Scheduling 3.0: Our Playbook on Delaying School Start Times
August 01, 2024
Appears in August 2024: School Administrator.
A suburban Philadelphia district enters its fourth year, having surmounted hurdles, to deliver a flexible, personalized learning approach
Times of chaos and turbulence often inspire innovation. The pandemic, which had a profoundly negative impact on our school community in suburban Philadelphia, also created opportunities and quickened the pace of existing initiatives.
For several years, the Garnet Valley School District explored delaying the daily start time for our secondary school students while expanding the use of blended learning models. As COVID-19 forced the district into virtual learning, our integration of blended learning — asynchronous, synchronous and hybrid learning — took shape significantly and quickly as did our teachers’ expertise and our students’ comfort with these learning formats.
Additionally, as students learned from home, the traditional windows of time dedicated to arrival and dismissal were no longer necessary. Consequently, students started their school day later and completed their classwork at times that fit their individual needs and learning styles.
Amidst this backdrop of transformation, Garnet Valley stood at a crossroads, poised to navigate unprecedented challenges with innovative solutions.
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Our Approach to Asynchronous Blended Classwork
By Stephen Brandt
Prior
to the global pandemic, the Garnet Valley School District already had embarked on a study of its instructional models and practices at the high school level. We had reviewed the abundance of adolescent sleep research while considering progressive strategies
and digital platforms, open educational resources, 1:1 laptop initiatives and more.
The district, serving 4,500 students in a suburb of Philadelphia, always prided itself on exploring instructional practices that were progressive and innovative and searched for approaches to education that promoted personalization, flexibility and rigor for students.
In March 2020, schools were thrown into a state of uncertainty and constant flux. With the world in isolation and quarantine, the realm of education had to pivot. Garnet Valley had started to position itself before closing schools. We saw how the elements of time, place and pace no longer were fixed notions through technology and digital platforms. Remote instruction delivered unrestrictive flexibility.
As a district, we had to reassess our delivery.
Enriched Assignments
We opted for asynchronous blended classwork, or what we referred to as ABC, for student learning access, while providing greater flexibility over time, place, pace and path.
In its simplest form, ABC requires students to complete work, outside of the traditional classroom structure, that is designed to enhance directly their classroom experience and provide teachers with better options for personalizing instruction. ABC assignments extend, enrich and supplement students’ learning while maximizing face-to-face instructional time.
Over time, our ABC model has evolved. We moved away from daily time allocation requirements and moved to an allocation of ABC hours embedded in each course. We believe this allows for more authentic activities rather than teachers assigning “busy work” to fulfill a time requirement.
In addition, we have come to distinguish ABC from homework through the following lens. Traditional homework is designed to reinforce the learning of the day, typically through practice problems, questions to be answered, etc. ABC focuses on the delivery of content and/or its application to various contexts.
A prime example would be the use of a flipped classroom model, with students viewing outside of traditional, face-to-face class time a lecture or tutorial video on new content or foundational concepts, thus allowing more class time for guided and individual practice, exploration or application.
Beyond Limits
The innovation of asynchronous blended classwork allows us to meet the instructional needs of our students by leveraging innovative methods that move us from a more traditional classroom experience. As a result, we are better preparing our students for their future — one without walls and time constraints.
Stephen Brandt is the principal of Garnet Valley High School in Glen Mills, Pa.
Supporting Excellence in a Flexible Learning Environment
By Samuel Mormando
Our school district’s journey to embrace flexible learning environments presented a unique opportunity. It was a chance not only to rethink our approach to instruction but to fundamentally transform the learning experience for our students.
Our teams dedicated themselves to reimagining course design, curriculum cycles and professional learning to make our education system more adaptable and responsive to our students’ needs. Here’s a concise overview of our approach.
Step 1: We initiated the Effectively Designed Instruction Professional Learning Framework, focusing on four main areas to enhance teaching effectiveness across all modalities:
Building interaction: Creating dynamic, engaging classrooms where all students feel involved.
Designing experiences: Crafting memorable learning journeys beyond conventional methods.
Presenting content: Delivering content innovatively to capture attention and enhance learning.
Accessibility and inclusion: Guaranteeing equitable learning for every student, regardless of their background.
EDI champions the diversity of learning needs, pushing for innovation, adaptability and continuous improvement in teaching to realize every student’s potential.
Step 2: We centered our curriculum development strategy on engaging lesson designs and a research-based backward design model. This ensures our curriculum is relevant, engaging and aligned with educational goals, making each lesson a vital part of a cohesive learning experience.
Step 3: We committed to adopting open educational resources, allowing us to provide flexible, quality materials tailored to diverse student needs. By adopting OER, our teachers can personalize learning experiences and ensure our students find relevance and connection in their studies. Our approach to selecting OER is guided by several principles:
Offering diverse perspectives to help students see themselves and others in the curriculum, which promotes empathy and understanding.
Encouraging critical thinking by exposing students to multiple viewpoints and teaching them how to engage with complex topics thoughtfully.
Selecting age-appropriate materials and providing the necessary context for respectful, informed discussions on challenging subjects.
Collaborating with colleagues and supervisors to align materials with our curricular goals, existing systems and resources.
Step 4: We moved our courses to a digital format in our learning management system, making education more accessible and engaging. Our digitization process supports various learning preferences and schedules and offers interactive content to engage students. It also enables personalized learning paths, allowing teachers to adjust instruction to meet individual needs.
Samuel Mormando is director of technology, innovation and online learning for the Garnet Valley School District in Glen Mills, Pa. He is the author of Effectively Designed Instruction and Navigating the AI Revolution in Our Schools.
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