A BRIEF GUIDE Teaching in the Extended Block

Questions What did you like most about teaching a 40 minute instructional period? What did you like least about teaching in this period of time? Think about a typical lesson in your class this year (or the most common format). Break down in minutes how much time you devoted to each activity (homework review, lecture, etc.)

The Longer Block A longer block of time is not necessarily a better instructional block of time. A longer block does allow you to create a more active learning environment The active instructional block has been shown again and again to make a large difference educationally (Hattie, Marzano, ISM) There are drawbacks to the extended block, just as there were with the 40 minute block The key to success is designing lessons in which students are actively engaged

Active Engagement Constant Momentum or Flow Constant momentum  Activities in the class change before students lose motivation  Students feel the rush of time  Although students change tasks multiple times in a class there is always a clear structure  Switch between teacher-centered, group-centered, and individually focused Flow  Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s idea  Students are engaged in an activity so much they actually lose track of time  Examples: A mock trial, painting an oil portrait, a project to build a rocket  Many of you may have experienced this in Winterim

Flow Think of a class you have taught in which all the students experienced “flow”  What, in your opinion, led to this sensation? What made the lesson successful? Csikszentmihalyi’s idea of what creates flow  Skill level and level of challenge are matched  Challenge is neither too hard or too easy  Both have to be at a high level otherwise it leads to apathy  Clear goal or objective  Regular feedback as to success and failure at task so that the participant can adjust  Feeling of personal control or personal involvement  Intrinsically rewarding

Constant Momentum There is a sense of urgency in the classroom  Not frantic but rather pressed for time Multiple activities in a class period All activities have a clear structure and definite objective. Students know what they are meant to achieve.  Students should “know the routine”~ Students know what is expected in cooperative groups or individual work The focus of work alternates between teacher centered, working in groups, and individual work

Sample Grabber/Anticipatory Set (5 minutes)  Writing prompt, brain teaser, additional homework problem, etc  Always related to the work to be done or just done Establish objectives/purpose for the class (2 minutes) Homework review and link/connect (8 minutes) Short presentation by teacher on new information (1o minutes)  Remember time span is equivalent to age (at best) Individual work on set of questions/problems related to presentation (10 minutes) Cooperative groups building upon individual work (25 minutes) Whole class discussion (1o minutes) Teacher wrap up and homework assigned (5 minutes)

Question Think of a time that you tried to use cooperative group learning in your classroom and it failed. Why do you think it failed?

Cooperative vs Group Work Group work puts students in groups but does not provide an effective structure for students to feel successful. Cooperative Learning  Individual accountability  Interdependence  Clear structure and routines/roles  Examples: Jigsaw, STAD When to use cooperative learning  A task is complex or a “real” problem needs to be solved  Creativity or higher-level reasoning is required  Multiple perspectives are being studied  There are obvious different tasks or responsibilities  Positive interpersonal relationships is a goal of instruction or will aid in the learning

Common Mistakes in Teaching in an Extended Block Combine two former shorter lesson into one “new” lesson Need to provide a break mid-way through Divide the class into different instructional groups and teach one group while the other group just does homework or work for another class See the last ten ten to fifteen minutes as homework time  Does not mean that you cannot structure effective use of homework completion at the end of class Put students in groups and expect them to work well Think that 75 minutes provides the time to more leisurely address a previous 40 minute lesson

Thinking about a modular block The module should be a complete instructional unit.  Closure on concepts and skills  Assessment of mastery  Avoid dangling or unresolved topics  This does not mean a major topic or book could not span two modules

Resources Check out the books in the library as well as the web resources Sara identified