Lessons KS3

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ahap
Posts: 1515
Joined: Tue Aug 16, 2011 2:47 pm
Location: Ēastseaxe

Lessons KS3

Post by ahap »

Something that DS asked.
Is shorter lessons better than longer lessons or vise versa? In the sense, is 5 lessons/ subjects per day in school better or 6 better or does it matter?
'What we have learned is like a handful of earth; What we have yet to learn is like the whole world.' Auvaiyaar.
Tolstoy
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Joined: Wed Aug 13, 2008 5:25 pm

Re: Lessons KS3

Post by Tolstoy »

Schools seem to be moving towards longer lessons now. I think it depends on the DC. When DS2 went to secondary school I deliberately chose one with 35 min lessons. It was a boys school and as one maths teacher so rightly pointed out it mean't half an hour of hard work followed by 5 min pushing and shoving and general letting off of steam before another half hour of focused learning. Suited him to a tee.
Guest55
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Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 2:21 pm

Re: Lessons KS3

Post by Guest55 »

I think five one hour lessons is best as less time is wasted moving round the school. It takes a few minutes to settle and get equipment out and pack away so short lessons don't give time to really explore ideas in depth.

Some schools have gone to even longer lessons - three a day.
KB
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Joined: Tue Mar 04, 2008 3:28 pm

Re: Lessons KS3

Post by KB »

There was a study done some years ago that 50 mins was max concentration time so 1 hour lessons ( once movement etc taken into account) seems to fit with that.
Our school has shorter lesson periods timetabled but all the older pupils have double or triple lessons. I imagine it gives greater timetabling flexibility and many of my DCs year 7 lessons were single periods. It also means they can use the short lessons for tutor group lessons.
Amber
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Joined: Thu Sep 24, 2009 11:59 am

Re: Lessons KS3

Post by Amber »

Tolstoy wrote:Schools seem to be moving towards longer lessons now. I think it depends on the DC. When DS2 went to secondary school I deliberately chose one with 35 min lessons. It was a boys school and as one maths teacher so rightly pointed out it mean't half an hour of hard work followed by 5 min pushing and shoving and general letting off of steam before another half hour of focused learning. Suited him to a tee.
I think I know this school :wink: and yes it is brilliant for my sons too - they seem to take on more in 35 mins than many children I taught did in an hour. The last school I worked in moved to one hour lessons and it was desperate, truly awful and by lunchtime (which wasn't till 1.10 - just a ten minute break between 9 and then) many of the younger ones were hypoglycaemic and exhausted.

I have to attend some classes in higher ed and the best lecturer we had gave us breaks every half hour. What a huge difference that made to our ability to concentrate and take on board new concepts. For me, half an hour is optimum and any longer starts to operate on the law of diminishing returns.
Guest55
Posts: 16254
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 2:21 pm

Re: Lessons KS3

Post by Guest55 »

A teacher/lecturer talking for an hour is too long but most school lessons aren't just 'chalk and talk' these days.
copella
Posts: 1200
Joined: Thu Mar 04, 2010 3:51 pm

Re: Lessons KS3

Post by copella »

There are 8, 40 min lessons each day at my DS's school. Doesn't seem to bothering him moving around. Some of these are double but quite a few single. The children are expected to arrive ready for work and teachers expect them to behave and listen.
Catseye
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Location: Cheshire

Re: Lessons KS3

Post by Catseye »

whenever I lecture( not very often nowadays-thank God) , 40mins is max for me let alone my poor students having to listen to me droning on :lol: 5mins of Q&As, then I need to lay down in a dark room for another 40 minutes just to recover!
ahap
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Joined: Tue Aug 16, 2011 2:47 pm
Location: Ēastseaxe

Re: Lessons KS3

Post by ahap »

Thanks everyone.
'What we have learned is like a handful of earth; What we have yet to learn is like the whole world.' Auvaiyaar.
Tolstoy
Posts: 2755
Joined: Wed Aug 13, 2008 5:25 pm

Re: Lessons KS3

Post by Tolstoy »

Amber wrote: I think I know this school :wink: and yes it is brilliant for my sons too - they seem to take on more in 35 mins than many children I taught did in an hour.

He still misses it and the good friends he made :(. If he hadn't had to go back a year he would have applied for a 6th form place and camped out with MIL.
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