Strategies and Best Practices for Teaching in the Long Block - Chris Edler, Northfield Mount Hermon
For a variety of good reasons, many schools have moved to incorporating longer class blocks into their daily and weekly academic schedules. Whether you are teaching in a hybrid schedule combining longer and shorter blocks or one that is exclusively longer blocks with fewer class meetings, there are a number of successful models both within ESA schools and beyond. This workshop will explore both the techniques for moving an existing course to a longer block schedule as well as reimagining one’s course to take advantage of fewer and/or longer meetings. Topics likely to be addressed include blended learning, project-based learning, flipped classrooms, “twenty-percent” days, rethinking homework, and other creative activities that empower teachers to vary the flow and pace of a course. Attendees will be encouraged to work on their own course redesign or modification if they are in a position to do so.
For a variety of good reasons, many schools have moved to incorporating longer class blocks into their daily and weekly academic schedules. Whether you are teaching in a hybrid schedule combining longer and shorter blocks or one that is exclusively longer blocks with fewer class meetings, there are a number of successful models both within ESA schools and beyond. This workshop will explore both the techniques for moving an existing course to a longer block schedule as well as reimagining one’s course to take advantage of fewer and/or longer meetings. Topics likely to be addressed include blended learning, project-based learning, flipped classrooms, “twenty-percent” days, rethinking homework, and other creative activities that empower teachers to vary the flow and pace of a course. Attendees will be encouraged to work on their own course redesign or modification if they are in a position to do so.