<p>So basically, I've always been wondering as a NON-BLOCK student, how much homework a school with block scheduling receives, and how Block schools are at an advantage or disadvantage. I know for a fact that many of the schools in NC are on block besides Chapel Hill Schools, and I kind of like the idea of a block schedule. I like a fast-paced class, and having only 4 periods a day seems so awesome. I hate having 7 periods that are 50 minutes long, and then having a lot of homework in each class. If you have a block schedule, it seems like you'd have less homework. You change classes though, every quarter I believe, and the only downfall I could see is not remembering what you learned previously for AP Exams and such stuff like that.</p>
<p>I was just wondering what your take is on block schedules versus non-block schedules and how you guys feel about it. Also, say what schedule your school uses and say how that is compared to what you would like. It can be something totally different from block or non-block. I feel like a teacher asking for journal entries like in English, but this has become a topic I've wanted to talk and debate about ever since I started high school. :D</p>
<p>I have block schedule Wed/Thurs, regular M T F. It drags on like a ■■■■ in boring classes on Wed/Thurs. I don’t even know why we have it like that.</p>
<p>I kind of wish I had block except the nearest block school starts at 7AM and gets out at 2, I could never do that on my current sleep schedule, haha.</p>
<p>I used to go to an 8 hour school day, and we had 10 class periods (like 45-ish minutes each? too lazy to calculate…)
Now I go to a 4 period school of 120 minutes each.</p>
<p>We get about 45 minutes - 1 hour per subject a night. Usually it’s only 30 minutes for most subjects, and 1 hour for math (1.5 max). So if you only have 4 classes, you only have like an hour and a half of homework.</p>
<p>I know lots of non-block schedules get about 45+ minutes of homework per subject a night, so that’s like 4 hours o.O</p>
<p>It stinks if you miss a day (or several days) in a row though.</p>
<p>I have seven classes, the homework isn’t bad, but I’m a sophomore who procrastinates to the max. Next year is going to be hell, but hopefully hell with a 4.0 GPA, because I’m nowhere close this year. :</p>
<p>^^ yup. but i went to a jewish day school with hebrew and other jewish subjects. but the english and science programs were KILLERS.</p>
<p>The english program literally taught us all up to AP level english classes (7+8 grade). In science, a trimester of physics in middle school took us 2 trimesters to learn in high school. same with chemistry and biology.</p>
<p>i HATE block schedule, it just makes the bad classes worse, and even the good classes drag ooooooooonnnnnnnn. but I only have 5 classes (excluding lunch) 54 minutes each. We have non-block schedule but we do have it for a few weeks when standardized testing is going on.</p>
<p>My school also operates on a 3-day traditional 2-day block schedule, where on Wednesdays we only go to periods 1, 3, and 5 and Thursdays only period 2, 4, and 6.</p>
<p>I like it because it allows you more time for homework and also allots you a break from the horrendous monotony of having each class for 5 days. However, what I don’t like is that block classes are 90 minutes long each, which can seem like an ETERNITY.</p>
<p>The benefits outweigh the drawbacks, though. So I’d rather have a block schedule with 2 days of long classes than no block at all.</p>
<p>^^ yeah, when we have block schedule we usually sit around for the last 30 minutes but probably because they’re not used to it. I would assume if everyday was block schedule the teachers would fill up all the time.</p>
<p>We do something where we have 4 90 minute classes one day and then four different 90 minute classes the next day. The miserable classes drag on forever, but you only have them every other day, so it’s not so bad. Personally, I love the block schedule, but I’d hate it if we had the same four, 90 minute classes EVERY SINGLE DAY.</p>
<p>^^ they do fill up the time. sometimes math class goes by really fast, some time it’s FOREVER!</p>
<p>You have a longer time to complete test though- so I guess the test could be longer too… which is a yay or nay depending on how you look at it.</p>
<p>
If they give you the homework at the beginning, yes. In math, I have a homework sheet with all the homework due in the next month. so lots of people start homework then.</p>
<p>Ideally, that’s what would happen. What actually happens is that because most students aren’t actually capable of learning twice the normal material in one day(since they need to understand previous concepts before you build on those concepts), teachers end up assigning even more homework so students can practice and learn the material at home to make up for the fact that they didn’t learn half of the material they should have during school.</p>
<p>I go to a school in NC with block scheduling, and the thing I like least about it is that most students can’t handle taking a class at twice the normal speed, so we seem to not accomplish as much. The only high school class I’ve taken without block scheduling was geometry in 8th grade, and we ended up covering way more material than the average high school geometry class(at my school). Ideally, my school would have 5 classes per day and the set of 5 classes every day would be the 5 that you didn’t have the day before.</p>
<p>We also change classes every semester, not every quarter.</p>
<p>I think you could almost argue that block scheduling is great for classes like Literature, where having a block schedule allows you to really delve deeply into certain things. It’s a lot easier to discuss, in depth, the symbolism in a chapter of a novel in one class of a block schedule than it is to take two of a normal–less breaking up of the material, it makes it easier to make connections. Then there are classes like chemistry where there’s just a limit to what you can learn so it ends up that we spend half the class learning something and half doing homework where we can ask her questions, which is actually a good thing if you think about it…</p>
<p>Well, I’ve had both schedules (went to two different high schools) and I have to say block scheduling is MUCH better - for me at least Idk, I guess it works well for students who can focus for an hour and a half (which a lot of kids at my school can’t do :p). What I really like about it is that if you don’t like a class or a teacher, then you at least know that you’ll get it over with in one semester instead of going all year!</p>
<p>Also, it allows kids to “double up” which, idk if you’re familiar with it, means you can take 2 science, math, spanish, whatever classes in one year because if one is a pre-req for another, then you take that one first semester, and the other class second </p>
<p>:/ Although my school is changing from block to normal scheduling next year which the entire school hates and has argued against it (even some of the teachers) but the administration doesn’t seem to care (Also, it takes away doubling up which practically makes it impossible for kids to get in the pre-reqs for AP and IB classes)</p>
<p>As a non-block scheduler, I’d really like block-scheduling. Not only can you have more classes during the year, you also have less homework (ideally as stated above).</p>
<p>I would’ve liked to take this year:</p>
<p>Pre-cal, AP Eng Lang, AP Chem, Physics, APUSH, Spanish 4, Latin 3, AP Comp Sci</p>
<p>But I couldn’t take the languages because there weren’t enough periods.</p>
<p>That was the most amazing quarter of my high school life.
It’s a little different for us, I guess, because we were just trying it out for a quarter so we had our regular schedule classes split up and nearly everyone had one free period a day (or two long free periods in one day and none the next). Really, that’s a waste of time, but it was so amazing for getting work done.
It was way less stressful than an 8-period day with six actual classes.
It was hard to adjust to in the beginning, but about halfway through or so we learned how to manage our time better.
…I miss it. It’s not very good to go back to the regular schedule with all the daily work for a 4th quarter senior after a relaxed 3rd quarter.</p>
<p>Aaand they’re planning on bringing it back all year next year, but there are still issues they need to work out and since we’re leaving by then, we just pick out the flaws and laugh at the underclassmen. =P</p>
Idk, I guess it works well for students who can focus for an hour and a half (which a lot of kids at my school can’t do :p). What I really like about it is that if you don’t like a class or a teacher, then you at least know that you’ll get it over with in one semester instead of going all year!</p>
</p>
(Also, it takes away doubling up which practically makes it impossible for kids to get in the pre-reqs for AP and IB classes)</p>