Will we ever move away from block scheduling?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here - I like the point about tests being spread out and more time to complete homework. It just really stinks when you miss a class.

I like the idea of doing block scheduling 4 days a week and one day with all the classes.

Why? My first thought as a teacher is this is the day I’ll give the test. They rarely need an entire block. Your kid might have 3, 4 or 5+ tests on a day if others think the same. I’m glad my school doesn’t have this schedule.

How are your tests not taking the entire block? How are you asking any meaningful questions? The AP exams are 3 hours, it makes sense for unit tests to take close to 90 minutes.

At our HS, 9th graders cannot take AP classes. And neither can MS students, who also have block scheduling.

Block scheduling may be appropriate for juniors and seniors - but not for younger students.

They can not just do block schedule for Juniors and Seniors(Many sophomores also take 1-2 AP classes) because ALL HS teachers teacher multiple levels of course. A history teacher may teach World and APUSH. A Math teacher may teach AP calc and computer science. AP or IB classes throw it all off because they are college level courses and should be taught using block schedule.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here - I like the point about tests being spread out and more time to complete homework. It just really stinks when you miss a class.

I like the idea of doing block scheduling 4 days a week and one day with all the classes.

Why? My first thought as a teacher is this is the day I’ll give the test. They rarely need an entire block. Your kid might have 3, 4 or 5+ tests on a day if others think the same. I’m glad my school doesn’t have this schedule.

How are your tests not taking the entire block? How are you asking any meaningful questions? The AP exams are 3 hours, it makes sense for unit tests to take close to 90 minutes.

At our HS, 9th graders cannot take AP classes. And neither can MS students, who also have block scheduling.

Block scheduling may be appropriate for juniors and seniors - but not for younger students.

It also seems to be more of a problem with this generation. I’ve been teaching MS for 15 years, and it was less of a problem when I first starting teaching…the complaining alone is so annoying.

There are lots of things that lower elementary does that actively teaches away from attention span and focus (and current parenting). It's not surprising that students have more of a problem now than they used to.

[Anonymous]

Never, not perfect but best approach for middle and high schools of the size seen in FCPS. One of the few things they do right. So, maybe they will change it for consistency’s sake.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Never, not perfect but best approach for middle and high schools of the size seen in FCPS. One of the few things they do right. So, maybe they will change it for consistency’s sake.

Normal sized rather than tiny like DCPS?

[Anonymous]

I taught high school in VA on the block, and then I taught in two midwestern states on a 7-period day with all classes meeting each day for about an hour. I felt my Midwest students’ schedule was a better setup for their success. The consistency provided by having the class everyday was so beneficial, and helping students to build their skills bit by bit in the subject I taught was definitely easier than on the block.

There are conveniences to the block, and for some subjects they are valid points (like science labs), but I believe ultimately the biggest selling point is that it’s more cost-effective for the school district.

[Anonymous]

I grew up in NY. We had two day rotations but had every class each day. Every other day science was two blocks and so was math. Every other subject was 45-50 mins.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I taught high school in VA on the block, and then I taught in two midwestern states on a 7-period day with all classes meeting each day for about an hour. I felt my Midwest students’ schedule was a better setup for their success. The consistency provided by having the class everyday was so beneficial, and helping students to build their skills bit by bit in the subject I taught was definitely easier than on the block.

There are conveniences to the block, and for some subjects they are valid points (like science labs), but I believe ultimately the biggest selling point is that it’s more cost-effective for the school district.

+1 That's my school experience before college. I like the 7-peiod school day.

[Anonymous]

Go back to six periods and attending each class every day. This is the way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I taught high school in VA on the block, and then I taught in two midwestern states on a 7-period day with all classes meeting each day for about an hour. I felt my Midwest students’ schedule was a better setup for their success. The consistency provided by having the class everyday was so beneficial, and helping students to build their skills bit by bit in the subject I taught was definitely easier than on the block.

There are conveniences to the block, and for some subjects they are valid points (like science labs), but I believe ultimately the biggest selling point is that it’s more cost-effective for the school district.

We can't do that. It sounds like babying the students.

They need to toughen up and learn everything themselves, from tutors and Kumon.

[Anonymous]

My kids loved block scheduling. They went to a secondary school so they had block from 7-12. They enjoyed not having homework in every class every day, enjoyed only focusing on a few classes a day, and having more days between classes to finish assignments.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here - I like the point about tests being spread out and more time to complete homework. It just really stinks when you miss a class.

