For years, teachers have observed students' frustration as they grappled with learning to read an analog clock (see, e.g., Kelly and Burke [1998]). We ourselves have felt frustrated, not fully understanding why learning to tell time is difficult for students or how to help. Unfortunately, much of our past instruction has been based on an incomplete understanding of the idea that “two aspects of time have to be distinguished in teaching: firstly, one must try to develop a concept of time in a child; and secondly, one must teach the child to ‘tell the time' (teaching clock time)” (Grauberg 1998, p. 50). Moreover, the tools commonly used for time instruction, including manipulative clock faces and paper-and-pencil activities, may not be sufficient for developing children's understanding. These tools usually focus on telling time, not on developing concepts of time.
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