Lea Ann Lockard
Creating the school’s master schedule is an art form that school administrators hone throughout their careers. After all, schools can only be as good as their master schedule allows. Therefore, administrative teams are always considering how they can maximize teacher availability, navigate the limitations of physical classrooms, and ensure that students can access the courses they need to progress through school. The constant challenge is ensuring that time can be pinpointed for each student to access each course at the available times with a certified teacher. The conflicts for managing a master schedule in high school are multiplied by the number of students enrolled.
Just as a brick-and-mortar school will struggle to overcome a poorly developed master schedule, the same applies to online and virtual schools. So, creating the master schedule in an online or virtual program continues to be an art form. However, a critical factor in online and virtual schools is identifying the appropriate use of synchronous and asynchronous activities. A strong virtual or online master schedule will have systems to address both modalities and consider student needs. In most cases, a strong online or virtual school will have a mix of these two modalities.
Synchronous Instruction
Spending a school day in synchronous activities (Zoom, Google Classroom) is highly unlikely to motivate learners or meet their educational needs when used in isolation. This approach provides very little flexibility and personalization for the learner. However, scheduling students for synchronous face-to-face instruction is familiar and aligns with brick-and-mortar practices in schools today.
When teachers are online all day in synchronous activities with students, they do not have time for one-on-one conversations to meet individual student needs. Time is limited for a teacher's in-depth preparations to present the lesson online. The demands of teaching in the synchronous online setting provide little bandwidth for teachers to collaborate with their teaching teams in professional learning communities.
There are many unintended consequences of synchronous remote and virtual learning, including teachers not having time to interact with students. Teachers need more time to collaborate on practice, so there tend to be many inconsistencies with grading practices, methods for turning work in, and policies on assignment due dates among teachers.
Asynchronous Instruction
When appropriately executed, an asynchronous model provides more engagement opportunities for students and families and more flexibility for the teacher to personalize instruction. However, we know that an asynchronous program is not appropriate for students who are not self-starters or struggle with mental health.
Asynchronous methodologies include a digital curriculum (electronic courses), discussion boards, flipped classrooms, and elementary centers. Students are motivated by taking control of their learning and time through goal setting. They are empowered to solve what they can independently, call their teacher when needed, and take advantage of resources. Students learn to communicate needs, prioritize actions, and articulate learning.
However, an asynchronous program requires consistent communication about when assignments are due, how to submit assignments, and school culture. This requires more teacher collaboration, much more pre-planning, and thoughtful consideration of the learners' and their families' experiences. An asynchronous model requires robust learning tools (a learning management system) and processes to monitor and support student success.
Over the next few weeks, we will examine how you structure your master schedule to maximize academic outcomes and teacher efficiency. In the meantime, feel free to submit your questions on LinkedIn or our website. We are here to help you accelerate teaching and learning in your online school!
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