Teachers' perceptions of the block schedule

Abstract

This study was developed to investigate Menomonie High School teachers’ perceptions of the block schedule regarding modifications to departmental courses and services, advantages and disadvantages of the block schedule, and suggestions for modifications to the current block schedule. A researcher-developed questionnaire was sent via school mailbox to 66 faculty, with 28 returning the questionnaire and participating in the study. The findings indicate that modifications made to departmental courses and services included: the compacting of curriculum, the addition of terms to some courses, the inclusion of additional grade levels in some courses, and the creation of new courses. The advantages that were indicated included: longer class time allowed for more in-depth discovery type learning, varied teaching practices and activities, integration of content areas such as U.S. history/U.S. literature and speech/composition, fewer teacher preparations, longer preparation time, fewer courses for students to manage, less stress for teachers and students, improved relationships between students and teachers, and the creation of new elective course offerings. The disadvantages indicated included: less developmental time for learning, an increase in class sizes, some curriculum lost due to compacting, some departments could not service all student requests, some departments dropped electives to accommodate more sections of required courses, no safety net for failing students, difficulty of placing transfer students in the schedule, class balances unequally distributed, some students had difficulty maintaining attention for the longer period of time, retention loss during gaps between related courses, curriculum watered down due to necessary review time, difficulties for substitute teachers, no study halls for remediation, and student absences are more detrimental. Suggestions for modifying the current block schedule included: going to a trimester schedule with twelve or thirteen week grading terms and five sixty to sixty-five minute periods, increasing staff, modifying the block with skinnies, implementing an A/B block schedule, adding electives in all areas, keeping students with the same teacher for all terms of a course, building in more one on one time for students who are failing, and having three terms for lower level courses.