I have a strong belief that the better prepared we are, the more successful we can be in any given circumstance. And then sometimes, no matter how well prepared you may be, you're confronted with a problem that nobody expected. But that’s what has made the 2019-2020 school year so amazing. Our teachers, administrations, students, and families have just participated in the most intense and in-depth professional development ever offered. So as we look toward the upcoming school year, here are some things to keep in mind while preparing an effective master schedule that supports personalized learning in a blended learning environment.

Create a schedule that creates flexibility

A traditional school schedule establishes an equal amount of learning and instruction time for each student and for each content area. In the blended learning environment, locking students and teachers into set time requirements can limit opportunities for teachers and students to personalize learning. Teachers at the Bronx Arena school in New York City believe that adjusting their master schedule allows them to use their face-to-face time to “create authentic student-teacher relationships that can’t be built … in 45 minutes”.

Build a schedule around student needs

Limiting student learning to 45 minutes each day sends the wrong message. At some point in everyone’s schooling, they were told “The bell doesn’t release you, I do!” from a teacher at the end of a long day. To help build greater relationships between teachers and learners, the teachers at Rogers Lane Elementary built a schedule that provides for larger learning blocks throughout the day. This allows students to get specialized instruction in areas of need, opportunities for students to grow in areas of interest and provides flexibility for teachers to try and develop effective teaching strategies without the pressure of falling behind.

Increase professional development

If we are going to build a schedule that provides the time needed to personalize student learning, we must also include the time needed for teachers to develop the skills and strategies of effective blended learning instructors! Over the last few weeks, we have learned plenty about educators and education. One that I know we can all appreciate is how difficult virtual and remote instruction is. Building a schedule for blended learning is going to require time for teachers to develop the skills needed to be just as effective in their virtual classroom as they are in their physical classroom. I am currently amazed at the rate in which teachers are adopting and adapting to new tools and resources. Moving forward, shouldn’t we provide the time needed for our teachers to grow as much as they have over the last month?

Extra benefits

Effective instruction in the classroom takes place alongside effective relationship building. When students begin to notice that their time is being valued, that they are being given opportunities to guide their own learning, and their teachers are building instruction around their individual needs and understanding, there are going to be positive impacts. Research suggests that rethinking your schedule to support blended learning also has three other unintended impacts on teacher development.

• Teachers have increased amount of time to collaborate with their peers

• Teachers have increased opportunities to observe their peers

• Teachers have additional time to prepare true, personalized interventions for students

The idea of overhauling your master schedule can be daunting. The idea that we would all be working remotely to finish the school year sounded impossible as well. As you begin building and revisiting your master schedule, remember to stay intentional with your design. Are we building a schedule based on a tradition, or are we building a schedule based on supporting effective teaching and learning? Your master schedule should be built to support your blended learning instruction and to allow for increased personalized learning opportunities for your students.