I teach at a high school that has a block schedule. When I tell people this, they often ask me exactly what that means. A block schedule is when the classes are taught in a longer block of time rather than a typical period. In most high schools, there are 6 or 7 periods a day ranging anywhere from 40 minutes to an hour each period. At my school, we have three periods a day each lasting two hours. We have A days and B days that rotate. For example, on A days students attend periods 1, 3, and 5. On B days, they attend periods 2, 4, and 6. When I first started teaching there, I must admit it was a little confusing. But as time went on, I can see the many benefits to this type of schedule.
A block schedule allows for more teaching time on a typical day. In many classes, the first several minutes of class is taken up with students filing in and the teacher taking attendance. It often takes a couple of minutes for things to settle down and the lesson to get started. With a traditional class period, there would only be around half an hour left for an actual lesson or assignment. In many cases, this may not be enough and part of the lesson may be put off for the following day. In a block schedule, there would still be a solid hour and 45 minutes for a lesson. This allows for more in-depth discussions to take place. More processing time can be allowed for students to gain a deeper understanding of the lesson. It is a well-known fact that anytime students stop a project and then later restart, it takes a few minutes to refocus and remember where they left off. More teaching and learning can take place in one 2-hour block than two 1-hour blocks of time.
As a teacher, a block schedule requires a little more planning but in the end, I think it is worth it. I only have half the number of students on any given day, I am actually able to finish my lessons each day, and I only have to lesson plan for every other day. It is a winning situation!
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