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Block Scheduling has become a popular reform movement that schools are using to replace traditional schedules (Flinders & Veal 2001). Even though block scheduling has become popular in the past decade, it has been around for decades. J. Loyd Trump was very important in the development of the modern concept of block scheduling in the 1960 s.
Trump wanted to eliminate rigid class schedules, and change the classes to sessions that lasted from 20 minutes to 100 minutes. This was the first attempt at a block schedule (Gruber & Onwuegbuzie 2001). It was 1994 when the interest for block scheduling was reintroduced. The idea was reintroduced because the National Education Commission on Time and Learning published a report concerning the use of class time. The Commision called on educators to use time in new, different, and better ways. Educators rose to this new challenge and now we have the popular reform for block scheduling (Lawrence & McPherson 2000).
Block scheduling eliminates the traditional 40 or 50 minute class time to an 80 or 90 minute class time. When block scheduling is implemented there is no longer six to eight classes a day a student must take. They only take four classes when block scheduling is used. Block scheduling is implemented by schools because schools are trying to improve their students.
There are advantages and disadvantages that go along with block scheduling. There are also different types of block scheduling (Flinders & Veal 2001). There are two different variations of block scheduling. The first type is the A/B, or alternate-day schedule. In this schedule students take eight, yearlong classes. However, they only attend classes for them on alternating days, so the students would have four, 80 minute classes.
For example, on Monday, a student may have science, English, math, and physical education, while on Tuesday they have Spanish, history, science and music. This would alternate every other day for the entire year. The second variation of block scheduling is known as the semester block plans or the 4 x 4 plans. With this schedule students would only take four classes for a half of a school year, then another set of four classes the second half of the year (Video 2001).
There are several advantages that benefit students and faculty. Advocates of block scheduling believe that this scheduling allows teachers to increase the use of different strategies of teaching (Flinders & Veal 2001). Another advantage is that students only have to focus on four classes in a day rather than six to eight classes. This helps to reduce stress for the students. There have also been studies that show that grades have improved, and there is now fewer failing students. With block scheduling, there is more time for teacher-student interaction.
Teachers are able to notice students weaknesses and strengths early on with more interaction. Teachers like the block scheduling because it gives them more time to plan for there classes. This is because the number of classes they teach in a day has reduced. Block scheduling allows more time for labs to be completed. This is beneficial because a class can finish a lab in one period rather than two. It has also been shown that there are reduced drop out rates when block scheduling is implemented.
Students are able to take more credit hours in a year if they had a six or seven day period originally. Now they will be taking eight classes throughout the year (Gruber & Onwuegbuzie 2001). There are also disadvantages when block scheduling is implemented. One disadvantage is that if a student were to miss a class, it would be like missing two 50 minute classes. Another disadvantage is if a student transfers into a school that has block scheduling, and the student came from a school that used traditional scheduling. The student would not be on the same course as their peers.
The school has to find a way to catch the student up. When a school does choose to use block scheduling, there is actually less time spent in the class. Total contact time is about 37 hours or 40 class meetings less for semester block scheduling classes than traditional yearlong classes. Generally there is also less material covered. Teachers have to keep the attention of their students for the 90 minutes, so they have to incorporate different activities. This usually includes less instructional activities and more fun activities.
The biggest concern with block scheduling is retention. Most schools use the semester block scheduling. It could be many months or even a year before the student takes the next step of a class. For example, a student may take Algebra in the fall of their freshman year, but not take geometry until the winter of their soph more year.
There is concern whether or not the student will retain the information for that long (Lindsay 2000).
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