oakwoodschool.org/newschedule
Oakwood Secondary School s new schedule is the culmination of over four years of deliberate study by faculty and administration. The new schedule, a trimester block model, arose from our ongoing exploration of these key questions: How can we better organize teaching and learning at Oakwood to support and align with the constructivist and progressive philosophy upon which our school is based? How can our schedule help to support students meeting our defined learning outcomes for the program of study critical and analytical thinking, creative problem solving, applied learning in new contexts, etc.? What classroom experiences will best lead to these outcomes? We believe the result is the best answer to these complex questions. The new schedule has everyone focusing on fewer things at any given time, engaged in more immersive, longer learning experiences, and establishing a more manageable and natural rhythm to the learning process. We are proud of the amazing work of our faculty and administration in proposing, preparing for, and implementing this change one that we truly believe will make the lives of every member of the Oakwood School even better. Can our schedule better hold the balance set out in our Statement of Philosophy to be college preparatory, but equally concerned with the quality of children s experiences in the present? David A. Frankenberg Principal William Perkins-Tift Secondary School Academic Dean Susan Schechtman Middle School Principal
Sample Schedule Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday 9:45-55 Advisor Check-In 10:00 10:40 Town Meeting 9:50 11:00 10:10 10:50 Activity Club 9:50 11:00 9:45 10:20 Advisory 10:55 12:05 11:15 12:25 10:55 12:05 11:15 12:25 10:55 12:05 12:05 12:55 12:25 1:15 12:05 12:55 12:25 1:15 12:05 12:55 1:00 2:10 1:20 2:30 1:00 2:10 1:20 2:30 1:00 2:10 2:20 3:30 2:30 3:00 3:00 Faculty/Dept. Meetings 2:20 3:30 2:30 3:00 3:00 Faculty/Dept. Meetings 2:20 3:30
School Start Time (8:30am) Over the last couple of years, Oakwood has been engaged with Stanford s Challenge Success program which looks at student experience and wellbeing. We were concerned about the amount of sleep that students are getting, and decided to start the school day a half-hour later to provide students a little more rest. Certainly expectations at home, consistent schedules and workload are also part of the sleep equation, but the start time seemed to us a good place to start, without too much of an impact on after-school activities. Blocks All class blocks are a full 70 minutes. This allows students to learn in multiple modalities in a single class, and to really delve into a subject for a sustained amount of time. Increasing the length of individual class times is a core aspect of the new schedule, as it allows teachers the space to teach in diverse ways and for students to truly grapple with concepts. Teachers will be able to give more individual attention to each student. Research points to longer periods, or blocks, as producing a greater depth of understanding for students and a better rate of retention of core concepts. Students will learn better and remember that learning for longer. It also serves to reduce the sometimes frenetic pace of the day that students and teachers experience under our current 40-minute period schedule. Between-Class Transitions Another way that we are working to address the pace of the day is to provide a bit more time between academic classes. Whenever two classes are backto-back in the new schedule, students will have 10 minutes to make the transition to the next class. This also allows for a student to ask their teacher any lingering question after class, for teachers to get labs or simulations setup for the next class, and for students to stop by their locker before they head across campus to their next class. Class Rotations In any given trimester, high school students will be enrolled in a maximum of 5 courses. Each of these courses meets for 70-minute blocks four times each week. This means that a student will never have more than four academic classes at any given time through the school year, and on any given day will go to four classes in total. This does several key things to support better learning. First, it reduces the total number of things on a student s plate at a given time. Students can give each of their classes more focus. Second, the longer periods, or blocks, allow for a more immersive learning environment, one in which teachers can vary their instruction and provide more small group and individual support, students can grapple with and apply concepts, and the labs, simulations, debates, and inquiry-driven classes that bring subjects to life for students can thrive. Research points to a greater depth of understanding and to better rates of retention for students who learn in blocks versus our current 40-minute period schedule. Finally, since students will be preparing for four classes on any given day, the workload outside of school will be more manageable and humane. In shifting our year-long course offerings to ones offered in two out of three trimesters, teachers have redesigned curriculum to build gradually and reinforce key underlying skills and concepts throughout the course of study, and to emphasize depth of understanding of breadth of coverage. It allows more of the very type of learning that Oakwood s philosophy sets out as our charge.
