Scheduling 101: Art or Science?

A few years ago I created The Principal's Toolkit for the Implementation Design Committee(IDC) to help principals introduce the reform to their staff and community. The mission of schools in Quebec is: to socialize, to instruct, and to qualify. The reform (QEP) was introduced to improve student success and to give students the tools needed to succeed in today's world (i.e. 21st century learning, lifelong learners, global citizens, problem-solvers, etc.). It was believed that if the reform were to succeed teachers were to be front and center (i.e. the teacher's professional judgement) in the implementation of the new curriculum (QEP). Schools needed to be organized by cycle and cycle teams so that common meeting time could be built into the school timetable. The common meeting time and teaching by cycle in cycle teams would help teachers and administrators evolve into a professional learning community, which in turn would improve students success. 

This practical hands-on workshop will help new and experienced administrators schedule their schools according to the principals of the reform (looping, grade and/or cyle teams, common meeting time, presence, etc.).

Principals will leave the workshop with a thorough understanding how schools should be scheduled as well as a comprehensive set of materials/handouts that they can use when scheduling their schools. The materials will be part of the New Principals' Toolkit that I am currently working on.

Workshop Overview:

Introduction and background (30 minutes)

Scheduling as Science

  • Exercise 1 ~ elementary timetable and release/specialist time (45 minutes)
    • length of uninterrupted time ? start and end of school day?
  • Culture of school around release time and 'breaks'
  • Q&A 15 minutes

Coffee break (15 minutes)

Scheduling as Art

  • Exercise 2 ~ do's and don't ~ the big picture

Scheduling with Post-it's (60 minutes)

  • Exercise 3 ~ Actual practice scheduling a cycle using the particular school characteristics

Wrap-up with follow up (30 minutes)

Links:

  • Google survey form (to be completed before workshop)
  • Materials and handout on Google: posted here on the day of the workshop




© Sam Bruzzese 2022