make the most of time
This issue of better use of learning time is critical as schools face the challenges of 21st Century learning. While the United States still struggles with the agrarian model of the last century, other countries are developing best practices in scheduling at the secondary level. One of the ways schools can work to create innovative schedules is to take an audit of the time currently spent. The Center for Time and Learning's Time Audit is a perfect tool for use by teachers and students. Think of it like when someone starts a weight-loss program. You don't realize the amount of food you eat, until you keep that food diary. Time loss in schools is much the same and the first step is for teachers to keep a time diary. Once schools are able to admit they have a problem with time, then they become open to increasing innovations.
Through an examination of several case studies and reflection on traditional high school scheduling, I have come to believe high schools must embrace very different modes of curriculum delivery. The need of tackling the achievement gap requires increasingly personalized instructional methods that simply will not work in the traditional eight period. As noted in their article The Power of Innovative Scheduling (1995), Robert Canady and Michael Rettig found that "The assembly-line, traditional period schedule contributes to the depersonalizing nature of high schools" resulting in decreased levels of student engagement and success.
Beyond large scale scheduling, individual classrooms can seek to make the most of the time given through very direct, intentional uses of time. Teachers must be efficiency masters who carefully orchestrate classroom rituals and routines to maximize the learning.
Through an examination of several case studies and reflection on traditional high school scheduling, I have come to believe high schools must embrace very different modes of curriculum delivery. The need of tackling the achievement gap requires increasingly personalized instructional methods that simply will not work in the traditional eight period. As noted in their article The Power of Innovative Scheduling (1995), Robert Canady and Michael Rettig found that "The assembly-line, traditional period schedule contributes to the depersonalizing nature of high schools" resulting in decreased levels of student engagement and success.
Beyond large scale scheduling, individual classrooms can seek to make the most of the time given through very direct, intentional uses of time. Teachers must be efficiency masters who carefully orchestrate classroom rituals and routines to maximize the learning.