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]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]

Not PP; but I prefer the schedule that provides the most, quality instruction for the students.  Teachers have entered the field for decades knowing it isn't a 9 month 8-3 job.  Other professions work beyond their basic work day hours as well.  It's part of the job.  That said, in the past, scheduling allowed planning periods for teachers.  That doesn't seem to be the case anymore.  So if block scheduling allows teachers 30 minutes to tend to their administrative duties while students work on group projects (which reduces the need for students to coordinate getting together outside of school), or individual assignments - that's ok with me.

The key to effective block scheduling is for the teacher to use that time as it is intended and in a way that keeps the students engaged - not to just teach half the time they otherwise would in an everyday schedule.  Some are much better than that than others.[/quote]

Plus, it seems to work for colleges; so I don't understand why parents are all huffy about it in high school.  It also eliminates the students' need to carry notebooks and materials for all of their classes every day.  Since many don't have or use lockers - who has time to get to them with only 3 or 4 minutes between classes, anyway? - that's another advantage to block schedules.[/quote]

I’m so Fing tired of block scheduling being justified because college does it.

First off, college is already highly filtered for capable students, and any student who wouldn’t want to be there would simply skip class rather than cause disruption.

2nd not all classes are block schedule length

finally, colleges students aren’t in school for 6 hours straight — they have lots of breaks to recharge and would never take 3 block classes on one day like a typical high school student, let along all week long.

For example, a quick Google:

https://admission.princeton.edu/blogs/day-life

[img]https://admission.princeton.edu/sites/default/files/images/screen_shot_2015-02-25_at_5.09.17_pm.png[/img][/quote]

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