Data for this study were collected by observing 60 secondary school English classes over a four-month period. The principals of six schools chose 15 of their most effective teachers to be observed. Four questions were addressed: (1) How do teachers and students spend classroom time together?; (2) What instructional processes are used most often?; (3) How much time do these processes require?; and (4) Which instructional processes enable teachers and students to attain educational objectives within the available classroom time? Analysis of the descriptive time narrative logs showed that allocated classroom time and instructional behavior varied among the teachers, although most of the time and behaviors were directed toward explaining a process, addressing questions to a class, repeating student responses, and giving students directions. The conclusions drawn from the study support previous research concluding that teachers who are task oriented and who plan and organize instruction allot more time to academic tasks and activities and that this behavior achieves instructional goals. (FG)