tell me about block schedules
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
|
DC will be a rising high schooler next year. Our HS uses a block schedule, which as we understand it is a mixture of the 4/4 kind and the A/B kind.
4/4 kind means students complete 4 year-long courses each semester by having 90min instruction in a subject every day. Most non-DE courses are taught in this format. A/B means that courses are taught over a year, but every other day also in 4 90min blocks per day. Then, we understand, this can be mixed in that during some double periods students take a semester long course and during others they alternate, complicating their schedule. For instance, math courses like Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II are taught in the 4/4 format, whereas the following courses DE Precalc/Trig, Calculus, etc. are taught in A/B format. All language courses are taught in 4/4 format as are most AP courses in other subjects. My thoughts: - taking Geometry + Algebra II allows students who didn't qualify for Algebra I in 7th to catch up by 10th grade by doubling up in 9th on Geometry + Algebra II, but at the cost of an intense year of math as freshmen. - Homework would be insane if homework intensive subjects are part of the schedule (for instance, in MS Algebra/Geometry that are daily 30-40min homework assignments, which would then double to 60-80min each day if stretched proportionally). - for most students, however, it would create a discontinuity where some semesters they have math (and ELA) and others they do not - not my idea of a continuous and well-paced education - we're worried about summer loss in math - then we'll have an entire semester break if math is taught only during half of the year. - 90 min periods in both 4/4 and A/B schedules are insane and require breaks or other activities, leading to less instructional time compared to the traditional 45min over one year schedule. I read that block schedules are particularly popular in VA and NC but not widely used elsewhere (like in CA, where during the CMF discussions there was a strong negative sentiment towards doubling up two math courses in one year). I read that it benefits the teacher/student relationship since teachers teach fewer students each semester, getting to know them better? And students have to focus on fewer subjects at a time? What are actual experiences with block schedules, particularly of the 4/4 kind in core subjects? Have they been shown to be successful? Why do some states love them and others don't? |
Anonymous
|
I had the 4/4 for a year in HS (my district was doing scheduling trials across the county) and liked it but the A/B and the following year we had that district wide.
Both my kids have A/B. The alternating has not been an issue but my issue in general is that 90 minute blocks are just too long, period. Most teachers don’t really know what to do with it and there ends up being a lot of down time which is boring and a waste. |
Anonymous
| My niece has that 4/4 high school schedule where students can double up or have discontinuous classes. It seems really dumb to me but she likes it because she was able to double up and take lots of AP classes her sophomore year of high school. She has considered graduating early but is leaning against it currently. She's a junior now and I'm not sure what classes she will have left her senior year since she doubled up on her core classes. |
Anonymous
|
Your post is really difficult to follow but the 90 minute blocks went by pretty quickly for DC. Most teachers broke up the lecture part of the class into two parts so it would go something like lecture, group work, questions, lecture, group work, questions. It was nice to be able to go into depth on a subject and it worked best for discussion-based classes like English, History and higher level world languages.
The main disadvantage IMO is that you don't get daily reminders about homework so it gets difficult to keep track of where you are in a particular course if the teacher forgets to put it in the system. Teachers need to be really organized and students need to be really organized for it to work well. |
Anonymous
|
^This was for A/B.
4/4 was piloted in some DCPS schools and everyone we know who had it hated it. This includes teachers and students. It was not designed to be optimal for learning but it was because of staffing shortages. |
Anonymous
|
My son's HS (in Chicago suburb) started block scheduling a few years ago (pre-Covid) so it had nothing to do with staffing shortages. All 8 blocks meet on Mondays, 30 minutes each, and then alternate for the remainder of the week; i.e., 4 classes meet 90 minutes on T/Th and the other 4 on W/F.
He's a sophomore and so far hasn't had any scheduling issues, other than his lunches may be at different times on T/Th than they are on W/F. He doesn't mind this though because it allows him to meet up with different friends on different days. I don't know about the teachers, but my kid prefers the block scheduling since he can focus more on each subject rather than rushing through each class daily, constantly loading/unloading backpack, changing rooms, getting settled, etc. He also likes that he can do homework at a more "leisurely" pace. Agree with above poster that his teachers use the 90 minutes wisely. I think most teachers at his high school follow the flipped classroom model, with discussion of new material, group work/collaboration, and some individual work, getting started on some homework/essays/projects, resulting in class time that is more stimulating and not the typical "go over homework, followed by lecture, then assign more homework" model. |
Anonymous
|
In general, block schedules are good for lab sciences and social sciences but terrible for foreign languages and math, where students benefit from daily instruction and in-class work.
A bigger problem with block scheduling is there can be a lot of wasted time if teachers have trouble filling the slots. |
Anonymous
|
^^Chicago poster again. I wasn't aware that there are different types of block schedules. I guess our HS is on the A/B schedule? Also, I don't really understand the 4/4 schedule you've referred to and how it mixes with A/B.
At my kid's HS, beginning in junior year, students can do double blocks, for example APUSH + AP Lang or AP Chem + AP Physics. I know that some kids double up senior year in math as well. From what I understand, one advantage to these double blocks is that block teachers coordinate schedules so that kids are not inundated with homework, projects, tests, quizzes all due on the same days. Is this what you are talking about? |
Anonymous
For instance, a kid may take 2 yearlong AP courses that meet Fall and Spring on alternating days, and they may take one AP course that meets every day in the Fall and another AP course that meets every day in the Spring, during different block periods. Overall, it's the same number of courses: 8 per year, but some are yearlong meeting every other day, and others are semesterlong meeting every day. Both kinds meet for 90 min periods. Unrelated:
How can that be? If you do Geometry for instance in one semester you're looking at 60-80 min of homework every day instead of 30-40min like it would be in the yearlong format. |
Anonymous
Ok, I see. My son's school has yearlong AP courses that meet every other day for 90 minutes. And under that scenario, according to him, it's easier to do homework for essentially 3 classes per night (obviously no homework in PE) vs for 7 classes per night that meet daily. And, as I mentioned, because the classes are longer, they often get to at least start on their homework in class and sometimes finish. His school does offer some 1 credit courses (usually the fun electives) split up by semester, but they are easier ones with not much homework and only one of those is AP: AP Comp Sci A. He has that this year, and the Java Programming portion is done first semester and the remainder of the content is second semester. But they do all their projects in class and have very little homework. I can see why cramming an intensive AP course into one semester would not be ideal. But taking those semester-long APs at your school is an option, not required, right? I assume they offer all the typical APs in the yearlong format as well? |
Anonymous
| I did 4/4 in the 80's. I liked it. 90 minute blocks let you really focus. Lots of homework, but only for 4 classes. |