In order to properly research a topic, first an adequate definition is required. Kellough (2003) defined block scheduling as:
The school programming procedure that provides large blocks of time (e.g., two hours) in which individual teachers or teacher teams can organize and arrange groupings of students for varied periods of time, thereby effectively individualizing the instruction for students with various needs and abilities. (439)
Traditionally, schools schedule six or seven 40- to 55- minute classes per day. These classes usually meet for 180 school days per school year. Block scheduling differs from traditional scheduling in that fewer class sessions are scheduled for larger blocks of time over fewer days. For example, in block scheduling, a course might meet for 90 minutes a day for 90 days, or half a school year. Block scheduling came along with many problems for school students and teachers. Disadvantages include attention span problems, retention problems, problems in transferring and difficulty when school is missed.
One of the first flaws of block scheduling is longer classes, which tend to lead to students loss of interest in the subject material. Queen found the average attention span of most
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students is between twenty and fifty minutes (online). After this time frame, students are fidgety and ready to do everything except learn. Instead of trying to cover twice as much material in a longer class period, the natural tendency is to water down the material to maintain interest, resorting to movies, games, and doing homework in class. Either due to attention span limitations or to the watering down of material, learning is likely to be less effective, especially in courses such as math and science.
Another disadvantage related to the use of block scheduling is retention problems. Students taking all of their English, math, science, or other topics in one semester may experience a gap of eight to thirteen months before taking the next course in that series, whereas students under traditional schedules experience the longest gap of four months which is summer vacation. The long gap in learning a particular topic may translate into poor retention and the need for more than the usual two or three days of review at the beginning of a semester. Many students take tests, like Palmetto Achievement Challenge Test, Exit Exam, or Scholastic Aptitude Test, at the end of the school year on topics that were covered in the first semester only.
Extended class periods and block scheduling will improve student’s grades and can diminish their stress level significantly. A normal day in block scheduling consists of only four classes a day, alternating each day. These classes would last 120 minutes each, with the same 5 minute passing periods in between classes. This scheduling gives teachers more time to explain their lesson. It also gives students time to recover from the late nights due to sports and other activities because they only have four classes a day. Their homework for these classes isn’t due for another day, so they don’t have to stress over getting it done. 120 minute classes combined with blocked scheduling increases the amount of time teachers have for instruction and will overall increase the student’s knowledge, in turn, raising their grades.
In the single track model, which is the most popular of the two, all students and teachers in a particular school attend classes and have breaks/vacations on the same schedule. According to Shields and Oberg, “it is introduced almost exclusively for educational reasons” (2000, 11). A more common single track model is the 45-15 schedule which consists of four nine-week terms (45 days) separated by four three-week vacations (15 days each).
Day after day, late students are punished or end up in detention due to short passing periods. Having short passing periods can make a student’s grade go down or worse when students are late to class. This can be prevented by extending passing periods to 10 minutes. Although the staff at H.P.M.S may disapprove, but in the long run, they will see the effects of having longer passing periods has on students. Because of the short time of passing periods, students at Happy Place Middle School are petitioning to extend their passing period time to 10 minutes. In short, some of the positive effects are that students can get to class on time, and gives students and teachers time to prepare.
Year round school or the modified school year is a rearrangement of the traditional school year to provide the students with continuous learning throughout the school year. Students receive the same amount of instructional time as a traditional school. In year round schools, the instructional time is balanced without of school time more evenly. (Winter, 2005) The National Association for Year Round Schooling defines it as “a schedule which contains no break lasting longer than eight weeks-schools are able to keep their students in constant learning mode, and are able to use the intersessions between periods of schooling to address the problems of students who are falling behind.” (St. Gerard, 2007, pg. 57) There are three common tracks of year round schooling. They are the single track, multitrack, and extended year. The single track is scheduled throughput the year into intersessions which allow time for enrichment or red-mediation. The multitrack is used to help schools reduce overcrowding. The school divides the teachers and students into groups of an equal size. Each group has its own schedule. One group is on intercession while the other is in school. The extended year increases the amount of time spent in schools from 180 days to as many as 240 days a year. (McGlynn, 2002)
It takes students about 10-15 minutes daily to fully focus on something, so that by itself already
More courses should try to incorporate 5 minutes of the class to get students focused and ready to learn. Sometimes students are too preoccupied with other problems that they do not focus on the present moment; making them less likely to focus on the course.
students do not learn the same way as their peers. We have to modify and try to explain things to
"Schools Give Extended Class Time a Longer Look." Gannett News Service. 18 Sept. 2006: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.
...ualized plan due to time constraints, it is reasonable to treat each student as they do have an individualized education. Teachers should know their students well enough to individualize the classroom activities so all students have strengths in each lesson. Through collaborative efforts, teachers can gain knowledge about the students and new ways to teach according to different learning styles. Working together, each student can receive an individualized education where their full potential is used.
During cognitive development it is important that teachers allow time for students to have breaks in between classroom tasks such as recess and other extracurricular activities. Learning large amounts of material is easier for children to understand when it is taken in as chunks. Assign children with short tasks and switch from demanding activities to less demanding activities (Biehler & Snowman, 2000).
Block scheduling only adds to the already high level of stress these students will face. In today’s world, under diverse economic conditions, it normal seeing families move with children already in high school. If a family is new to the area with a child in tenth grade, there is a good chance that the student is transferring into a school where block scheduling is a new experience for them. Under block scheduling a student would be taking four subjects at a time and covering the material at twice the speed of classes in a normal 6-8 class day. If a student does not adjust immediately to this change he/she could fall behind in all of their classes. A student moving in one or two months after the academic year has begun will be close to two months behind from the rest of his or her class. Students in this situation will find the need to hired a tutor. For others this could mean having to take non-sequential classes for the rest of semester. In this case students are often in classes repeating material they had taken at other schools before they transferred until it gets to a point where they catch up. Many families have chosen to go with a private school for the duration of the year until the start of the new year. Parents could then enroll them into a district that does block scheduling. This will always be an unexpected expense for families, not to
Year-round school, also known as a “balanced calendar”, is a new idea that is being brought up all over the United States. When most people hear the term “year-round school” they often think that school will literally be all year. In reality, year-round school is still the 180 days that a nine-month school year would be. The 180 days are stretched out through all 12 months of the year, and student get frequent breaks throughout the year. Schools that decide to use a balanced calendar have the option of how many days are spent in school and how many days will be spend on break. The most common schedule used is 45 days in school 15 days on break. There are also two types on year-round schooling systems. Single-track is when all the students are placed in the same schedule. They all attend school on the same days, and they all get the same days off. Multi-tracking is when the students are placed sub-sets. In an article that discusses the overview of year-round school they explain multi-tracking, “…the student body is divided into three of four subsets. The four sub-sets rotate vacation time, so that three sets of students attend school during a given term”(Chittom).
For instance, Martha Young, associate dean of the College of Education at the University of Nevada, reported to fairtest.org, “.....the quantity-over-quality approach to instructional time. We’ve unfortunately bought into the idea that more is better, and that isn’t always going to be the case, particularly when you’re talking about elementary school students. In some cases you can have a 12-hour school day and not make any more progress than you would in six hours.” This quote shows that kids need time to recollect themselves with a break. By getting a break, it can help them refocus and get more done. Additionally, The American Heart News Association, a news organization stated, “After recess, for children or after a corresponding break time for adolescents, students are more attentive and better able to perform cognitively.” This quote proves that getting a break in between is better than not getting one because a break helps kids refocus, instead of them not paying attention and getting nothing done. You could more work done in a less amount of time with a
Schools are so much a part of our society, so the accurate length of school days is extremely important. Public opinions on the length of the school days are different. There are a lot of parents and professors concerned that it is hard for children to go to school early in the morning and stay there the whole day. On the other side, some professors try to force students into a nine hour school day. Not so many years ago, school was a main part of my life, and the school days’ structure and length affected my social life and ability to study. From my own experience and some studies that I have seen, students benefit if school days are long.
Kralovec, author of The End of Homework argues that doing homework during high school has little or no effect on successful study skills of students in college. College students have only a few hours of class a week and lots of daytime hours in which to study. She says the college schedule is nowhere as grueling as in high school. In addition, the average adult does not return home from the office with three or more hours of work to complete (Kralovec). When "busy work" assignments are given carelessly and frequently, it causes students to lose interest in the subject. Negative results can also occur when a student is not able to complete his or her homework. Many times they will resort to copying homework, having others do their assignments, or cheating on tests. Bad habits such as these are likely to follow kids through their lives and have an effect on their moral judgment. With no consequences to these actions students will almost always take the easy way out when it comes to homework