Hour Long Classes

markievicz

I work in a school that recently moved to one hour timetables and I wasn't 100% sure about it at the beginning but to be honest I don't really notice too much a difference now.

I teach two non-practical subjects (English & Religion) and the hour suits me but I've one double at senior cycle and it is torture. I find it very hard to maintain my own interest nevermind the students interest for two hours :pac:. It was just unfortunate this year that I ended up on the option block with practical subjects.

The other thing that I found annoying was that I was timetabled with certain classes on concurrent days. eg. I had 5th years for a single on a Monday and a double on a Tuesday and that was it for the week. So if a student missed two days or I missed two days; they missed an entire week of classes. Small little issues that can be easily ironed out during timetabling though.

As regards having full days and less time off - its hard at first but you get used to it. I had 6 classes on both Monday & Tuesday so two full days and it was tough going because I literally didn't have a minute to myself for two days running. But by the time Weds came I had a much lighter few days ahead of me and I had 12 of my 22 contact hours done.

S&S is 1 class period and then 30 mins at lunchtime but because there are fewer classes to be covered I wasn't called for S&S as often as I would have been the year previously.

The Juniors don't seem to mind having the hour classes. It was definitely harder for them than the seniors to adjust to the change but they're fine now. I think they see it as having three less classes in the day rather than extra time for the classes they do have. I get a lot more work done with them and have the time to do small projects or presentations. Lots more time for active learning, technology stuff etc.

Smacruairi

Has anyone experience of hour long classes being designated as 58mins? Was this done to avoid allocating professional time as I imagine? Is that acceptable seeing as it prevents the bundling of time for SLARS etc

Leham

I was subbing between two different schools this year one had 1 hour classes, the other had 40 minute classes. I teach a practical subject and found that less work got finished by the end of the week in the one hour class as there are no double classes. The double 40 minutes meant that those students had more time to finish projects, especially when it came to doing their CBA. 20 minutes extra added onto each class makes a big difference come the end of a school term.
The people coming up with these agendas rarely take the practical subjects into consideration which besides maybe one lesson a week, are always double classes.

fall

Smacruairi wrote: »

Has anyone experience of hour long classes being designated as 58mins? Was this done to avoid allocating professional time as I imagine? Is that acceptable seeing as it prevents the bundling of time for SLARS etc

Professional time is 40 minutes a week. 58 minute classes are to account for the other 20 minutes.

joebloggs32

Smacruairi wrote: »

Has anyone experience of hour long classes being designated as 58mins? Was this done to avoid allocating professional time as I imagine? Is that acceptable seeing as it prevents the bundling of time for SLARS etc

It is done where principals are trying to get teachers as close as possible to 21 hours 20 mins.

It allows teachers to be timetabled up to 21 hrs 14 mins by allocating them 22 x 58 mins as opposed to 21 × 60 mins. The school timetable only loses 6 mins per teacher each week as opposed to 20 minutes. There is mo mechanism that enables school managers claim back those lost minutes as you cant timetable any class for less than 40 mias per circular.

However, having 58 minute classes will short change some subjects over a 3 year course. Let's say you teach a history class. If timetabled twice a week, at 1 hour you will reach the recommended minimum of 200 hours, but will fall short if given 58 minute classes.

I know of a school doing 58 mins and last year a new DP was promoted up. At the first staff meeting the DP told them she wanted to discuss methods to claw back the 6 minutes! Apparently their staff WhatsApp group was on fire that night.

On a separate note, in light of covid, the one hour classes will greatly reduce movement in the school and could be one of the tools used to combat it.

TheValeyard

Yeah...

I was dead set against hour classes, hated the idea.

Staff had a vote and it passed by one vote with an agreement that we would review it in a number of years.


As it turns out...

They are awesome. The amount of work you can get done when off is amazing. Really benefits staff, less to bring home and finish off. Senior students preferred it also, got a lot done in that hour.

It does mean a teacher has to have more prepared and vary the lesson abit more, but even after a couple of months juniors were much happier with the hour class.

If you're going away on a trip or something, you definitely need to leave work for the students as an hour of S&S is a long time.

We voted again last year on whether to keep the hour or revert to forty minutes. Only 3 votes to return to forty minutes.

joebloggs32

TheValeyard wrote: »

Yeah...

I was dead set against hour classes, hated the idea.

Staff had a vote and it passed by one vote with an agreement that we would review it in a number of years.


