Spin: Time and Task Management in Teaching

39 reflections to turn task completion into time for you

Your time is precious - so use it well.

With so many pulls on your time, and a changing environment, now more than ever it is vital that your time and task management is both targeted and efficient. If you can achieve this, you can allocate more time for yourself and so become a more relaxed and effective teacher. All too often to do list gets longer and longer which can impact on your enjoyment of the job and, more importantly, your mental health and well-being.

Building on the strategies in his first two book, LIFT and RISK, David Gumbrell advocates that you need to focus your attention on giving the right plates a spin to save time, energy and attention that you can then allocate elsewhere. The 39 short, research-based chapters, punctuated with reflective questions, along with teacher interviews, together build into a significant body of knowledge to promote resilience and teacher retention.

Praise for RISK

A beautifully written book with David’s characteristic use of rich metaphors and thoughtful narrative. This book will certainly help you make bolder and better decisions in the classroom and beyond. Adrian Bethune

David Gumbrell is an educational consultant, working in schools to support teachers with their resilience and also with teacher training providers and student teachers. He delivers INSET days, one-to-one coaching sessions, and speaks at headteacher conferences. Drawing on over 20 years of teaching experience, including 7 years as a headteacher, and research conducted at Kingston University, he is well placed to nurture the development of those new to the profession - as well as those who have been teaching for a little longer) He understands how precious time is for teachers and wanted to create a resource that made the best use of this.