The book that we have been reading, Curriculum 21, continues to point to the fact that we are not meeting the needs of our students through our current educational system. I really like Jacobs' theory that "form should follow function" or the way that we do things should come second to the purpose of why we are doing something within a school. With the multitude of learning options that students have via the internet, I am wondering why we require students to come to school every morning at 8am when the are bleary eyed and half awake. This type of schooling meets the needs of some students, but probably not the majority. I think a flexible schedule at the high school level would better meet the needs of our learners and offer them some accountability for their learning. The option of coming in to school at a later time or taking a class or two online could be offered to older or more mature students who have proven that they can handle the responsibility of school in this manner. This would be a more effective way of transitioning our students to life after high school where work and academic schedules can vary significantly from a basic 8:00-2:00 school day.
I am sure that a flexible schedule is much easier to incorporate in theory than in practice. I know at my school, we are hamstrung by a variety of issues that impact the master schedule and that one schedule is difficult to meet the needs of all learners. It would be interesting to look at what other public schools across the country are implementing for schedules in order to more effectively use their time.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I think you are right that a varied schedule would be great for students but I don't think that the same could be said for teachers. I think that part of the draw for teachers is the work day especially teachers with young families.
ReplyDeleteAlso there is something to be said for making students responsible for getting up and going to school each day. That accountability is important to learn. If they go to virtual classes they still need to sign in and do the work plus eventually they will be responsible for their real world jobs which may not have flexible schedules. Of course the counter argument is that college is flexible and by allowing students to learn how to manage that flexibility early they will do better in college.
I think a flexible work day would work out well for some teachers. Wouldn't it be great to work at home in the morning? Or be able to meet with community members during working hours to discuss service learning projects. Scheduling might be a nightmare, but could it be any more complicated than it is now?
ReplyDeleteI can go both ways on this. I am not sure how flexible scheduling would work in the younger grades I teach in. These students really aren't capable yet of doing an online course or directing their own learning. At the higher levels I could see how it would work.
ReplyDeleteI agree with kelley in her idea that one of the draws of teaching is the schedule, especially for families with young children. I love to educate. I love to be around children. I love to learn. One of the reasons I switched my major in college from Chemistry, with the ultimate goal of going into Forensics, to teaching was the schedule. I thought about what my husband-to-be in 4 short months career would be like and decided that it wouldn't be conducive to raising a family with young children. I also wanted to know how to teach my own kids and how their learning develops.
I also have a cousin whose family kind of believed in this flexible scheduling and didn't make him go to school for study hall first thing in the morning even though the school required it. He was valedictorian and does very well in college. It didn't kill his ability to learn and show up for class and get work done. It did kill a general work ethic though as he sees no need to hold a job and has never held one.
I guess I see the merits of both ways of thinking. I think there is some compromise or some middle ground to be had on this, I just don't know where that is until I see some schools trying out flexible scheduling.
I, too, agree with the ideas above. As I thought about it, though, I think that more often than not it is the kids who have NOT proven themselves to be mature and responsible who would benefit most from a flexible schedule. Perhaps the reason they have not shown their abilities is because of the format of our days. This would be a slippery slope of trial and error, but maybe it would change the lives of some of our students.
ReplyDeleteI also think that - at the HS level - having evening or even night classes would be beneficial to kids who know what they want to do and want to do an internship or volunteer. Not all business is done on a 9-5 schedule, but we cannot expect our kids to get firsthand knowledge of the world and stick to their 8-2 school day. Globalization would be much easier on a flexible schedule, too.
I do see what Kelley is saying about teachers, though. I don't know if I would still want to do this if I had to work nights. However, I can't imagine myself doing anything else and I have a feeling that teachers - as flexible as we are - would work it out.
I have to agree with what Kelly said. Although I can see the benefit of having a flexible school schedule, I can see a definite benefit on making the kids resposible for getting up, being prepared, and putting in a day at school. I can think of several kids that the fexible system would work for and I can think of an equal number that it wouldn't work for. It seems like with these ideas in mind, we are back at square one without an answer because no one schedule will work for everyone.
ReplyDelete