Teaching: Too Many Countdown Clocks In The Classroom?

There are countdown clocks everywhere, including in a lot of classrooms I've been in recently.  They're used to help teachers keep things moving and to help students know how much time they have left but can make things seem rushed or stressed (at least to me). This Nick Paumgarten Talk of the Town column laments their overuse and suggests that there's something being lost.  What do you think?  Meanwhile:  Just one more day before New Year's Eve.  

Comments

[Luiz]

When I was teaching, I used timers as a means to get my kids back from break on time. They also helped for accurately timing tests so that no class had an unfair advantage over another. My classes were known to be punctual and consistent. Like any other tool, timers work when used appropriately