Thursday, June 04, 2009

Adding Value, Increase the School Day?

American teachers work more hours with their students than do teachers in any other developed country. That would be 1,139 hours a year in elementary schools and a few hours less in secondary, according to a recent survey. The average number of student contact hours in other advanced nations was 803 in elementary, less in secondary.
Japan, notably, was at the bottom with 617 hours in elementary, 513 in "lower secondary," and 449 in "upper secondary." Japanese teachers spend time outside their classes collaborating to develop and improve their lessons. This may explain why Japanese students consistently score at or near the top in international competitions.
If the school day is extended school districts, rather than extending student contact time, may benefit more if teachers plan together and demonstrate their lesson to their peers before presenting the lesson to their students.

No comments: