Chapter 8 Powerpoint

Chapter 8 Scheduling Michael Slemp Peter Renault Rethinking High School. Daniels, Bizar, Zemelman Pages 174-190

Making the right choices What is the ideal time for instruction to begin? Is using bell to mark the beginning and the end of the lessons beneficial or harmful? What is better? Traditional or alternative schedule?

Starting Time Problem with adolescent students Instruction starts too early Students are forced to get up before sunrise “adolescent sleeping phenomenon” – students are tired and sleepy for most of the morning By lunchtime students start to feel more alert After lunch students get tired and sleepy again

Starting Time Reasons for this tiredness Adolescents’ hormonal changes as they go through puberty causes shift in their biological clock “ phase delay” in sleep time Students are not tired and ready to fall a sleep at appropriate evening hours Students stay up till late night Early start of the classes forces students to get up early Students do not get enough sleep and feel tired in the morning Overall result – students are not engaged and learn less

Starting Time Solutions To better synchronize high school schedule with the biological alignment of the students’ biological clock. No ideal start time set but the overall suggestion is to have a later starting time Seems not practical for educators that are used to get up early Later start times can be viewed as an opportunity for teachers’ prep time or school and department meetings.

Bell: friend or enemy? History of bell Invented around 1911 Have been used ever since Creates structure and organization Regulates movement of students and teachers In 1920s “school efficiency” movement Organize school like industrial plants

Bell – friend or enemy? So what happens towards the end of the lecture when students sense the bell will ring soon? 5 minutes before the end of the lecture: Teacher talks Students’ glances at the clock increases Students' attention decreases

Bell – friend or enemy? 3 minutes before the end of the lecture: Teacher continues with instruction Students are quietly closing books Students are gathering their materials Students are packing their backpacks No student will volunteer any comments No student will ask questions

Bell – friend or enemy? 1 minute before the end of the lecture Students are fully packed Students pay no attention to the teacher All students are watching the second hand on the clock Students anticipate the bell ringing any second

Bell – friend or enemy? The bell rings Students bolt from their seats Students ignore any final instructions from their teacher Even if teacher asks students to stay extra minute, students do not pay attention and likely do not remember what teacher said.

Bell – friend or enemy? So what would happen if bell would be eliminated? Positive effects Teachers would decide within minute or two when their class would end Lecture would end more naturally (when work was done and questions answered) Students are more likely to pay attention till the end of the lecture

Bell – friend or enemy? So what would happen if bell would be eliminated? Negative effects Different classes are dismissed at different times Dismissed students are loud Students dismissed earlier can disrupt other lectures in progress. Harder to supervise students dismissed at different times

Bell – friend or enemy? There is no clear solution to keeping or eliminating the school bell One thing remains Time allotted to instruction is precious and needs to be used effectively

Traditional versus alternative schedule Traditional schedule 7 or 8 periods a day Each period is about 50 minutes long Variety of subjects and topics Art 2:01-2:51 Period 7 PE 1:08-1:58 Period 6 Lunch 12:02-1:05 Period 5 Geometry 11:09-11:59 Period 4 Social Studies 10:16-11:06 Period 3 English 9:23 – 10:13 Period 2 Physics 8:30 – 9:20 Period 1

Traditional versus alternative schedule Problems with traditional schedule 50 minutes is not enough for significant intellectual engagement

Traditional versus alternative schedule Problems with traditional schedule Short periods encourages teachers to use lecture rather than more experimental, interactive teaching methods versus

Traditional versus alternative schedule Problems with traditional schedule Different school subjects need different amount of instructional time

Traditional versus alternative schedule Problems with traditional schedule A 7-period day contains too many time-wasting transitions

Traditional versus alternative schedule Problems with traditional schedule Students’ and teachers’ motivation decreases with 180 days of mundane routine

Traditional versus alternative schedule Problems with traditional schedule Dividing studies into variety subjects and periods sends a wrong message about the nature of knowledge and learning in the real world.

Traditional versus alternative schedule Problems with traditional schedule Issues with creation of complex schedule with variety classes and several ability levels

Traditional versus alternative schedule Recommendations (Federal government Prisoners of Time report) Longer school year Relocation of nonacademic pursuits (driver education, physical education) to after-school programs Endorsement of flexible block schedule Longer variable chunks of time

Traditional versus alternative schedule Reasons for considering alternative schedule? It is all about effective use of time!

Traditional versus alternative schedule With better us of schedules there will be more time for Ample teaching time Opportunity for faculty and department meetings Adequate prep time Administrative and busy work Individual consultations with students and parents

Traditional versus alternative schedule Sample of block schedule Each block is somewhere between 90-100 minutes Students alternate between day 1 and day 2 Day 1 Day 2 PE 1:08-2:51 Period 5 Lunch English 10:16-11:59 Period 3 Science 8:30 – 10:13 Period 1 Spanish 1:08-2:51 Period 6 Lunch Math 10:16-11:59 Period 4 History 8:30 – 10:13 Period 2

Traditional versus alternative schedule Alternate day model Students take six typical classes Each class meets for ninety-minutes every other day Example Day 1 –English, math, music and elective A Day 2 – science, social studies, foreign language and elective B

Traditional versus alternative schedule 4x4 model Traditional year-long courses are compressed into semester-long versions Each semester students take only 4 classes Each class meets for 90 minutes

Traditional versus alternative schedule Copernican model Derived from summer school programs School year is divided into three 60-day segments Each segment is dedicated to few concentrated courses

Traditional versus alternative schedule Trimester model Two 70-day sessions Students take 5 classes 30-day spring semester Intensive study of one or two subject Time to make up lost credits

Traditional versus alternative schedule Potential obstacles of alternative schedule Hard to rework old schedules Teachers used to old routines Transfers between traditional and alternative schools Deciding best instruction for given class (e.g. music requires daily practice all year long)

Traditional versus alternative schedule Potential problems with alternative schedule How to make up absences in block schedules (large chunks of material covered) What about kids who fail class Increase the qualification and development of teachers to insure the effective us of longer time slots

Chapter 8 Powerpoint

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Chapter 8 Powerpoint