Block scheduling is the idea that students will have fewer classes per day, but those classes will be longer, doubling the time they are taught. The idea behind this is to allow both teachers and students to feel less rushed in a day with having 8, 45 minute class periods, exchanging them with 4, 90 minute class periods which switch to the other 4 each day. This idea gives more time for both teachers to teach and students to learn.
On a specific note, an A/B schedule should be adopted by our schools, not a semester-by-semester basis where you take 4 classes first semester and 4 classes next semester. Rather it would be to have your first 4 classes on Monday, then switch to the other 4 the next day and keep alternating every day. This will be beneficial to students as it will allow them to 1 get more information efficiently without it seeming crammed down their throats in 43 minutes, and it will also give them a larger amount of time to complete assignments that they either could not finish in 45 minutes or could not do it the night before. Block scheduling would essentially double to amount of time to get classwork done and double the time to get homework done.
In an article done by the American Association of Superintendents, they discovered school to be less stressful for both teachers and students during block scheduling. However, an issue that has occurred is teachers finding it difficult to convert to this new system, especially if done on the spot. “The majority of teachers, administrators, students, and parents are favorable to block scheduling, even after the sometimes difficult period of change.” (The effects of block scheduling. AASA. (n.d.).) This is why converting to a block schedule should not be done over a single day, or even a break, rather it should be completed over the course of the interim between school years to allow teachers to adjust their lesson plans in as much time as needed.
Do you believe block scheduling can be a better alternative for schools across the nation? or would the change be too difficult for kids and teachers alike?
Should students be able to manage their schedule more up to a point? Still having required classes/credits but being able to choose what classes they truly want to learn the material in.
Finally, should students have a longer time to drop or add classes? Most schools only give their students a week or 2 to decide if they want to drop the class or stay with it. This can be a major issue as most students can't figure out if they like the class or not in a week or 2 as those 2 weeks are usually filled with introductions.
Replies
Great topic choice and well done Jonathon! I would love to teach with block scheduling. We used block scheduling last year during the ISASP Testing days and I loved it.
One thing I would encourage you to do next time is include your personal thoughts on your topic within your summary.
I do belive that block scheduleing has some benifits how ever I think that it would be hard to adabt to. I also think that students should have more say in wich classes they take and want to learn because they should not have to take a class that they are never going to need. I also think that students should have a longer time to drop and add classes because it gives them more time to figure out if they like it and if it is going to benifit them.
I think that schools should keep the schedule that Harlan has right now. It keeps it simple for the students. I think that I would have a love hate reltionship with block scheduling. The classes that I dislike would drag on forever but the classes that I like would go by very quickly. I also think that if schools give students more time to change classes then it would cause students to get behind in their lessons.
The transition period for students truly isn't as bad as you believe it to be. Teachers would have a much harder time with this transition than students would as students only have to change how long they remain in a class. I can't really say no it wouldn't drag on as that's completely your opinion, however, I can attempt to coerce you into believing it isn't as bad as you believe it to be. So let's start with the part where the classes you dislike would drag on forever while the classes you like would go by very quickly, classes that seem boring only feel long because of either it being uninteractive or you keep looking at the clock to see how many minutes are left, which we all know makes time freeze. Classes that you enjoy do the opposite by letting you forget about time. This builds onto the fact that allowing students a more available time to switch classes would prevent students from becoming unmotivated as they would have more time to get into a class they would enjoy. Returning to the first part of your comment about keeping it simple, in a block schedule what is considered simple for you is being sacrificed for productivity. Also, students getting behind in their lessons due to schedule changes occurring later is a valid point to make as they would be attempting to get into a class that's already far down the line. The schedule changing is more so for instances where students get into a class and realize hey I don't think this is what I thought this would be when I signed up for it, which has occurred a lot. In the end, this is simply a suggestion, not a requirement, if people want to remain as they are right now that's perfectly fine.
I think we can all agree to some point that block scheduling would definitely have a benefit for students and they could get more learning time in that specific area. Meanwhile, many kids get bored in classes very easy so if you're putting the kids in classes for a longer amount of time it can be a downfall because the students won't really get what they need to out of that class. Students would also enjoy not having as many classes during the day but having longer periods in the same class would just not be very enjoyable after a while.
With block scheduling, you exchange the number of classes per day for productivity in those extended classes. You also don't sit there for 90 minutes and do nothing, the entire time in class you are engaged within either your work or the lecture the teacher is giving. Even if you do get behind in the class, let's say on a worksheet, you have an entire other day before it will be due, giving you adequate time to get caught up on your work.
I think that block scheduling would be very helpful to help students get more time each day to go over subjects and be sure that they understand them, as well as getting homework done quicker and easier. I like the idea of block scheduling, but I think it would be hard to implement today. I still think it would be worth the trouble to switch. I also like students having freedom in their schedule while still having some required classes, because it can help students figure out what they want to do in their future while also guiding them along the basics with required classes. I also think that a little more time to decide if a student wants to drop a class or not could be nice because the class' main focus usually doesn't start until later on.
Block scheduling would be a difficult transfer for some, there's no changing that. However, we can attempt to minimize the difficulties that come with it by either giving teachers time to adjust their lessons, as In other a long period of time such as Summer break. Or by getting examples from other schools who have also done something similar to this and learning off of them.
In my opinion block scheduling can be better or worse depending to the person but idea of sitting in classroom for 90 minutes sounds really tiring for the mind and students can lose their interest lot more quicker. But as i think it depends on the person and how they feel comfortable becase some people may want to have 4 90 minute class, but some may not.
This has been a recurring issue within this comment section of 90 minutes seeming like a long time to sit down and work. This is true, however, if you are willing to sit inside of a classroom for 90 minutes this can gain you enormous advantages that you originally would not have prior to switching. You would essentially have double the time to do your homework, as you would get an extra day to do it each time. You would also gain the ability to coerce the lesson into a more student-led orientation as teachers would not be rushing as much as they would during a 45-minute schedule.
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