As it turns out...

They are awesome. The amount of work you can get done when off is amazing. Really benefits staff, less to bring home and finish off. Senior students preferred it also, got a lot done in that hour.

It does mean a teacher has to have more prepared and vary the lesson abit more, but even after a couple of months juniors were much happier with the hour class.

If you're going away on a trip or something, you definitely need to leave work for the students as an hour of S&S is a long time.

We voted again last year on whether to keep the hour or revert to forty minutes. Only 3 votes to return to forty minutes.

Similar experience for us.
We have 1 hour and it was only 1 vote that was the difference also.
A follow up survey found 95% in favour after 1 year.

combat14

less lessons to prep each day

Smacruairi

combat14 wrote: »

less lessons to prep each day

Yeah I'm in favour of thr hour class, it's the loss of the professional time that irks me. You are meant to bundle your 40 mins on a weekly basis to do the 2hr slar. But by taking 2 mins off the end of a class, you are sucking up that professional time, and all slars are now fully extra.

Just seems to be it's charging 299 for something and not giving back the euro change? Was it ever mentioned in other schools, or am I just being a bit anal!

TheValeyard

Smacruairi wrote: »

Yeah I'm in favour of thr hour class, it's the loss of the professional time that irks me. You are meant to bundle your 40 mins on a weekly basis to do the 2hr slar. But by taking 2 mins off the end of a class, you are sucking up that professional time, and all slars are now fully extra.

Just seems to be it's charging 299 for something and not giving back the euro change? Was it ever mentioned in other schools, or am I just being a bit anal!

What we were told, and it nearly caused a revolt so it hasnt been mentioned at a staff meeting since Christmas, is that with the hour classes, to make up the time difference, staff may need to teach an extra 12 class module for a year. Like a short course or something.

deiseindublin

I'm being stupid because the 1 hour class thing hasn't come up in our school but is it that:

* some schools are going with 1 hour classes, so teachers have 21 x 1 hour classes, and 40 mins prof. time with 20 spare minutes untimetabled?

* others are doing 22 x 58 min classes and 40 mins prof time, with 4 spare minutes untimetabled?

joebloggs32

TheValeyard wrote: »

What we were told, and it nearly caused a revolt so it hasnt been mentioned at a staff meeting since Christmas, is that with the hour classes, to make up the time difference, staff may need to teach an extra 12 class module for a year. Like a short course or something.

The school cant create a 12 class module and stick you into it when they like.. For starters it would be 11 hours to be made up but that's irrelevant.
You get your timetable at the beginning of the year for the whole year. They can't add on or take bits away when it suits.
It was mentioned in our place, but the circulars are clear, the maximum class contact in any 1 week is 21 hours 20.
If a school deems 1 hour classes to be more appropriate for the educational needs of its students they may proceed with timetabling teachers for 21 hours. We have had inspections and there was no problem with it. The fact we aren't timetabled for 21h 20m doesn't mean we get off completely scott free for those 20 mins. For example we have no timetabled tutor period in the week. We often will deal with bits and bobs in our own time so thats a trade off that's fair enough.

TheValeyard

joebloggs32 wrote: »

The school cant create a 12 class module and stick you into it when they like.. For starters it would be 11 hours to be made up but that's irrelevant.
You get your timetable at the beginning of the year for the whole year. They can't add on or take bits away when it suits.
It was mentioned in our place, but the circulars are clear, the maximum class contact in any 1 week is 21 hours 20.
If a school deems 1 hour classes to be more appropriate for the educational needs of its students they may proceed with timetabling teachers for 21 hours. We have had inspections and there was no problem with it. The fact we aren't timetabled for 21h 20m doesn't mean we get off completely scott free for those 20 mins. For example we have no timetabled tutor period in the week. We often will deal with bits and bobs in our own time so thats a trade off that's fair enough.

I'd like to think so, by you'd be surprised what some management might try and do.

picturehangup

I was not happy with the idea of one hour classes when we were told (supposedly consulted!) about them initially.
After two years of one hour classes, I have to say I wouldn't go back to 40 mins.
The hour long classes are great for my subject, a practical subject, they allow me to set up, spend time with each student on practical work as they all do different things, correct, set and explain homework. The time just flies by.

