Clocklight

Features of the Clocklight and Its Use

The clocklight device typically consists of a large-faced analog wall clock with an associated light, usually green. The earliest versions of the clocklight included a small lightbulb that was embedded in the clock’s face. More recent versions have employed LEDs within a plastic tube encircling the clock’s face. Some rudimentary forms of the clocklight have used a separate lamp or trouble light with a colored bulb connected to the same power source as the clock, permitting both the clock and the light to be activated as a single unit. Rudimentary versions have also employed a switch connected to the clock and light by a cord, but the availability of low-cost radiofrequency controllers have made these largely unnecessary.

Clocklight has been used in both elementary and secondary school settings to signal students when their collective behavior matches established rules or expected standards. When all the students in the group are found to be engaged in appropriate behavior, the operator of the clocklight, usually the teacher, activates the device through the means of a wireless controller, similar in function and design to a garage door opener. When even a single student in the group is found to exhibit behavior contrary to the posted rules or accepted standards, the clocklight is switched off and it remains off until the student’s behavior once again is found to be consistent with the rules and expectations. The clocklight serves a dual purpose of both signaling the students when their performance meets the acceptable standard and recording the total amount of time that the group’s performance met the standard. This second purpose is achieved by setting the clock’s hour and second hands at exactly 12 o’clock prior to beginning a clocklight session, effectively turning the clock into a stopwatch. In this way, it is easy to see precisely how many minutes and seconds have accrued during which the collective performance of the group members met the standards, compared to the total amount of time available (such as the total amount of class time).

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