I once taught at a high school with the block schedule. This was the 4x4 block. Kids had four 90 minute classes a day for 9 weeks. There were four 9 week sessions a year. Thus the four by four name.
Now- I can anticipate the response of many who would say that ADHD kids can’t sit still that long! Few kids can, actually. But the school did it the right way. It was teacher researched, and teachers voted on the issue. Teachers were trained in NOT lecturing. Classes were made to be mini classes, a variety of activities that drove home the same point. Nobody sat still for 90 minutes unless they were watching a movie. Now I teach art, which is always active, but all of the subject matter teachers learned to do it. Everyone liked it, kids adults and parents. Only the guidance people went a little nutty trying to work out the schedule.
What advantage would this have for ADHD high school kids?
Homework for only 4 classes a night.
change classes three times a day. they could only be late to class 3 times a day instead of six or seven.
Keep track of books and calculators and stuff for 4 different classes instead of 6-8.
I had to teach 3 different classes a day, but I had a 90 minute plan every day. I had to learn the names and keep track of the progress of 3 classes of kids instead of 5 classes. Since I am ADHD (inattentive) myself, I found it more manageable to concentrate on fewer kids at a time, and I wonder if it would help ADHD students to have fewer classes at a time just going at a faster pace.
I have this insane thought of the perfect charter school for ADHD students (and teachers?).
I wonder if any studies have been done on this combination of topics? What sorts of scheduling helps ADHD kids the most?
Re: Block Scheduling
My son’s middle school uses block scheduling, this year has been pretty good so far, he is on a small team so he has only 2 core teachers, one teaches ss and la, the other math and science. He only has one class per these teachers per day and his other two classes are pe and art(at least this semester). Somehow he usually only has hard homework in one class per night, so it has actually been easier than 5th grade(he’s in 7th). His science class has labs at least once a week, and he really likes ss so the day isn’t necessarily filled with lecturing. He also lucked out with really good teachers. One advantage I have found here in Germany with regards to ss is that most of the dodds teachers take the opportunity to travel, so they are more interesting when they talk about places, because they have actually been there. In addition to lots of kids having been to new places too. Anyway, I see block scheduling being done in a good way, so I support it. You have to think about it too with the 50 minute classes, probably only 35 to 40 minutes are actually being used to instruct, the rest is for sitting, settling in, taking roll, then at the end of class, the kids are trying to gather up their stuff, turn in work,etc. I think that argues for an 85-90 minute class. Works for us anyway.
Re: Block Scheduling
Thanks, both of you for the feedback. I wonder how people feel about getting their kids in a school that teaches in an ADHD friendly way, instead of being mainstreamed, and rubbing shoulders with those that are & aren’t accepting of them?
Re: Block Scheduling
Judging from this board, people would be very eager to find a school that works to accept their children as they are and plan for them accordingly. Too often in schools we attempt to fit all children to the same mold.
Don’t think about such a school as not being mainstreamed. Think about it as offering customized schooling. You’ll find more families than just those with ADHD find their way to your door if you can customize school to meet a child’s needs.
Re: Block Scheduling
I just wanted to relate my experience with my son. My son is dyslexic and although never formally diagnosed with ADD, he has many characteristics of ADD. (Definitely NOT ADHD though). He was very able to sustain attention for very long times for things that interested him, but a very short attention span for things that didn’t (especially verbal instructions/lectures), and a hard time with transitions.
He went to an public magnet high school with a program that included block scheduling. At his school there were 3 blocks each day, with the classes alternating. Each block was about 70-80 minutes long. The classes would be #1, #3, #5 on one day, then #2, #4, #6 the next.
He did really well in this environment. The school is a part of the Coalition of Essential Schools movement, and curriculum was structured according to their principles - more information is here: http://www.essentialschools.org/
Classes involved a lot of project-based learning and socratic seminars — so there was a lot of participation and give-and-take in class.
He did very well in high school and is a freshman in college now.
I really can’t relate my son’s experience to anyone else, but I do think that the longer classes were good for my son. My son kind of takes a while to “warm up” to a new situation, and then once he’s involved, it can be hard for him to leave. One of the things in regular school that caused big problems for him were the short periods and frequent transitions from one subject to the next. With the block scheduling he had a longer time to settle in to each class, and only 3 classes to worry about each day.
It’s not about scheduling so much as it’s about the class itself. The kind of classes you’re describing - varied activities, no lecturing, nobody sitting still - would be great for ADD/ADHD kids.
In my sad experience, though, block scheduling hasn’t accomplished the miracle that it has in your school. Most teachers I see are still lecturing through those long 90 minute blocks and thus block scheduling is hard on the ADHD kids and everybody else as well.
I find my ADHD kids do best - just as you say - when there are mini lessons in the lesson - when movement is allowed - when the class is lively and moves at a quick pace that holds their attention and makes the time go fast.
If you’re teaching that way, block or not, it helps these kids. And if you open a charter school, block or not, with all its teachers teaching that way, you’d do these kids and others a service.
Good luck.