I just finished an AQ course on online teaching during which we listened to a few of your ‘casts. This is typically the reason why some teachers object to block scheduling: They say they can’t “get through” as much material. I like the idea of breaking up the learning into transitional bites, but I’m going to be winging a bit as I go to see what that looks like for students I won’t see…. Here’s another article to check out that you might find helpful: The Pros and Cons of Block Schedules. We’ll start by looking at the mindset that causes a lot of block scheduling’s biggest problems. I teach high school block classes (3 out of 4 in a day) and it works well to pencil in my lesson plan and notes to remember for the week. Sample of a basic 4 x 4 block plan for eight courses FALL SPRING Course 1 Course 5 Course 2 Course … Thank you again for showing us that there is a difference between teaching and learning as well. No more. Some of the challenges associated with block scheduling boil down to logistics, like needing more time for AP courses. If you’ve ever finished your planned activities in a 50-minute period and found yourself with ten awkward minutes to kill, imagine how much worse it is when you have 30. I work at a school that already ran on a compressed calendar, with 90-minute periods. Free teaching materials and educational resources for 4 Blocks teachers. Queen, J.A. One big, focused activity takes up most of the class period in this structure. Because if teachers don’t have a well-rounded repertoire of instructional strategies, methods that they know are effective, they will only use lecture to teach, and that gives them one of two choices: Do not rely solely on lecture. It really helped prevent the whole getting home and realizing I had no idea how to do the homework issue. In this structure, students would spend the majority of time working on their own projects. And in many cases, schools have been successful with block scheduling. Each block represents a block … 10. The block center … This nonfiction writing unit includes 12 days of lesson plans, student writing booklets, research information, additional templates for other All About Books, and ideas for different ways to celebrate their published writing. What we can recommend, however, is to look at this post (the 90-minute block post) and see which structure aligns most closely to what you would normally do in class. Your email address will not be published. “The Cult of Pedagogy” has become my most valuable source of professional development. Free printable list included! A Letter of Complaint Lesson Plan to Teach Students How to Craft a Complaint Letter. Let the children create their own flowers. We have a short day and teachers are allowed to be creative with the curriculum- I was a little- ok a lot intimidated by this but after reading the article I feel more secure and less stressed. This lesson plan focuses on higher learning activities that are separated into "I Do", "We Do", and "You Do". How is block going for you? This template is customizable with a Monday - Friday layout. Monday-Friday, 100 minute block courses. Just because you have 42 minutes a day doesn’t mean it’s the end of the learning process for that specific content. Being curious (whether naturally or induced by another) and then struggling to discover what’s going on (as opposed to the “answer”) is the best way to learn (and that’s how babies and toddlers and young children learn until school rips that curiosity out of them). The idea behind the change was that with less transition time between classes, fewer instructional minutes would be wasted, and the kinds of behavior issues and bullying that can crop up during class transitions would also be cut down. Teachers Pay Teachers is an online marketplace where teachers buy and sell original educational materials. Here are some of our favorite block toys that are an important part of the classroom as well as home. But these often value “coverage” over actual learning. Super simple, customize it, includes a second or back page for notes, colorful. Btw I was hired two days before school starts and am teaching both online and in the classroom. I’m going to make sure Jenn sees this. FFeeaattuurreess ooff mmaasstteerr rroottaattiioonn ppllaann::-- o It shows the relationship between classroom teaching and experience.