I like the idea of doing block scheduling 4 days a week and one day with all the classes.

+1 Class of ‘96 here from FCPS. This is what our high school did when they transitioned to block scheduling. They called one day the “anchor day.” Students would go to all periods for 45-50 min on this day. They made Mondays anchor days so teachers could set the assignments and tone for the week after the weekend. Then you had your block classes either M/W or T/Th. The next week it was the same.

I think absences are easier to deal with when you miss block days personally. You can miss Tuesday and Wednesday back to back and only miss only one whole set of classes vs two days of the same class.

Ours too. I hated the anchor day but it was made up for by it only being once a week. It just felt short and harried with all the transitioning from class to class. But at least you had the same schedule every week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Go back to six periods and attending each class every day. This is the way.

This is how FCPS was in the 80s and 90s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here - I like the point about tests being spread out and more time to complete homework. It just really stinks when you miss a class.

I like the idea of doing block scheduling 4 days a week and one day with all the classes.

Why? My first thought as a teacher is this is the day I’ll give the test. They rarely need an entire block. Your kid might have 3, 4 or 5+ tests on a day if others think the same. I’m glad my school doesn’t have this schedule.

How are your tests not taking the entire block? How are you asking any meaningful questions? The AP exams are 3 hours, it makes sense for unit tests to take close to 90 minutes.

At our HS, 9th graders cannot take AP classes. And neither can MS students, who also have block scheduling.

Block scheduling may be appropriate for juniors and seniors - but not for younger students.

It also seems to be more of a problem with this generation. I’ve been teaching MS for 15 years, and it was less of a problem when I first starting teaching…the complaining alone is so annoying.

Not surprised. In elementary school they shuttle them from thing to thing to thing every 2 seconds on the theory that "kids don't have an attention span" and if you're the kind of family that has higher expectations for your kid it is very annoying to the kids. I mean - they have recess as 10 and 20 minute blocks now. Kids can barely settle in and ever try to pay attention to anything for any length of time in school, so they don't build up the stamina to do it.

Expect kids to pay attention longer younger - within reason of course - and they will learn. We've gone the opposite direction, actively shortening their attention span. Handing toddlers an iPad every time there's a 5 minute delay somewhere doesn't help, of course. But the educational establishment could fight back (not using ST Math and Lexia might help FCPS, hint hint)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids loved block scheduling. They went to a secondary school so they had block from 7-12. They enjoyed not having homework in every class every day, enjoyed only focusing on a few classes a day, and having more days between classes to finish assignments.

Right? And they like dessert with every meal too.

We don't do things because kids like them, or because they are convenient for adults, we do them because they are best for kids. Or at least, we should.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here - I like the point about tests being spread out and more time to complete homework. It just really stinks when you miss a class.

I like the idea of doing block scheduling 4 days a week and one day with all the classes.

Why? My first thought as a teacher is this is the day I’ll give the test. They rarely need an entire block. Your kid might have 3, 4 or 5+ tests on a day if others think the same. I’m glad my school doesn’t have this schedule.

How are your tests not taking the entire block? How are you asking any meaningful questions? The AP exams are 3 hours, it makes sense for unit tests to take close to 90 minutes.

At our HS, 9th graders cannot take AP classes. And neither can MS students, who also have block scheduling.

Block scheduling may be appropriate for juniors and seniors - but not for younger students.

It also seems to be more of a problem with this generation. I’ve been teaching MS for 15 years, and it was less of a problem when I first starting teaching…the complaining alone is so annoying.

Not surprised. In elementary school they shuttle them from thing to thing to thing every 2 seconds on the theory that "kids don't have an attention span" and if you're the kind of family that has higher expectations for your kid it is very annoying to the kids. I mean - they have recess as 10 and 20 minute blocks now. Kids can barely settle in and ever try to pay attention to anything for any length of time in school, so they don't build up the stamina to do it.

Expect kids to pay attention longer younger - within reason of course - and they will learn. We've gone the opposite direction, actively shortening their attention span. Handing toddlers an iPad every time there's a 5 minute delay somewhere doesn't help, of course. But the educational establishment could fight back (not using ST Math and Lexia might help FCPS, hint hint)

+1000