Hello! I'm an ABE/HSE instructor in southwest Ohio, starting my 6th year in this role. I teach in an integrated classroom with all levels of students covering all four high school equivalency subjects, otherwise known as the “one-room schoolhouse”. It seems like every year I'm trying out new ways to structure the classes (two days per week, three hours per class) to manage in this environment. I'm not talking about how to create differentiated lessons, but more along the lines of how to structure the classes in order to fit in all four subjects along with dealing with the many things we deal with (inconsistent student attendance, program requirements, etc.)
I'm currently splitting the class time into blocks as follows:
- Block 1 - Beginning of class routine - student independent reading activities while students enter class/get settled
- Block 2 - Whole group lesson in language arts (weekly class one) or social studies/science (weekly class two)
- Block 3 - Whole group or small group lesson(s) in math
- Block 4 - Independent work with teacher assistance as needed
I would love to hear how others are managing/structuring their classrooms in the "one-room schoolhouse" environment.
Comments
Hi Elizabeth! I sympathize with the challenges of the one-room schoolhouse in adult education. Though I am now teaching a levelled class, the majority of my teaching life was in a classroom just as you describe. Here are a couple of thoughts to add to the excellent 'block' schedule you shared that you are currently trying out.
Whole group lessons don't always have to be divided into language arts and science/social studies. We can teach the reading comprehension and critical thinking skills needed for the HSE exams with a cross-content approach, so that no matter the topic, we tie in content and skills from multiple test subjects. Some specific language arts skills need explicit instruction, such as the extended response, but most other things can be layered and contextualized. It can be fun to look at an existing social studies lesson and brainstorm the many ways we could also teach LA, graphic literacy, current events, and grammar from that one lesson!
Another approach: I had a colleague who identified as a pattern that the majority of students felt confident and ready to test in social studies as the first HSE exam attempt, so she used to spend the first couple of weeks disregarding the other subjects altogether and focusing entirely on government, history, Constitution, graphic literacy skills, and basic reading skills. She felt there was value in having everyone working on the same thing and getting many (if not most) of the class moved toward test readiness in at least 1 subject early in the term. (There is research that supports the idea that students who experience a measure of success in achieving their goal are more likely to persist in class - side benefit!) Then, after the first several weeks, she would fold in the other subject areas in a block approach similar to yours.
I strongly believe that in the one-room schoolhouse model, at least some time each class period must be devoted to independent work and teacher/student consult time. There's so much to keep track of, and so many students on different trajectories, that this part of the class is invaluable.
Best of luck as you keep working on your schedule! I look forward to hearing others' ideas here... Anita
Hi Anita, Thank you so much for these great ideas! I love both the cross-content and social studies "blast" approach. I totally agree that once students take their first test that it's really motivating for them. Thank you so much!!! Beth
Elizabeth,
You bring up some common challenges in a multi-level class. I agree with everything that Anita wrote. Additionally, routines are a great way to start a new class because it helps to take the fear out of what will occur in class; however, allowing for increased flexibility in the routine as you get to know learners and their needs will take pressure off of you to put everything into a specific content "box". One semester, I tried to stick to a rigid routine all semester and found that it no longer served my learners or our class after the first 3 weeks of class.
Honestly, every multi-level class is so different that it takes some experimentation to figure out what works for you and your specific class. I would love to hear an update on what you do and how it works in the next month!
Hi Erin, Thank you so much for your reply! I have definitely found the need to change the routine/block scheduling based on student needs and attendance, as well as accommodating students who've passed some subjects and need to focus only on one or two. Very challenging environment! Beth