Reply to APS Block Schedule - 90 minute core classes

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I’m a HS teacher and have never taught anything but block. We don’t lecture the entire 88 minutes. In my class it looks like this: warm up activity/attendance question, [b]independent reading,[/b] maybe a [b]journal prompt[/b], mini lesson and group practice, [b]independent practic[/b]e. Or, warm up/read/journal prompt, “workshop” time where some kids are drafting, some are revising, some are in a small group with me while I reteach something.  [/quote]

So study hall for half the time. [/quote]

Um, no. Independent reading is important for building reading endurance, vocabulary, comprehension. It has measured and proven benefits. Journaling does as well, when students are writing to a prompt they are practicing the writing muscle and developing ideas they’ll later use in their formal written pieces.  Independent practice = the graded work on whatever skill we are currently working on. Maybe if you guys knew what words meant and what teaching looks like you wouldn’t be losing your minds over 88 minute classes. [/quote]

What are you doing while kids do independent work?[/quote]

OMG can we please stop second-guessing and armchair quarterbacking teachers?  Go look at that thread on FCPS teachers who are all miserable and want to quit!

This teacher probably has a million other things to do while kids are reading, including perhaps grading papers or planning the next lesson!  Why is there so much complaining.  Do we want our kids to have subs all year?[/quote]

Your response gets to my point. The county does not give them adequate planning time or support, and thus are allocating class time for administrative tasks to save money. That’s why the county likes block scheduling. [/quote]

Okay, so you prefer traditional scheduling where they have no time during the day at all to do those things and have to work all night at home?  That's why we are losing teachers![/quote]

I support the model where we have regular periods so kids spend more of their time at school engaged and learning, and then h[b]iring support staff and adequate teachers to allow teachers to be fully engaged in class time and not being work home[/b]. Stop putting words in my mouth. [/quote]

Sure, but that isn't happening, so pick your poison.[/quote]

My preference is to prioritize instruction time, and then teachers can advocate for more support.  Rather than downshifting expectations for in class instruction to gain paid planning time.[/quote]

So when are the teachers supposed to plan lessons for this instruction time[/quote]

The way the did for last centure, in a planning period.[/quote]

Read that FCPS thread about teachers quitting and how they talk about the increased demands from administration, more and more mandatory meetings and committees, not to mention IEP meetings and parents wanting to meet.  It's changed a lot over the past century and now appears to be at a tipping point.

Can we not just be grateful that teachers are trying their best no matter what the schedule is?  Why try to cut them down picking apart the 90 min. block as if they are wasting that time or getting away with something?[/quote]

My point is that it is too difficult for a teacher to fill 90 minutes classes, it’s tiring for both teacher and student. I am only bashing the argument that they need the block for planning — that’s some administration should fix. [/quote]

Why do you think it’s too difficult for a teacher to fill 90 min? 
[/quote]

They are filling it!  The teacher a couple pages back described exactly how - some presentation, some independent work.  That is all part of teaching, it's just some people don't want to accept this for some strange reason.[/quote]

DP. I think a question is why do independent reading in class when that can be done at home?[/quote]

Not a teacher but my guess would be, what if some kids don't read it?  Then it's hard to have a productive discussion.  If you give everyone 20 min. to reach chapter 3 and then have a discussion, it might be more effective.[/quote]

Makes sense, but then there's a lost opportunity for interactive learning that could have occurred with the teacher or peers during that time. Trade-offs, I guess. Still seems disappointing to have everyone lose the interactivity because some kids don't read it otherwise.[/quote]

You don’t lose the interactivity. You actually get to have it because everyone for sure did the reading.  We all read a chapter together - everyone has read it now.  They even processed it together as they read! We have an activity or discussion or written response based on that reading. There is time for this in an 88 minute block. [/quote]

But you don't seem to ever get through an entire book.  I am waiting for one of my high schoolers to read a whole book for an English class.  I'm sorry, one did read one full book.  So, how about reading multiple books in their entirety?  That enhances understanding and processing even more![/quote]

That is why we also build in independent reading time! Honestly fight your moms on this. Schools have been doing block since the 90s, fighting about it today like it’s APS trying to personally make your life miserable is stupid. [/quote]

This is WITH independent reading time!  You don't make the students read the full novels!  My oldest only read part of the Odyssey.  My second also only had to read partS of The Odyssey - but decided to read the whole thing on their own anyway.  One of mine read all of "to Kill a Mockingbird" - the ONLY full book read that whole year - but the class took TWO MONTHS to get through it.

I Don't know what "fight your moms on this" is supposed to mean.  I'm fine with block scheduling.  It's the curriculum, or lack thereof, and not holding kids to higher expectations that I have issue with.[/quote]

Sorry, I don’t know who “you” are. My 10th graders last year read ALL of Macbeth, Maus, Frankenstein, Monster, their independent reading books, and 8-10 short paired texts per quarter. I’m not unusual for this either. [/quote]

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