Recommendations

Recommendations

A timetable change will not magically transform a school into an environment where students are engaged, are doing meaningful work, and learn deep content. Rather, a change in the timetable coupled with proper teacher training, common planning time, and reducing the number of year groups a teacher sees could lead a school in the right direction.

In my research, I found that the main complaints with block style scheduling were teachers being apprehensive about the change and teachers not changing their teaching methods. This is consistent with the Hackman and Schmitt study that described problems with block scheduling if teachers did not use instructional techniques designed for longer class periods properly. At Avon School there were some teachers who embraced the timetable change and modified their style of teaching. These teachers varied their teaching methods based on what they wanted to accomplish. This is consistent with the Hackman and Schmitt study that described problems with block scheduling if teachers did not use instructional techniques designed for longer class periods properly.There were times when they would lecture, other times they would do a class team builder activity, and other times the students would rotate from station to station in small groups. Each class was different from the next. Students in these classes generally had positive things to say about their work, the teacher, and ultimately, the timetable change. As a result of changing their style of teaching, these teachers reported that they were able to personalize lessons more and saw major gains in literacy and student engagement. This was consistent with the Cobb, Baker, and Abate study from 1999 where they found consistently higher performance in all subjects except for math when the school they were studying changed to block scheduling. Avon School teachers also reported that it is a struggle balancing this style of teaching with the extra workload of a traditional teacher from England.

If a school is going to change their timetable they should do their best to get teachers who want to teach one or two year groups. One of the struggles for teachers was that they had seven or more other classes to plan for in addition to their blocked classes. “I see my Year 7’s eight hours a week and then have 15 other classes to prepare for. I have six other groups of students. That is a problem, because I am spread thin.” When I showed him my High Tech High teacher timetable he became somewhat jealous of my workload. “It is very unusual in England if someone said they only teach one or two year groups. The High Tech High planning, assessment, and workload would be amazing. I have seven groups and about 30 students per group, so that means a lot of marking.” One suggestion would be to have a teacher teach three different groups of students in Year 7 and Year 8 for eight hours per week each class. The remaining four class periods that teacher would need to remain full time could be devoted to a GCSE or A Level group of students. This would allow a teacher to enough time with their Year 7’s and 8’s to make deep connections and do deep projects while allowing the teacher to teach the upper level students as well.

One additional thing that was not attempted at Avon School, but what some teachers thought could be helpful would be a slightly reduced workload for teachers who teach these block style classes. An extra hour or two per week of planning would go a long way in allowing these teachers to plan deep projects that will push students. This could be done by reducing the total number of classes a teacher teaches from 28 to 26.

Schools should do what they can to support their teachers who change their timetable. Training before the year begins and common planning periods would make a positive impact on the quality of instruction.

All of the teachers who I trained the previous school year said that the training sessions helped them understand ways they could change their classroom to make the timetable change as effective as possible. Teachers who embraced the training and timetable change learned how to structure their projects and how to operate their classrooms day to day in efficient manners. The students in these classes reported seeing large growth in their assessments. The engagement fostered in a properly run classroom helped spur deep learning.

One common refrain from teachers was the importance of having common time to plan with another teacher. Some teachers wanted time with a teacher of the same subject, while others preferred the option of common planning time with a teacher who teaches the same students.

So, Should a school change their timetable?

Yes, but certain conditions should be met to make a timetable change most effective.

1- Have teachers teach two or three different groups of students in the same year group. This will help the teacher dedicate more planning time since they will be repeating the content/projects with multiple classes.

2- Find teachers who are willing to change and train them in advance.

3- Ensure that teachers have similar prep periods or other common time to plan. This could be accomplished by giving these teachers an extra one or two planning periods per week.

4- Remember, when it comes to designing a timetable for deeper learning, less is more.