The Math Immersion intervention was designed to aid the transition-to-proof phase of the undergraduate mathematics major. The Immersion was co-taught by two instructors, one for Intro to Proofs and Abstract Algebra and another for Probability and Statistics and Linear Algebra. This case study documented that efficiency gains directly attributable…

Arizona continues to implement the 4-hour ELD block despite opposition and concerns regarding is appropriateness and effectiveness. Research using state and national assessments show that English language learners continue to fall behind their English proficient peers in reading achievement even after the implementation of the 4-hour ELD block. In…

The type of schedule configuration employed by a school directly impacts engagement and outcomes for high school band students. Research indicates unique benefits and obstacles in block, hybrid, and traditional schedule configurations. While much research on high school band has examined achievement, participation, and instruction, there is a…

The objective of this study was to investigate whether the class scheduling of Nature and Biology classes in blocks results in better learning success for primary school students, and whether this depends on the average student success rate (i.e., student performance categories), age, or prior knowledge. For this study, we have assumed that block…

Primary school teachers need adequate professional knowledge and motivational orientations to qualify scientifically and technologically literate students. Previous studies have focused on the impact of coursework on (pre-service) primary teachers' content knowledge, rather than on the development of academic self-concepts. In addition, the…

Double-block instruction has become a popular strategy for supporting struggling mathematics students in algebra I. Despite its widespread adoption, little consistent evidence supports the attributes of a successful double-block design or the effectiveness of this instructional strategy. In this study, the authors examine a pilot implementation of…

The middle school concept, aimed at creating a more developmentally responsive learning environment for young adolescents, gained a stronghold in the later part of the 20th century. Proponents of this concept have argued continually for the holistic implementation of its six key characteristics if its benefits are to be realized. These…

Increasing knowledge integration has gained wide-spread support as an important goal in engineering education. The Chemical Engineering Pillars curriculum at the University of Pittsburgh, unique for its use of block scheduling, is one of the first four-year, integrated curricula in engineering, and is specifically designed to facilitate knowledge…

As high schools have struggled to increase the academic performance of their students to meet state and national guidelines, all aspects of the schools' operations have been reviewed. This includes the type of schedule, block or traditional, used by the school. This study was a comparison of teacher attitudes and teaching strategies between two…

The number of public high schools implementing a semester 4 x 4 block scheduling design within the state of South Carolina has tripled since 2005. However, minimal local research has been conducted regarding the impact of block scheduling on student academic achievement. The purpose of this study was to determine if significant differences exist…

Significant attention and resources have been focused on reforming high schools to enhance graduation rates. The research literature supports the following practices: (1) For struggling students, accurate identification and intensive instructional, monitoring, and counseling support; (2) For 9th graders, transition activities, personalization, and…

This paper presents the results of an experiment conducted to assess the affects of teaching recursion in two disjoint, non-consecutive units of instruction. One group of students was taught basic and advanced recursion topics in four consecutive class periods, while a second group was taught recursion in two two-period blocks that were separated…

Describes an action research project on block scheduling undertaken in Seattle/Puget Sound area high schools. Notes how block scheduling challenges conventional high school structures. Identifies nine key elements of a new model of high school and high school teaching encouraged by block period structures. (SR)

Offers suggestions for developing creative instructional approaches in time-blocked classes. Teachers should continuously engage students in active learning, include group activities to encourage student participation, incorporate activities addressing multiple intelligences, use creative thinking activities, move outside the classroom, employ…

As forms of school restructuring sweep the nation, teachers are interested in how block scheduling will influence their models of professional development. This report examines the effects of a high school's transition from a traditional to a hybrid schedule--three traditional and two block classes each day--on science teaching and learning.…