Block Scheduling – Is it a good thing?
Back when we were in middle school and high school we had traditional scheduling – which meant 6 classes a day (M-F) which were about 50 minutes each in length plus lunch. Where my son goes to school they have block scheduling where you have an “A” day schedule of 4-5 classes that are longer than an hour each and a “B” day schedule also with 4-5 class periods.
My son regularly comes home without homework. When I question him about it, he tells me the teacher gave them time in class to do it or he did it in directive study (a fancy name for study hall which he has every other day). I’m not sure how I feel about this. It seems to me that the concept behind block scheduling is fine – more instruction time, less time in the halls changing classes – however, I am not sure that all the teachers are really using this longer block of time the way it should be used.
Do your kids have traditional scheduling or block? What do you think of it? Is it a better way of educating or are they wasting more time than anything else?
We’re starting block scheduling this year (Jr. high). So far it seems ok. DD still has tons of homework, and I hope that’s because the teacher is using up all of the class time. I have a couple of teacher friends that LOVE block scheduling (they are math and science teachers). They say they can manage to get more into the block period than in 3 of the 50 minute periods.
Oh, we have directive study too! The first time DD said anything about it to my husband, he was really confused! I told him it’s fancy study hall, with rules. It’s kind of nice, if you’re having problems with anything you can schedule with the teacher for extra help. When I was in school, study hall was play time. Even if you wanted to get any work done, you really couldn’t, it was so LOUD!
Calling study hall “directive study” reminds me of ME calling being grounded: “placed on restriction”. I always thought it sounded more intimidating
Another odd thing at her school (we’re new there). They aren’t allowed to use “easy” words in conversation. Ex. “Why are you sad, bummed?” BECOMES “Why are you melancholy, downcast, forlorn?” That strikes me as being kind of odd, but I think it’s good to get the kids to expand their vocabulary.
Block scheduling is great for teachers and terrible for students. They waste time, get bored and can’t take as many different classes as they could otherwise.
Block scheduling is a lot more along the lines of a college schedule, and I think it makes sense for high schools to start it.
One local high school, however, does it in a terrible way: they have the same blocks for a semester. So you would take the same 4 classes every day for a semester, and then switch. Ugh.
Not having homework doesn’t necessarily mean the time was wasted.
My high school did block scheduling: 4 classes 77 minutes each and a 45 directed study block for each semester. I hated it. The classes were way too long and by the next year you had forgotten what you learned due to lack of year-round classes. It also made it hard to take AP courses because you could only take a certain number of classes each year. I am in college now and the schedule is so much better (only 50 minute classes). Contrary to what and above poster said, block scheduling is not along the lines of a college schedule.
We have block scheduling, too and my daughter never has homework.
I question if the teachers are using the time and my husband (who teaches at the school) insists that they do.
I’m still not sure…