Block Scheduling Pros and Cons

Not all students are of same intelligence level. Some take longer time to grasp a concept compared to others. While there is a certain speed of learning for every individual, educators and scholars try to come up with innovative methods and ways so that the efficiency of students can be increased to a great extent. This also helps those who're slower in understanding concepts to easily grasp the subject. Block scheduling is another such educational reform that has been adapted by educators to increase the learning potential of students. The importance of education cannot be underestimated and people are trying to constantly come up with ways to better our education system.

Pros and Cons of Block Scheduling

In block scheduling educational system, more emphasis is laid on a student spending more time on a particular subject. For instance, in normal class lectures, it's said that a student only gets 40 to 50 minutes on a subject. However, in block scheduling, the time for each subject is lengthened to 90 minutes. It's said this allows a student to study the same lesson properly for a longer period of time. Nevertheless, the block scheduling debate is an ongoing one and it's difficult to judge if block scheduling is a solution or a problem.

Block Scheduling Advantages
Basically, there are various types of block scheduling. However, most common are the alternate day schedule and the 4 X 4 block. In the alternate day schedule, the students are not required to meet daily, instead they need to go to school every alternate day for longer periods of time. On the other hand, in the 4 X 4 block scheduling, students are allowed to take four classes per semester. For students, it's important to at least complete 8 classes of both types of block scheduling teaching methods in a year. There are various other types of block scheduling methods and even a school can come up with its own method as per the convenience of its students. Here are some advantages of block scheduling:

• More time for the student to study a particular topic. He can assimilate information and concepts easily without getting stressed.
• Less waste of time in transition due to class openings and closings. This helps to prevent the chances of losing focus due to constant change during breaks.
• Students can get time to understand the subject better owing to instructional training and they also get more time to concentrate.
• Teachers can focus on special needs and requirements of children. He or she can concentrate on weak points of the student and help deal with it.
• Less burden of homework on students because they'll have fewer subjects to study daily rather than a heap of assignments per day.
• Better and longer duration of access to science laboratories and libraries.
• More time and creativity to focus on other important aspects of extra curricular activities.
• Block scheduling encourages student interaction and promotes socialization skills.

Block Scheduling Disadvantages
Discussing the merits and demerits of block scheduling would be incomplete if we don't take a look at the other side of the argument. Here are some demerits of block scheduling:

• For a single day's absence, a student will have to take the assignment worth two days home, which can prove to be stressful.
• Due to alternate days and focusing for long time on one subject, subjects such as Maths and foreign language, that require frequent revision, may become difficult to grasp.
• There is lack of well trained teachers for block scheduling training owing to block scheduling being a new system introduced for educational reform.

Whether this is the best educational practice or not is a subjective matter and so, whether you wish to enroll your child based on this educational system is solely your decision to make.