notion of ‘delayed gratification’ and what this has to do with ‘time perception’ and human expectation
4 – the notions of working under ‘timed’ constraints in terms of the balance between speed and accuracy
In this final segment of posts about ‘time’, I want to share several reflections.
“Time is our most precious resource.”
Lori Josephson
First and foremost, I believe time is our most precious resource. Bet you have heard these phrases many ‘times’:
“I ran out of time.”
“I wish I had more time.”
“Time flies.”
Well, not only do many parents feel this way, but also many teachers and students. We’ve got to pay better attention to our time, become good role models for our kids, and also to the language we use when describing ‘time’. It will help our young ones to pay more attention to and use their time wisely.
Why is talking about ‘time’, well, so confusing???
Well, we refer to ‘time’ all the time!! And we need to be mindful that children’s understanding of time develops gradually. Best practices include using the “language of time” to define activities you are doing using words such as today, tomorrow, yesterday, next/last week, next, soon, later, earlier, morning, afternoon, evening, etc. It is best to also discuss a particular event to match up with the description you use for the time period illustrated.
Well, we refer to ‘time’ all the time!! And we need to be mindful that children’s understanding of time develops gradually. Best practices include using the “language of time” to define activities you are doing using words such as today, tomorrow, yesterday, next/last week, next, soon, later, earlier, morning, afternoon, evening, etc. It is best to also discuss a particular event to match up with the description you use for the time period illustrated.
How many of you feel like time passes so much more quickly as adults?? Me too!! I remember, sometimes not so fondly, but sometimes fondly, of having “all the time in the world”, especially as a young elementary school child. That’s because one year of life is a much higher percentage of a person’s total life existence, and also because children are constantly being exposed to new experiences, which are more deeply embedded in memory. As Santosh Kesari, MD, PhD, neurologist, neuro-oncologist, neuroscientist, and Chair of the Department of Translational Neurosciences and Neurotherapeutics at the John Wayne Cancer Institute points out, “for a 10-year-old, one year is 10 percent of their lives, but for a 60-year-old, one year is less than 2 percent of their lives.”
Additionally, children’s neural circuits aren’t firing as quickly as those of adults since children’s brains are still developing (working memory, attention, executive function), according to Patricia Costello, PhD neuroscientist at Walden University.
I’ve been thinking about how we can help our kids learn about ‘time’ over the past few weeks..
Here are my 4 suggestions:
1 – Teach the ‘language of time’. A quick search on the Internet revealed the following definitions for ‘time’:
Definition 1: a particular point at which an event takes place or happens (bedtime)
Definition 2: an exciting or noteworthy event that one experiences first hand (a good time)
Definition 3: an extent or period of time associated with a particular person or thing (prehistoric times)
Definition 4: the period in which something exists, lasts, or is in progress (trip of a lifetime)
And let’s not forget math!! 2 x 2 = 4 That ‘x’ verbally is ‘times’–this is confusing for many children, trust me on that!
2 – Again, a quick search on the Internet revealed the following synonyms for ‘time’ correlating to each definition:
Definition 1: moment, occasion
Definition 2: adventure, experience, exploit, happening
Definition 3: age, day, era, period
Definition 4: continuance, duration, life, run, date
3 – Further searching revealed the following words/phrases associated with ‘time’:
Definition 1: flash, instant, jiffy, minute, second, shake, stretch, spell, while
Definition 2: escapade, lark, ploy, action, deed, doing, feat, episode, trial, tribulation, venture, risk, expedition, mission, performance, quest
Definition 3: in my parents’ time, cycle, generation, space, year, span, while, vintage
Definition 4: span, tenure, term, age, stretch, longevity
4 – Yes, go ahead and teach the various idioms associated with ‘time’:
I will just mention a few idioms here, but am linking you to the website where you can find many idioms. Kids really enjoy learning these idioms–they even enjoy learning how they originated, so have fun with it. The website also includes idioms which may references to days, clocks, etc. Check it out ‘on your own time’!!
The idiom “time flies” (when you’re having fun–my add), originated from the Latin phrase “tempus fugit”…the older we get, the more this is true!
Other common idioms/phrases about ‘time’ include:
“ahead of time”
“behind the times”
“for the time being”
“long time, no see” (especially noteworthy in 2021!)
“stand the test of time”
“third time’s the charm”
“pressed for time”
“a tincture of time”
As you can see, I’ve made what looks like an easy word, ‘time’, into something more complex, and then hopefully, made the teaching of this complex concept far more simple and appropriate for any age child/student due to the addition of more complex definitions, synonyms, and various idioms involving time.
Clearly, human beings have long contemplated the concept of ‘time’ throughout the ages. Think about the invention of devices to help measure the passage of time (recall ancient civilizations using the cycles of the sun and the moon to measure time), calendars, and even stories about going back into time and futuristic time travel. It’s a common theme for all of us to think about and explore.
Yes, yes, yes, this is related to language and literacy–it will help your kids develop more precise vocabulary usage, improve their language and reading comprehension, and maybe, just maybe, your family will have a better sense of being ‘on time’ and your family won’t be late the White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland!! Here is a short video—if you/your family/students are ‘pressed for time’–read the lyrics as you watch the video.
Lori, I love this! My students on the spectrum have enough problems with figurative language. The other concept that is very difficult for many to grasp is the actual clock and time. It gets extremely overwhelming to them. I try and use examples of time . An example might be if I were trying to get them to learn the concept of a few minutes, I may give them activities like brushing their teeth, running to the bathroom for a commercial break or finding things that they do in their lives and tying it to the vocabularies we use to teach concept of time.
Wrong email 4hudsondoyles@gmail.com
I was going to ask you- what is the best way to teach kids with autism how to read if blending sounds is a difficulty to them. In addition, many can’t memorize sight words. I have been using snapwords( sight words with pictures).
Kristine,
So nice to hear from you. Teaching children diagnosed with ASD is not my area of expertise. That said, I did a little reading and found that no one way will ‘work’ for all of these students. It has not been proven that these students cannot learn to recognize words automatically or that their instruction should consist of primarily of recognizing words automatically without the use of phonics. It is often best to consult a Speech Language Pathologist for your students, and focus on functional skills (environmental print, at first perhaps) and comprehension. It is best for these students to start early, as many will need additional time and practice. I found an informative article from Reading Eggs you might want to check out as well. Suggest you keep working on the phonological awareness. Good luck and keep me posted. Lori
Kristine, Excellent!! Keep up the great work with your students. Cheers to your efforts, Lori
Having read this I thought it was extremely enlightening. I appreciate you finding the time and effort
to put this informative article together. I once
again find myself spending way too much time both reading and posting comments.
But so what, it was still worth it!
Thank you for your kind words. Please feel free to share my blog with others.