A traditional schedule in schools today is a six, seven, or eight period day with each period lasting somewhere between forty and sixty minutes. However, this philosophy has come under fire in recent years and new development has begun to take hold. When students attend as many as eight relatively short classes in different subjects every day, instruction can become fragmented; longer class periods give students more time to think and engage in active learning (Cromwell, 2003). Students in a traditional setting are offered very little time for in-depth study and personalized instruction. Some students and teachers have trouble making connections across subject matter lines. .
The most popular of the new innovations is block scheduling. Block scheduling takes three forms. First is the alternate day schedule where students go to each class every other day, meeting for twice the amount of time. Next is the 4/4 semester plan where students meet for ninety minutes each day for a ninety day semester. Lastly the trimester plan which consists of two or three courses every sixty days in a trimester plan. This type of scheduling has been or is being considered in over fifty percent of schools today (Cromwell, 2003). .
The shift in emphasis from traditional scheduling to block scheduling according to Prentice Hall's "How to manage instruction in the block" requires several changes (Fleming, 1998, P. 1):.
.
From (Traditional):.
1. What the teacher does.
2. Teaching as telling .
3. Covering the content.
4. Mastery of facts and skills in isolation.
5. Absorbing knowledge .
6. Expecting students to think.
To (Block):.
1. What the student can do.
2. Learning as doing.
3. Understanding important ideas.
4. Tasks that call for problem solving, critical thinking, and creativity.
5. Producing and using knowledge.
6. Requiring the student to show their thinking.
What these shifts in emphasis are showing is an attempt to put more responsibility of learning the material on the students.
Therefore, Building Blocks began. ... Patricia Cunningham and Dorothy Hall started Four Blocks. ... In Building Blocks, the blocks don't have a set time like they do in Four Blocks. ... They are stated in The Teacher's Guide to Building Blocks... This is where she learned about Four Blocks and Building Blocks. ...
Block scheduling is the restructuring of the school day into classes that are much longer than the original 50-minute periods. ... This could cause difficulties to a student transferring into a school with block scheduling. Block scheduling causes these students to be confronted with major scheduling difficulties. ... The traditional six to seven day periods are better that the accelerated 4x4 block plan. ... Block scheduling would only cause problems in our school...
Block in order to help them learn about the importance of hope and the power of love. Block writes about the struggles that people endure when searching for and losing significant loved ones. ... Block writes about people meeting and interacting with new diverse individuals who manage to make the best of what they have. ... The ability to establish and achieve goals in life is one of the many ideas Block conveys through the use of characters. ... Block emphasizes the importance of putting forth an effort in order to accomplish goals. ...
These four students attend Woodland Regional High School (WRHS) where they have block scheduling. In block scheduling students have four 80 minute classes on a regular school day, plus lunch and advisory. ... Most students in WRHS are aginst block scheduling, but after researching and really thinking about it I have come to realize that having a class every other day for 80 minutes makes a big difference in learning. ... In rotated block scheduling, at WRHS, students are given an advisory period. ...
The Small Block Chevrolet Have you ever wondered how cars work? ... They are the pioneers of the small block line. ... The great thing about the small block Chevy is that all of their small blocks have the same outside physical dimensions. ... The small blocks are also the same in that they all have a 9-inch deep cylinder block. ... Chevy has also retained the basic ignition and distribution system for their small blocks and big blocks matter in fact. ...
Wood Block Lab I) Uncertainty Analysis For each of these measurements the minimum uncertainty was used; that is one half of the smallest division of the instrument used to measure. ... This was decided because it is an accurate tool, and the blocks posed no rounded corners, nor any curves, thus measurement was made easy. ...
Writing Block "Children's writing samples serve as a rich portrait of how well young minds are applying important language skills and strategies." Description: The Writing block is carried out in "writers workshop" fashion. ... This block ends with "author's chair" in which several students each day share work in progress or their published book. The writing block consists of the following segments/components- I. ... • Learn to read through writing. The children learn through the writing block to understand grammar and mechanics in words that will hel...
A loss of sovereignty may also be a stumbling block, since some economic policy decisions are taken out of the governing bodies hands. ... The United States has always been a building block of foreign policy for the world, and by supporting trade agreements such as NAFTA it will ultimately strengthen the world economy. ...
The Republican Party simply bumps up Foyle's dim-witted yet thoughtful running mate, Theodore Block, for the elector's presidential choice. ... Block even goes on to state, "We got to fix this Electoral College system. ... Ted Block and Al Gore were both present that "unlucky" day. ... Block, who could be construed as the popular vote choice with Foyle, turned office over to up-and-coming Speaker of the House Connor Doyle. ... Furthermore, Block relies on the nation's unfailing response to health conditions when he decides to turn over the presidency. ...