Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on March 12, 2008 - 18:42.
Block scheduling with 90-minute classes scheduled every day for a semester is far more productive than classes of 45 minute for a whole year. First, much time is wasted in passing from class to class. Many disciplines have activities that require more than 45 minutes at a time--labs in science, foods, etc. With 45-minute classes, you barely get the gear out and it is time to leave. Much time is wasted with getting ready and then cleaning up. I taught the first 25 years with 45-minute classes and have been using the 90-minute blocks for the past 10 years. Our system made an effort to train us before we started the block schedule. Most teachers in our system do not lecture for the whole block. We vary our activities in order to keep students engaged. This is a high school. Our middle school students have the traditional schedule. It takes 9th graders a while to get use to the 90-minute classes, but they eventually appreciate it. As a parent of a teenager who is an honors student, I know she is able to concentrate better on just four classes a semester. She is also involved in many school activities and volunteer work. Her schedule is hectic. It would be more so if she had 7 classes a day.
Block scheduling
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on March 12, 2008 - 18:42.
Block scheduling with 90-minute classes scheduled every day for a semester is far more productive than classes of 45 minute for a whole year. First, much time is wasted in passing from class to class. Many disciplines have activities that require more than 45 minutes at a time--labs in science, foods, etc. With 45-minute classes, you barely get the gear out and it is time to leave. Much time is wasted with getting ready and then cleaning up. I taught the first 25 years with 45-minute classes and have been using the 90-minute blocks for the past 10 years. Our system made an effort to train us before we started the block schedule. Most teachers in our system do not lecture for the whole block. We vary our activities in order to keep students engaged. This is a high school. Our middle school students have the traditional schedule. It takes 9th graders a while to get use to the 90-minute classes, but they eventually appreciate it. As a parent of a teenager who is an honors student, I know she is able to concentrate better on just four classes a semester. She is also involved in many school activities and volunteer work. Her schedule is hectic. It would be more so if she had 7 classes a day.