One issue that would rise if the block schedules were replaced to give teachers more creativity with planning and curriculum would be the instruction of students with special needs. In my school the grade level teachers are required to teach the same subjects at the same time so that the students who are pulled for extra support from the grade can be taken at the same time. I am not sure how this could be addressed so those students still received the support they needed. Perhaps the teachers could collaborate to plan the schedules so they are more creative but still similar amongst each grade?
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Schedules
I was intrigued to read Heidi Jacobs schedule proposals in chapter 4. She discussed how with the traditional block schedule teachers often plan activities to fit into a specific block. She stated that, "The sameness of these schedules forces sameness into curriculum and instruction." I would agree with her that I do often plan activities so they will fill fit into the scheduled subject time for a specific day. I do feel that the schedule can be restrictive. Of course, we can always start something one day and continue it on the following days. At the same time, it is important to pick an appropriate stopping point so it will be an easier transition for students to start the next day.
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One of the other issues is our "specials schedule" and the need to "sign up" to use other spaces in the building (computer lab, etc). Sometimes we do a whole school unit around one book (One Book One School) where for two-three weeks all students in K-4 have discussion groups, readings and art projects all around the same book ( which every family gets a free copy of). The kids get so much out of it and enjoy it but he logistics of scheduling that and the time involved takes us away from our "regular" instruction, and varying from the "norm" makes it hard to maintain the "pacing" of many of our curriculum mandates.
ReplyDeleteYes, I completely agree. It is difficult also to have the specials schedule coordinated so teachers can have common planning time with their grade level.
ReplyDeleteSo, here's an idea.. coming from a former special ed teacher who usually taught six subjects for six grades at once... what if all the fourth grade teachers got together and grouped their students across the whole grade and then shared the instruction for those groups? What if the special ed teacher came in during say reading block and taught her group in one of your rooms- meeting just like your other reading groups? You would have one more teacher in the room, and be able to meet the needs of students across the grade. If one of you is more confident with a certain group than another, then you all learn about techniques that work with that group from her. We did this model in Union when I first started teaching and we say over a year's growth in those students with special needs, when before they had barely been achieving six months' growth.
ReplyDeleteGreat...several ideas to get around the seeming barriers. And that is all some of these "problems" take...a group of teachers focused on solving the issues. Easy!!
ReplyDeleteThat sounds wonderful, Melanie! When I was student teaching in Hampden they had intervention blocks at the end of each math period. It worked really well!
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