Meet Me in the Middle: Chapter 9

Chapter nine discussed the benefits of block scheduling versus traditional class period lengths. The block scheduling format is not only helpful for teachers in that they are more inclined to vary instruction and spend adequate amounts of time on different subject material, but it's helpful for students- the author mentions the students that 'are invisible in traditional scheduling' because they require additional attention from the teacher. The chapter also discusses other considerations, such as how to deal with missing work and absenteeism, other methods of instruction (such as guests, extended simulations or activities, activities that build on developed skills each week, etc), and what block scheduling can do for professional relationships with other teachers.

I found this chapter interesting because I experienced block scheduling in my middle school, high school, and in Mount Blue when I did practicum, and each method was different. The one I was used to from Gorham school districts were a Monday, Tuesday, Friday periods 1-7 traditional school day. On Wednesdays periods 1,3,5, and 6 met, and on Thursday were periods 2,4,5, and 7. The method that Mount Blue used was an alternate day, where certain class periods were scheduled as a color (blue or gold), and Monday, Wednesday, Fridays were one color, and Tuesdays and Thursdays were the other, with the color switching the next week. The method they described in the book was unlike any of the other ones I'd ever seen. On the subject of block scheduling as a whole, I found it both incredibly helpful and annoying, all at the same time. For me, especially Math blocks, block schedules were created to torture me. I found that the extended period of studying a subject that I was abysmal at discouraged me even more, and I found that when I had math class during period 5, which met every day rather than having a block, made learning a little more bearable and easy.