HIT:Activity period & block (long)

[JHulten <jhulten@mail.east-haven.k12.ct.us>]

HI - Several people asked for a HIT. Text between [] are my words...if I
misrepresented anyone, I apologize...I tried to keep the sense AND keep
it brief.

There is strong feeling on our staff that there should be some time for
the students to do homework (HOMEwork?), participate in clubs, go to
guidance,etc during the day.  I’m told this is strongly advocated by
students (surprised?).  We are attempting to have the student council
“take this on”...in the hopes that kids will have a vested interest in
the ourcome and therefore be accepting of the “guidelines”.  Life IS
never dull!!! JH

HIT
1.
... on full block.. first time this year..."A/B" schedule... 4,
90-minute class periods & 25-min..."seminar" pre-lunch...[students have
class & student council meetings, get make-up work]... aren't entirely
happy...[most kids do not use for homework, etc. BUT the teachers get to
know 16 students well]...Next year we will be making changes...

2.
... Community Period on block days-25 minutes, added to reduce the
sense of isolation that students and teachers felt on a full block
schedule last year. (This year... half block days and half "normal"
...)students...expected...in homeroom unless... something to do but...
pretty loose... have had to tighten up considerably... Now, students
must be in homeroom (attendance is taken again) unless they have a
written note [for] club/activity...they must be somewhere, not just in
the hall or wandering... during the “students can be anywhere/do
anything they want” approach, the library was an absolute zoo... more
students... than we could handle,... cruise in and out looking for
friends, noise level was the worst... very few were working (or could
work in those circumstances) and the whole experience was devastating...
Some clubs do meet, a few teachers spend time with their homeroom
students and report they are getting to know them during this period,
and one teacher has invited speakers (and students) in during this
period to talk about career options, but most teachers and students seem
to think it is a total joke and a waste of time...

3.
...have been doing 4x4 for 4 years...the problems solve themselves.
Guidance see students during their elective classes.  All clubs meet
after school, always have; and no we do not have an activity bus.  All
teachers are available for 30 minutes after dismissal, this time is even
still considered school time and students need passes to go from one
class to another.

4.
... in our second year of a 4 X 4 block ... Activity Periods A and B.
While A is at lunch, B is in Activity period and vice versa... about 25
minutes.... Clubs meet, counselors meet with students, college reps come
in, etc. during those two times. We also have Channel 1 two times a day
during those times. It seems to work pretty well.

5.
I urge your school to WAIT for at least another year before changing.
One of the problems with educational innovations is that they are
usually not given enough time. Last year was our first year on 4x4
block. We did have some rough times with the groupings, lack of study
time, etc. but are finding that this year,  as the students become more
accustomed to things, they are smoothing out. We are having fewer
disciplary problems. (One thing we noted last year was the the lower
level students had a lot of trouble working cooperatively in gruops
because they were not used to it-however, this year has been much
better.)

6
... "flex block" in the middle of the day... kids can come and go, must
eat lunch, can visit library, guidance, etc.  This is 1st yr and flex
block is a disaster for the librarian [who gets no lunch and bears the
brunt of the workload during this time] ... lunch is congested because
whole school heads down at the same time...

7.
...There is a half hour before school and 10 min after school that are
"study periods"...

8.
... advice on ... a 20-30 minute advisory/study hall/whatever class is
DON'T... [we have] a 3 per. day...Mon &Thu= per. 1,2,3; Tue & Fri =4,5,6
and Wednesdays are 1,2,3,4,5,6.  On 3 period days, classes are 100
minutes...[with] a 25 minute "Advisory" class betwee 1 &2...[no Adv.] on
the 6 period days (classes are 1 hour long then).

Advisory time in the library... was a nightmare.  Nearly every
teacher (we have 70) sent students down to "study...This year...
requiring students who want to come to the library during Advisory ...
get a pass from me [beforehand] so the teachers know they have
permission to come...[now] I only get a few ...  I really don't like
this ... students who need to use the library should be able to come any
time without having prior permission, but it was a self-preservation
move...[also] the time is not being used productively.  Students are in
the halls, the parking lot, down at McDonalds, etc.  Those... staying in
class use the time for... tutoring, make up work, listening to music,
playing cards, snack time, etc... use this time for assemblies, pep
rallies, club meetings, student senate meetings, etc.  Some teachers
LOVE this time because they use it as an additional prep period.  Some
use it as it was intended -- to visit with students, help students with
classwork, & just get to know the kids better ...discussing our schedule
for next year... investigating a 4 period day --4 classes, no
Advisory...

9.
We are also on a 4x4 block... a 25 minute period at mid day that we call
Seminar... opposite lunch... two shifts.  You are either in lunch or
seminar.  The original idea... students would be allowed to:  study, see
other teachers for assistance, go to the Media Center, have club and
organization meetings, and various other productive activities.

[The reality]...Students see this as THEIR FREE TIME and woe be to
anyone who expects them to WORK... some good things... [there’s a  need
to insist] that teachers enforce some common rules...A few teachers...
give passes and then never keep track of their people.  We are...in the
process of forming a group...to establish some better usage guidelines
for the Seminar time.

10.
...in our second year of the block... 94-96 minutes in length... a 30
min. homeroom every week.  Homeroom is rotated so not one block is
interrupted every week.  Students are supposed to meet with
their clubs during that time ...

11.
... on block scheduling since 1992... still have study halls... also
have a lunch period study--we have a 3 period lunch and students have
one lunch mod--about 20 minutes with 2 periods of study hall...[when]
students have time for clubs, extra help, etc. I am not sure that an
entire school on an activity period is such a great idea...

12.
...second year of 4X4 and we love it...We have an activity period of 20
minutes - this is for clubs, etc.  A student may use the library if
he/she is sent by an academic teacher.  This has stoppped the meeting
place atmosphere in the library...

13.
... one hour lunch/activity period from 12 to 1.  The students make
their own decisions about how to use the time.


Hope this "goes" and is not too long...
--
Julie Hulten
East Haven High School
Library and Instructional Resource Center
35 Wheelbarrow Lane
East Haven, CT 06513
203-468-3361  FAX:203-468-3912
jhulten@mail.east-haven.k12.ct.us

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