Block scheduling not better for students

Brittney Wilson, Writer|November 29, 2016

Students+in+Future+Teachers+club+listen+to+club+sponsor+Margaret+Hoffman+lecture.

Charles Dilliehunt

Students in Future Teachers club listen to club sponsor Margaret Hoffman lecture.

Opinions of Students at Schools with Block Scheduling

Sophomore Lauren Fleischer at Shawnee Heights – “One of the biggest benefits of having block schedule to me is having an extra day to get homework done. Instead of having seven homework assignments due the next day, I have three or four and they aren’t due until the next class in two days. This is really helpful, especially if you are involved in after school activities such as sports.”

Sophomore Hannah Nystrom at Topeka West – “Most of my classes hand out homework during class and since the period is longer, it is easier to get homework done in class, but if I do not finish in time then I have two days to finish the homework. Personally, it is not hard for me to focus, but I can’t say for the other students.”

Opinions of Students at Schools with Block Scheduling

Senior Carson Scheer at Hayden – “ I get a lot more done in class with a block schedule; there isn’t the need to end a lecture early or break up a lesson into several classes.  Teachers have more time to teach and students have more time to learn.  I find it easier to focus with a block schedule because there is more time to get into a grove and actually absorb the information.”

Senior Benjamin Burton at Topeka High – “I can typically get the majority of my work done in a regular class period but not usually all of it, so I have to take it home to finish it. In a longer class that the teacher has not created lesson plans for, I can find it difficult to focus sometimes, but typically I will use that as a study hall. Now if the teacher chooses to lecture the class all hour for a block period, then I can find it hard to learn the concepts, understand my notes and especially to focus.”

Staying focused for 47 minutes is a difficult task for many Washburn Rural students, but imagine having to stay focused on one subject for an hour and a half.

Many high schools in Topeka, such as Hayden, Topeka High and Topeka West have variations of block scheduling instead of the standard seven-classes-a-day schedule. With a block schedule, students only attend some of their classes in one day and the classes they attend are based on the day of the week.

Some teachers believe block schedules are beneficial to the student, but I believe they are ultimately more harmful.

The most common issue with the block schedule is the productivity of a class period.

“When a 50-minute class becomes a 90 or 100-minute class, what happens? To maintain attention, less instruction and more ‘fun’ activities are needed,” head of Intellectual Property for APP-China Jeff Lindsay said. “This transformation seems to be the greatest thing about block scheduling in the minds of some proponents, but in practice it means a watering down of course content.”

Block schedules are commonly commended because they give teachers time to cover more material, and therefore help the student gain a better understanding than they would if the material was taught on separate occasions. Yet, this is not the case.

According to Melissa Burns of Stanford University, the average attention span of a student is 10-15 minutes. A student who is in a 90-minute class, as opposed to a 47-minute class, may be more susceptible to becoming unfocused and distracted, and may fail to regain interest as the class progresses.

In addition to being inattentive, students can become restless and talkative. Similarly to how elementary kids need recess, high schoolers need time to regroup throughout the day.

For these reasons, I believe block schedules are a disadvantageous approach to learning and ultimately harm students.