Cell Block?My school is moving to a 12-day rotating schedule where class times range from 40 minutes to 90 minutes. Moving classes to different times of the day reduces the likelihood that students will do poorly because of their physiology. Classes meet sometimes when students are at their best and sometimes when their attention is not at full strength. In addition, only four of major subjects will meet on any given day. I am excited because the longer class periods are more conducive to projects and I am a huge fan of activity-based learning.
A side effect of block scheduling is that teachers need to prepare and be FLEXIBLE. For example, a class can meet three, four or five times a week. When a class meets three times a week, the classes will be on the longer side, but it still takes PLANNING. Looking at the calendar, it is possible that when a class meets three times, it will do so on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday or Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. In these situations I will not see a class for four days - two week days and the weekend. It is CRITICAL to spend time summarizing each class for reinforcement and reviewing at the start of each class. The biggest wildcard will be events that interfere with the normal rotation, such as standardized testing, play/musical rehearsals, and special assemblies.
Summary
Block scheduling is good because it provides for longer class periods. This may or not be good based on faculty. If they do not plan carefully, then students will get lost from the lack of continuity. The extended class periods should be used for more project-based learning. I believe that successful implementation will rely on teachers being flexible. Teachers must be willing to try new activities and projects and revisit topics when necessary. I would love to hear from teachers who have been teaching in this format.
3 comments:
Hi John,
I was a student in both 8 period and 4x4 block schedules. I now teach in a 4x4 block schedule. Students take my math courses, Geometry for example, 84 minutes/day for 18 weeks. The science teachers love this schedule because it allows students to do in-depth labs without stopping in the middle to clean up and then setup again the next day. Art and industrial technology really enojoy this schedule, too. Our social studies staff is doing a nice job becoming more project-centered as a result of the schedule and the English department has developed a nice routine of integrating reading, writing, oral communication and other units simultaneously to keep students engaged. As a math teacher, this format has forced me to teach in a more student-centered format. Flexibility, as you mentioned, is the key. Teaching a concept and being ready to re-teach it on the same day is a necessary skill I'm slowly trying to acquire. A longer class period also allows time for students to dig "deeper" in to topics and see "why" something is the way it is in math rather than viewing at the shallow procedural level. I would be happy to share more about my experiences teaching in this schedule if you are interested.
Matt, I teach English-Language Arts at a middle school that recently adopted block scheduling. As an English teacher, I believe whole-heartedly that block scheduling has improved student learning in my room. Other teachers are struggling, especially math. It is a huge shift in thinking, I understand, but some are giving up. I'd love to hear more about how you attack math in your block schedule to offer some advice to teachers who are struggling.
Jaime - I would be happy to share some strategies with you that I've learned over the past 5+ years teaching math in a block schedule. If you email me (matt at mctownsley.net), I can share more details as it can be a bit lengthy for this type of comment/blog forum.
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