Thanks to everyone who wrote back to me about flexible scheduling & teacher
planning-times:
Erin Smith, Media Specialist
Vandora Springs Elem.
Garner, NC
Here are a couple of ideas we have gathered from schools in NC that provide a
longer planning block for teachers once a month (possibly as a trade-off for
losing a weekly planning time that you cover):
1. Each grade level team is provided a three-hour planning time one afternoon
a month. Each grade level team plans on a different afternoon. The block
spans the last 2 hours of the instructional day and 1 hour after school.
During the two hours that
students are still in school, teacher assistants are pulled from other grades
to cover the classes for the team that is planning.
2. All grade level teams plan at the same time one morning a month. Each
team has 1.5 hours together during the morning. Staff development funds are
used to pay for a team of subs who cover classes throughout the morning in a
rotation: they might
cover gr. 4-5 for the first 1.5 hours; then grs. 2-3 for the next 1.5 hours;
and then k-1 for the last 1.5 hour.
Our teachers have 6 planning periods per week. 2 physical ed, 1 art, 1
music, 2 world language.
In our system we have an advantage; library is not considered a planning time.
Music, Art and PE are all planning times. The schedules are worked so you have
at least one planning time per day of at least 30 minutes. Other days you have
an hour. This was in place when I started her 17 years ago, so I don't know
how it came about. It does give you something to start discussion with with.
It is mandated in the state of NJ that children receive instruction in a
second language. In my school, it is Spanish but it can be in any
language other than English.
I hope you will post the useful replies because this is a common problem. My
county encourages flexible scheduling, but my school is one that does not do
it. The county does require that teachers stay with the class during library,
unlike the othr
specials. It is sort of an unwritten rule that teachers can take a little
time while I am reading to the students or whatever to run to the bathroom,
make a few copies or an emergency phone call, though. My primary function
seems to be so that every
teacher gets a bathroom break every day....
Generally, it works out that they have at least one 30 minutes period a day.
Occasionally, because of scheduling, a teacher may not have a planning period
one
day a week. Our county also gives us a early release on Wednesday afternoons
for
planning. A lot of our planning is done collaboratively, unfortunately not
with me
that much, for we are a team teaching school. So, meeting and planning takes
up a
great deal of our time and effort.
The PE and music classes are 30 minutes and Art is 60 minutes. For example
Ms Haynes
4th grade has Music and PE on Monday, Art on Tuesday, PE on Wednesday, Music on
Thursday, PE on Friday. The length and times that PE, music and art meet is a
standard set by the school board. All times are between 9 and 10 in the
morning.
Does this help?
One way is to have the art, music, and PE staff do a rotation of 3-5 days
where classes are mixed. I'm still in the rotation for some of the classes
but not all of them. See the schedule below.
7:45-8:30 outclass planning time
8:30-9:15 3A
9:15-10:00 3B
10:05-10:50 5A
10:50-11:35 5B
11:40-12:10 lunch
12:15-12:40 2nd
12:40-1:05 K
1:10-1:35 1st
1:40-2:25 4A
2:25-3:10 4B
Thursdays Schedule:
8:20-9:30 3rd group exercise
9:30-10:40 5th group exercise
10:40-11:40 outclass planning time
11:40-12:10 lunch
12:15-12:40 regular 2nd class
12:40-1:05 regular K class
1:10-1:35 regular 1st class
1:40-2:00 tutoring/mentoring
2:00-3:10 4th group exercise
I am in an elementary school, Pre-K -- 5th, serving 55 classes on a bi-weekly
flexible schedule. Our teachers are supposed to stay with their class while
they are in the library, but of course, there are many who choose to "slip out
for a minute" and not return until the 45 minute period is over, so these
aren't missing any prep-time at all. But, our teachers have a 45 minute
planning
period daily anyways, while the students are at P.E., and they have music for
30 minutes a week and art for 60 minutes a week, so they have planning time
then. I would LOVE for my teachers to collaborate with me more so that their
students would get more out of our wonderful library than they are getting by
just learning the isolated library skills the teachers want them to learn.
Vent, vent, vent...sorry! :)
Hi,
One way we provided additional planning time was to have a 4th and 5th gd.
chorus (manditory participation) and that provided common planning time
for both grades with one 45 min. time block. One classroom teacher helped
the music teacher (providing crowd control etc.) on a rotating basis.
I have found that when having flexible access to information is a priority
of the principalthey find ways to provide it. One school I was in I
provided a Fri. afternoon film festival block. I booked films that
provided instructional follow-up applications for a grade span and had two
sessions one K-2 nd the other 3-5. Again it gave productive activity for
large group of students with minimal need for staff involvement. Read alouds
could be used in place of films (these days DVD's or videos).
Hi, my name is Lacreta Carr. I am the Librarian at China Spring Intermediate
in China Spring TX. Our teacher's planning period comes at their Specials
time (It is a rotation between PE, Music, Art, and Computer). At my school
each teacher has a 15
minute scheduled check in/out time weekly, but students go and come all day.
All the students need is a pass from their teacher. Hope this helps.
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