What is better, 45 minutes each day or 90 minutes every other day?
Fads rule much of American education. A good example is block scheduling. In most high schools in the Washington area — and much of the rest of the country — that innovation has replaced the traditional 45-minute daily class periods with classes that meet every other day for as long as 90 minutes each.
The block approach, influenced by the work of University of Virginia school administration expert Robert Lynn Canady, swept through this area in the 1990s. I had to explain it in several stories then. It was not easy. The array of colors and numbers used to distinguish each class was bewildering.
Still, about three-quarters of this region’s high schools, and many middle schools, have stuck with block schedules, even though many educators have a difficult time explaining why. Studies say neither block
Arlington County schools Superintendent Patrick K. Murphy (Arlington County schools)nor regular schedules make much of a difference.
Some schools have shifted back to regular schedules. Few had adopted block scheduling in recent years until Arlington County sparked a parent rebellion this year with a plan to install block scheduling in all five county middle schools.
Arlington middle schools are already doing well in a county with the nation’s highest percentage of college-graduate residents. Many parents ask: Why mess with a system that works?
The idea of altering middle school schedules grew out of a series of reports from the teacher-parent-resident committees that look into everything in Arlington. School officials say many expressed concern that middle school lessons weren’t as deep or as varied, or as accessible to low-income students, as they ought to be.
School Superintendent Patrick K. Murphy, who installed a block schedule when he was the principal of a middle school in Fairfax County, said regular-length periods are too short for the kind of creative teaching needed. “We are doing a disservice to students to run them through a seven-period day with a 45 minute turnaround,” he said.
Margaret Gilhooley, interim assistant superintendent for instruction, said that, in elementary school, “if a class is not grasping a concept, you can expand the time.” With just 45 minutes in middle school, that is difficult to do.
Some Arlington parents say they fear the mind-twisting complications of the block system will shortchange English, physical education, music, art and foreign language instruction. “For students who miss school occasionally for various reasons, it could be harder for them to catch up,” said Doug Levin, who has both middle school and elementary school children.
Another protesting parent, Tara Claeys, noted that Glasgow Middle School in Fairfax was returning to regular scheduling because its test scores dropped during three years of block scheduling.
The research is slippery and inconclusive. A 2006 U-Va. study said students on block schedules in high school did somewhat worse in college science courses than those who had regular schedules. A 2010 review of research in British schools concluded that block scheduling did not produce negative outcomes but that the positive effects “are not strong enough to recommend their implementation.”
Many teachers like the opportunity to go deeper in each class period than allowed by just 45 minutes. They will object to my calling block scheduling a fad. But in Montgomery County, where individual schools decide the issue, faculties have been split. When Montgomery’s Albert Einstein High School dropped block scheduling in 2007, students — particularly in foreign languages — said they preferred the daily schedule because they were less likely to forget their lessons.
Murphy canceled a plan to have two middle schools try block schedules next fall. The earliest the switch would be made will be fall of 2013. He said he will review what parents and others say at community forums and listen to his teachers and principals.
When schools adopt policies, fads or not, that don’t appear to help children learn more, parents resisting the change have a strong argument, and deserve to be heard.
The major benefit was going more in depth with subjects. If you had a lot of math and science classes you were able to get more done. Ever try to get a chemistry lab done in 30 minutes? It's near impossible- or it has to be super simple. We were able to do more labs than we would have with a regular schedule. You could also double up on subjects. When I started HS, I was a year ahead in math. A lot of my peers were able to take two math courses per year and catch up so I was no longer the youngest in class which was nice! Plus being in band we got a LOT more accomplished. 45 minutes isn't long enough for a true rehearsal.
The downsides are obviously time between classes. I had no math my senior year. I was able to take more electives though. (I did 6 semesters of band, 3 of a foreign language, 2 of chemistry, 2 of theater and a newspaper class)
I don't know if I agree with it in middle school- but in HS it was great.
I've seen other ladies in this group talk about block scheduling. I'm not very familiar with it. My school didn't do it. DD isn't at an age yet where they switch classrooms.
I can definitely see the benefits to having the longer periods. I also can see the parents having concern. If the current scheduling system works, why would the district change it? I would be curious to know what their parents know about switching to block scheduling. Did they take the time to research before objecting? Lots to think about!
I'm a proponent of longer class periods, but in my teaching that is the norm. But I'll try to explain why I think it works well.
90 minutes allows a student to digest information in more than one way. For example, a teacher has a chance to present material, then allow students to work with the concepts and apply them. Our regular program includes presentation, guided discussion, group and single activities, and special applications.
The reason this works: You don't encode information unless you practice it. Each time the student manipulates information in a different way it is practiced and encoded. In addition, by allowing students to work with information instead of just feeding it to them, they are participating in active rather than passive learning. The more active the learning process, the more they remember.
90 minutes also allows you to integrate other areas of the curriculum, something that is often hard to achieve in a 45 minute class. 90 minutes helps students slow down and think - a change from our sound-bite, fast paced world. 90 minutes even allows field trips.
In my class, I break down instruction into 3 mini classes to fill up the 90 minute time frame and keep kids changing what they're doing every 20-30 minutes. Without doing that, students quickly lose focus and that "extra time" is wasted. A well-planned agenda is key to making 90 minute classes work.
If classes are only 45 minutes, teachers really don't have any time to get started before class is even over. If you figure in even just 15 minutes to check homework/review, that only leaves 30 minutes of instructional time. That's unrealistic.
I would love to have the opportunity to have 65-70 minute classes. That time frame would be ideal for me as a high school English teacher. However, that would require completely redoing schedules and shifting classes in a weird way (not just an A and B day).
And in fact, in case I didn't make it clear in the above, that is what I do - each segment builds on the last with new activities and ways of approaching the subject matter at hand.
Quoting littleswampfox:
In my class, I break down instruction into 3 mini classes to fill up the 90 minute time frame and keep kids changing what they're doing every 20-30 minutes. Without doing that, students quickly lose focus and that "extra time" is wasted. A well-planned agenda is key to making 90 minute classes work.
I think both haves pros and cons. Most secondary teachers I know prefer block scheduling. I would hate it with younger kids though.
I haven't had experience with block scheduling so I'm not sure.
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- gacgbaker
on Feb. 13, 2012 at 10:19 AM