![]() Also, the more students that teachers have to see each day, the less time and attention they can devote to each student. Teachers are able to utilize more varied or innovative instructional techniques when class periods are longer-they can cover more content with fewer interruptions, provide students with more attention and one-on-one support, and they can engage students in more sustained, in-depth learning activities, including more sophisticated projects, teamwork-based exercises, or other activities that could not be easily completed in 40 or 50 minutes.In a traditional eight-period school day, students also spend more time in the hallways and moving between classes, which further reduces the total amount of the school day that can be devoted to learning and may also increase disciplinary issues. Some studies have found that significant amounts of class time are commonly devoted to non-instructional tasks-in some cases, leaving only 15 or 20 minutes (out of 45 or 50) for instruction and learning. Fewer class periods and interruptions during a school day reduce the amount of time that teachers spend on routine administrative or classroom-management tasks-such as taking attendance, handing out and collecting materials, or preparing for and wrapping up activities-which increases the total amount of time students are engaged in more meaningful and productive learning activities.The following are a few representative arguments that may be made by advocates of longer instructional periods and block scheduling: A “Copernican” schedule in which students have longer classes for core academic subjects during one half of the school day and shorter daily periods for electives such as physical education or music during the second half of the day.Another variation is the “75-75-30” schedule, which uses only a single 30-day intersession rather than two 15-day intersessions. A “75-15-75-15” schedule in which students take four 75-minute classes every day and finish courses in a semester, with each semester followed by an intensive 15-day learning-enrichment course or remedial program.A “trimester” schedule in which students take two or three core courses at a time, with each class meeting daily, over three 60-day trimesters.An “A/B” or “alternating-day” block schedule in which students take eight 90-minute classes that meet every other day.A “4 x 4” block schedule in which students take four 90-minute classes every day and finish a course in one semester rather a full school year. ![]() School-by-school variations in block-scheduling systems are numerous, but the most common formulations include: For example, a typical block-schedule class might last 90 or 120 minutes and meet every other day instead of daily. A block schedule is a system for scheduling the middle- or high-school day, typically by replacing a more traditional schedule of six or seven 40–50 minute daily periods with longer class periods that meet fewer times each day and week. ![]()
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