The only drawback is that I don't set hw quite as frequently as I would with 40 mins 5 times a week, compared to 1 hour classes 3 times a week. In addition, if students are sick, play matches, trips, etc, you will see them even less frequently, and that adds up to quite a significant amount of tuition time lost over the course of a year. They may not be there when you give the hw, but with google classroom, there is no excuse!

Smacruairi

picturehangup wrote: »

I was not happy with the idea of one hour classes when we were told (supposedly consulted!) about them initially.
After two years of one hour classes, I have to say I wouldn't go back to 40 mins.
The hour long classes are great for my subject, a practical subject, they allow me to set up, spend time with each student on practical work as they all do different things, correct, set and explain homework. The time just flies by.

The only drawback is that I don't set hw quite as frequently as I would with 40 mins 5 times a week, compared to 1 hour classes 3 times a week. In addition, if students are sick, play matches, trips, etc, you will see them even less frequently, and that adds up to quite a significant amount of tuition time lost over the course of a year. They may not be there when you give the hw, but with google classroom, there is no excuse!

Do you teach hour classes, or 58mins?

am_zarathustra

I've never heard of 58 mins anywhere......sounds like madness

Smacruairi

am_zarathustra wrote: »

I've never heard of 58 mins anywhere......sounds like madness

Yeah I'm just trying to establish is this common practice or the dp thinking they are too clever..

am_zarathustra

Smacruairi wrote: »

Yeah I'm just trying to establish is this common practice or the dp thinking they are too clever..

It is absolutely not. He sounds like words I wouldn't put on the internet. It's not clever, its extremely petty....maybe ask them why they are being so petty? Are they so bad at timetabling the 20 minutes is going to collapse the whole thing?

joebloggs32

Smacruairi wrote: »

Yeah I'm just trying to establish is this common practice or the dp thinking they are too clever..

It is a case of a DP or ETB being too clever.

The school I'm familiar with had it imposed after a consultation of 40 mins v 1 hour.
The staff left at the start of the summer expecting a new timetable with 6 classes per day and 4 on a Friday, all 1 hour each.
When they got timetables it was changed to 58 mins with 5 on a Friday.
I would have been livid if that happened in our school. I would have demanded that consultation be reoponed as it was clearly not what had been proposed.

Smacruairi

joebloggs32 wrote: »

It is a case of a DP or ETB being too clever.

The school I'm familiar with had it imposed after a consultation of 40 mins v 1 hour.
The staff left at the start of the summer expecting a new timetable with 6 classes per day and 4 on a Friday, all 1 hour each.
When they got timetables it was changed to 58 mins with 5 on a Friday.
I would have been livid if that happened in our school. I would have demanded that consultation be reoponed as it was clearly not what had been proposed.

Can I ask, even in dm, if they took it further, unions etc. It feels wrong, and goes totally against the spirit of the whole thing for me.

r93kaey5p2izun

I know of 9 schools using 58 minutes.

picturehangup

Smacruairi wrote: »

Do you teach hour classes, or 58mins?

We teach 60 minute classes.

am_zarathustra

Nolan Future Sunset wrote: »

I know of 9 schools using 58 minutes.

Jesus really? Is it particular to an area or type of school? That's actually abhorrent

scrubs33

We are 58 minutes as well. Master timetable looks like something you’d need the enigma machine to decipher.

Smacruairi

scrubs33 wrote: »

We are 58 minutes as well. Master timetable looks like something you’d need the enigma machine to decipher.

So each of those 2 mins is your professional time then?

r93kaey5p2izun

Mostly a certain ETB, a lot of new schools especially.

mirrorwall14

I don’t get this, do they leave 2 minutes between the class? Because that’s an absurd way to give ye professional time. Or is it like 9 then 958 then 1056 etc??

r93kaey5p2izun

mirrorwall14 wrote: »

I don’t get this, do they leave 2 minutes between the class? Because that’s an absurd way to give ye professional time. Or is it like 9 then 958 then 1056 etc??

Yes, it's the ridiculous times.

8.50-9.48
9.48-10.46
Break
10.56-11.54
11.54-12.52 etc

Millem

Nolan Future Sunset wrote: »

Yes, it's the ridiculous times.

8.50-9.48
9.48-10.46
Break
10.56-11.54
11.54-12.52 etc

So do the students get 28 hours of contact time?

r93kaey5p2izun

Millem wrote: »

So do the students get 28 hours of contact time?

The ones I know are doing 28h 2mins. 29 periods.