Block
Scheduling, the combining of two or more periods, is among the hot topics in
middle schools today. The National Middle School Association (NMSA) says that about 20
percent of middle-level schools use some form of flexible scheduling, be it block scheduling,
alternate day classes, rotating schedules, or dropped schedule.
In a research summary on flexible scheduling, the NMSA notes: "With large blocks of
time to facilitate involvement, students benefit from less fragmentation and more engagement in project-
based learning and interdisciplinary activities, promoting skill application, interpersonal relations,
and decisionmaking skills related to concrete, relevant problems. Results indicate increased student
engagement and achievement and positive social ramifications.
We listened to the online discussions of educators on the MIDDLE-L Listserv. The
discussion was triggered when a Yakima, Washington, teacher asked for advice about how
teachers work best in block scheduling situations. An edited version of the discussion follows.
Our middle school
will go from a traditional seven-period day with one personal planning period daily for each
teacher to a block schedule, which will include one personal planning period and one team planning
period per day. The block of academic time will be for five periods, during which students will receive instruction
from their interdisciplinary team of teachers. Students will spend the other two periods of time in PE,
music, and exploratory classes.
As a staff, we are very excited and also nervous about how this will go. We have been
teamed for about five years and have continued to move to pure teams and
common planning time, as well as incorporating interdisciplinary instruction. We
are working toward more integrated instruction and hope the team planning will give us the much
needed time to reach our goals.
My questions: Many teachers are confused about how a team of three, four, or
five teachers will use this block of time. Does it mean some teachers will "give up" time? How
have others looked at this time and made it work for everyone on the team?
Also, how have teams dealt with special ed and ESL students who are currently either pulled
out for one or more periods per day or "dropped in" for one or more periods, depending on the
IEP of each student?
Harriet Young Wilson Middle School Yakima, Washington
One quick thought for
you and your team: To take full advantage of the academic block will require a
paradigm shift from the assumption inherent in your phrase "will receive instruction from" to a view
of the team as a community of learners, all of whom are active in determining what is to be studied and
how those topics or questions might best be pursued. Frontal, passive "instruction" gives way
to engaging activities with students and teachers planning the foundation. Having the academic
block is a real opportunity, but exploiting it to enhance learning requires a shift from the traditional
ways of instruction. Good luck.
John H. Lounsbury NMSA Publications
The block of time
ought to be for the team to decide how to use. In the case of the four-person team I worked
on, we each usually divided our block into fourths and spread the students
into four groups. That is,
we created typical class periods. However, sometimes we'd see half the students one day and the
other half the next day for double periods if we needed extra time. If an assembly or other activity interrupted
the day, we'd divide whatever time was left to us into equal parts so we'd see everyone during the
day. As for special ed students, we were involved in "Class-Within-A-Class," where the special ed
teacher came into our classrooms rather than having the students leave.
Howard Miller Associate Professor of Middle School Education
Lincoln University Jefferson, Missouri
We have a similar schedule to
what you plan. It is wonderful. Sometimes we have a traditional day where students
move from one class to the next. On other days, we may block our time, and students would have two
subjects. Another day might bring integrated activities. Our team believes it is important to make
use of the time as needed to meet our goals. As you can see we must be flexible, yet realistic. Good luck!
Jo E. Read Leawood Middle School Kansas City, Missouri
We adopted that
system (somewhat modified) this year and have had great results. Our teachers
have one planning period a day; as a team, they meet four times a week. If anything, teachers have
found that there is not enough time; several times, they have continued to meet from the team planning
period through their personal planning time. They do all sorts of things: meet with students
(problems and commendations), hold parent conferences, plan activities
and interdisciplinary units,
plan field trips, discuss student progress, do scheduling of students. I have seen more interdisciplinary
work this year than ever in the past. An added benefit is that discipline problems have been
reduced—teachers catch things much earlier now and, as a team, address any concerns they have
about students.
We added a half-team of 50 students at each grade level to reduce the number of kids per
team and then reduced the number of classes a teacher teaches from five to four and used that extra
period to get the team planning time.
The major drawback we have found is that the core area teams are working great and use
the planning time very effectively; we have not, though, found a way to involve the unified teachers as much
as we would like and they have a feeling of real isolation. That is still a work in progress.
We have a skill center where kids get academic support from the core area teachers, the
foreign languages classes are taught and the special education (SPED) youngsters can get their
support; we try to pull as few kids out of the classes as possible. This seems to be working. We
have assigned one sped teacher to two teams and at one of the weekly team times, the sped teacher
meets with the core teachers. Hope this helps.
Dr. Jurgen Combs Mt. Anthony Middle School, Bennington, VT 05201
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