This spring, I was given the annual challenge of team schedule writing. My task consisted of filling in the blanks that remained on a grid. "Specials" (art, physical education, foreign language, etc.) were already in place; the rest was up to me.
As a teacher of both English and social studies, I used to fill in schedules with separate blocks for each content. Fortunately, those days have long since passed. Now, like some of my colleagues, I enter only hybrid LASS classes onto the grid. I moved toward that approach several years ago in an attempt to have a more integrated approach to learning. In short, my schedule matched my priority.
Thus, a schedule filled with LASS blocks is nothing new. The big difference in recent years is how those LASS blocks are being used by me and by students. The majority of the blocks serve as work sessions, during which students proceed through Learning Targets at their own pace. They even have some choice as to which content to tackle in a given class, sometimes writing, sometimes reading, sometimes working on maps or projects. These blocks are easy to plug in as they really can occur at any point in the school day, though mornings tend to be more productive than afternoons for many kids. The blocks also added considerable flexibility as I could always interject with a whole class or small group mini lesson or redirection if needed. All of these features matched my priorities at the time.
However, this year I'm adding something new to the mix. What I found last year was that I was at times too reluctant to upset the work session apple cart, neglecting opportunities for small and large group instruction in defense of individual engagement. It simply always seemed like there were a different few students on a major roll, and I just didn't want to hinder their progress. Don't get me wrong, there was plenty of collaboration going on in the classroom. Yet, it was more haphazard than a professional approach would seem to require. With this in mind, I am changing the way LASS blocks will be used next year. True, most blocks will remain as work sessions, a requirement for students to freely engage content. Students need plenty of time as they work through content in the ebbs and flows of their development. Yet, next year I am scheduling a couple mini lessons each week and one student led lit meeting each week. By being up front with students that these activities are built into the regular schedule, there shouldn't be much disruption to student learning. The routine should prove helpful for me as well as I won't have to justify taking the time for these learning activities. Also, I am keeping these blocks to a minimum. There is value in small group literature meetings and whole class direct instruction, but they should not be the dominating features of the customized classroom where most student-teacher interactions of targeted with pinpoint accuracy on the specific needs of individual students.
My priority for next year's program is to make use of a broader range of instructional strategies in an attempt to meet even more of my students' needs. I'm pleased to say that my schedule matches this priority.