Advisor Check-In (Mondays 9:45-9:55) Every student is assigned to a faculty member in advisory groups of 8-10 students. This is the student s social and emotional home through 12th grade and allows every student to form a meaningful relationship with an adult on campus outside of the classroom. The advisor check-ins provide regular, informal ways of simply touching base with a student s advisor. On Mondays, this also allows for the group to walk over to the Town Meeting together. Combined with the full Advisory on Friday, the check-ins allow every advisor to see their students twice a week, to be part of the rhythm of their school experience, and to initiate other meetings or supports in response to student needs as they arise. Advisory (Fridays 9:45-10:30) During this time, students meet together with another same-grade advisory group to go through the Oakwood advisory curriculum. This is a developmentally and age-appropriate curriculum focused on socialemotional learning and developing the skills necessary to have a healthy school experience. Town Meeting (Mondays 10:00-10:40) Town Meeting is at the heart of the community experience of the secondary school. Each week, the entire community gathers together for a whole range of announcements, performances, recitations, speeches and skits. Moderated by our student co-presidents, Town Meeting provides an opportunity for any community member to contribute to the school-wide conversation. Once a month, middle and high school hold separate Town Meetings. Physical Education, Health, and Wellness We are folding our Human Development curriculum into a comprehensive Physical Education, Health and Wellness program for students in grades 7-10. High school students will be required to take two full credits (four total trimesters) of PE for graduation. For athletes, PE will be aligned to their sports season, so that students can use time from their PE classes to make sure they stay on top of their academic game, as well. These athletes would only be in the PE classes (generally one of four meetings a week) that focus on health and wellness topics. Arts Like other high school courses, the current full-year arts course will be the equivalent of two out of three trimesters in the new schedule. Students throughout high school will have the ability to take a one trimester second art class, as well. For juniors and seniors, the reduced PE requirements will allow for students to further specialize in an art form and take different arts classes. The longer blocks, passing periods, and breaks will provide lots of time for tailored, one-on-one instruction and meeting individual needs and answering student questions. If students need more time, we re setting aside three blocks of (two of which coincide with our Afterschool Homework Center) where all faculty members will be in their department offices ready to meet with students. is just that a bit of unstructured, downtime in the middle of the morning. Students can grab a snack at the Student Store, touch base with a teacher, or just hang out for a moment with friends. This time is important for students learning as well as their social development.
So much happens at lunch at Oakwood club meetings, affinity groups, check-ins with teachers, guest speakers, playing in the gym, hanging out with classmates, and, of course, having a good lunch. We are expanding our lunchtime by 10 minutes to allow for students to do these things at a bit more relaxed pace. Activity/Club Period On Wednesday morning at 10:10, all high school students will have a common free period. This can be used for club meetings to break up some of the scheduling jam at lunchtime. It could be a time to meet with teachers. It will also be a way for the school to make up for lost Town Meetings or Advisory when either Monday or Friday is impacted by a school holiday. Early Release Days/Faculty/Department Meetings In the past two years, we have moved nearly 90% of our athletic competitions to Tuesday and Thursday, created a comprehensive schedule for after school activities, and developed an Afterschool Homework Center program. In addition, these early release days provide valuable time for our faculty to work together to make the most of the schedule change. We ve been doing major work in curriculum design, analysis and examples of block lessons, examining student life, and generally engaging in professional reflective practice. The Tuesday and Thursday early release days help to make sure that every student has the best possible experience throughout their time at Oakwood. Free Periods As students move through high school, much of the current tailoring of the program of study Independent Studies, Special Topics, Mentorships, meetings with teachers happens during a student s free period. In addition, our college counseling program is largely built around the availability of students during free periods. In the new schedule, 9th and 10th graders can opt to have a free block during one trimester (or they will fill this with an Arts, STEAM, or Computer Science elective). For all juniors and seniors, the standard course load will have students with a free block in each of the three trimesters. Of course, students could add an additional elective, or work with a favorite teacher to create one of those hallmark learning experiences of Oakwood through Independent Study or Special Topic. Having a free block means that one block strand (four 70-minute periods per week) would be free.