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The school schedule for the middle grades
should be a direct reflection of a sound educational
philosophy and should facilitate equal access
by all students to the full range of instructional programs and
student support services.
Caught in the Middle: Educational Reform for Young Adolescents in California Public Schools, 1987, p.106 |
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Strategies for reform
Block scheduling and team teaching are typical strategies employed by middle schools involved in education reform. Schools that have applied these innovations successfully know that the ultimate goal is improved student learning, not restructuring the schedule and regrouping teachers and students. The strength of these strategies is the flexible conditions they create for developing programs that meet the specific needs of adolescent students. The schedule changes at Boschulte Middle School, described on page 6, were motivated not by an interest in doing the latest thing, but by a concern about students who were not making a successful transition from elementary school. The faculty focussed on what they needed to do to change the school environment and make their middle school a place where the students wanted to be and where opportunities to learn were abundant. Middle schools like Boschulte are implementing block scheduling and team teaching because these approaches allow for more in-depth learning and can help strengthen relationships between teachers and students, and among both teacher groups and student groups. Block scheduling There are many block scheduling plans, but most models have class periods longer than the typical 40 or 50 minutes. One standard version (the 4x4) has four 90-minute blocks each day and two semesters during the year. With this configuration students complete four year-long courses in one semester (eight courses in a year). Other variations use the four blocks in an alternate day schedule or combine the longer blocks with standard-sized blocks to allow for year-long courses. Whatever the variation, a change to block scheduling has many advantages over the traditional junior high school schedule including: By extending the class period, schools increase opportunities to improve curriculum and instruction. A scheduling change alone will not contribute to improved student learning, and in some cases it can lead to lower achievement levels. A teacher comfortable with the traditional class lecture format may simply extend the lecture to fill the longer period. In their book on block scheduling, Robert Lynn Canady and Michael Rettig (1995) predict that, "the single most important factor in determining the success or failure of block scheduling programs will be the degree to which teachers successfully alter instruction to utilize extended time blocks effectively" (p.22).Schools should allocate ample time for investigating and preparing for a change to block scheduling. Canady and Rettig suggest preparing with many of the following activities: |
Team teaching
Schools often move to block scheduling because it can better support a team process among teachers. Team teaching typically involves clustering a group of students together with a pair or group of teachers. The major advantage of teaming is the ability to create a learning community of teachers and students. A necessary component of teaming is a common planning time, when the team of teachers can focus on their particular group of students. They identify strengths and problems and tailor their approaches to help individual students (Wheelock, 1998, p. 96). For schools working to integrate their curriculum, the common planning time is essential for shaping the curriculum and coordinating interdisciplinary projects. Teaming can also ensure that students do not become anonymous or invisible during the daily shuffle of classes.
Building effective teams is a complex process and obviously requires more then
just assigning teachers and students into groups. Researchers warn that without
considerable professional development and planning time, teachers new to the team
process should not be expected to make major changes to their teaching (George
& Alexander, 1993, p. 297). California State Department of Education. (1987). Caught in the middle: Educational reform for young adolescents in California public schools. Sacramento, CA: Author. Canady, R. L. & Rettig, M.D. (1995). Block scheduling: A catalyst for change in high schools. Princeton, NJ: Eye On Education. Cawelti, G. (1994). High school restructuring: A national study. Arlington, VA: Educational Research Service. George, P. S. & Alexander, W. M. (1993). The exemplary middle school. New York, NY: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich College Publishers. Wheelock, A. (1998). Safe to be smart: Building a culture for standards-based
reform in the middle grades. Columbus, OH: National Middle School Association.
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