To Block or Not To Block: That's Not the Question

Abstract

Abstract The block schedule emerged in the late 1980s as one structuring practice that allowed educators to address several problems associated with the traditional high school schedule. Among its posited advantages is the opportunity for teachers to engage students in active teaching strategies that require more time than the traditional schedule allows. Research on the use of teaching strategies in traditional and block schedule high schools is limited. Similarities and differences in survey responses of more than 2,000 teachers working in traditional- and block-schedule schools were described and analyzed in this study. In general, few differences were evident in opinions about level of use, appropriateness, and training for a variety of instruction approaches. Key Words: block schedulinginstructional methodsstatewide survey