My current school assignment has a very different schedule from the school in this article. I’m at a middle school. We don’t have block days; the students go to 7 periods a day and the classes are barely 45 minutes long.
Even though these classes seem a bit short at times, I find this schedule preferable to the block day rotation I experienced last semester (on Tuesdays and Thursdays the students would have 3 classes, each 2 hours long). In my opinion it was too long. Even though the particular teachers I was fortunate enough to work with were fantastic (they plan for diverse activities to get the students up and moving…even switching rooms throughout the period when possible), it still seemed too long. I can certainly agree with the author of this article that sitting in the same room, with the same subject and teacher for 2 hours is exhausting and monotonous. That said, I can also see the benefit of longer class periods in high school; however, I would say that an hour and fifteen minutes is a good maximum time to spend in one class.
The author’s key takeaway #2 states “High School students are sitting passively and listening during approximately 90% of their classes”. This is unfortunate. Many of the newer models of school are shifting to a more collaborative, group work based learning environment. At my current school, we employ Kagan Strategies – structures designed for collaborative learning. I love this model. These structures encourage the students to coach one another, talk about mathematics, and practice key social skills. My current class still runs a traditional model in terms of curriculum, but according to the articulation meeting the district office held last week, that too looks like it will be changing next year. It’s a tricky transition period we’re in as educators - a lot of great intentions but many kinks that still need ironing out (materials, resources, support, smooth transitioning from elementary to middle to high school in terms of learning focus and depth…). With the right resources and support in place, I believe the inquiry and discovery models with collaborative learning are the ideal models for engaging students and setting them up for success.
Even though these classes seem a bit short at times, I find this schedule preferable to the block day rotation I experienced last semester (on Tuesdays and Thursdays the students would have 3 classes, each 2 hours long). In my opinion it was too long. Even though the particular teachers I was fortunate enough to work with were fantastic (they plan for diverse activities to get the students up and moving…even switching rooms throughout the period when possible), it still seemed too long. I can certainly agree with the author of this article that sitting in the same room, with the same subject and teacher for 2 hours is exhausting and monotonous. That said, I can also see the benefit of longer class periods in high school; however, I would say that an hour and fifteen minutes is a good maximum time to spend in one class.
The author’s key takeaway #2 states “High School students are sitting passively and listening during approximately 90% of their classes”. This is unfortunate. Many of the newer models of school are shifting to a more collaborative, group work based learning environment. At my current school, we employ Kagan Strategies – structures designed for collaborative learning. I love this model. These structures encourage the students to coach one another, talk about mathematics, and practice key social skills. My current class still runs a traditional model in terms of curriculum, but according to the articulation meeting the district office held last week, that too looks like it will be changing next year. It’s a tricky transition period we’re in as educators - a lot of great intentions but many kinks that still need ironing out (materials, resources, support, smooth transitioning from elementary to middle to high school in terms of learning focus and depth…). With the right resources and support in place, I believe the inquiry and discovery models with collaborative learning are the ideal models for engaging students and setting them up for success.