Instead of relying on the students in their specific class, they can reach out to students in the same course but different sections they can discuss the differences in teachers’ approaches to the lesson. They strive to complete most of their homework during the school day, so they can relax at home. Learning will be enhanced, not interrupted.įormation of Study Groups : With the nonconstructive time, students create new opportunities to further their education. Counselors can meet with students without pulling them from classes. Schools can create mentor programs and strengthen advisory programs.
#THE POWER HOUR PROGRAM HOW TO#
Teachers initiate extended class time: continued discussions, mini-seminars (How to Write a College Application Essay, How to Effectively Use the Planner, Different Ways to Study for Tests, etc…).
With Power Hour, I can arrange a time to meet with them.
I hate asking them to come back later, and worse, sometimes I can’t find a time to address their needs. Stronger Student-Teacher Relationships : Some days I find it difficult to mentor my students because they want to have a personal conversation during class time. Ellspermann reported over half of West Port High School students were involved in an activity by the end of the first year of Power Hour.
#THE POWER HOUR PROGRAM TRIAL#
Students who need to work can still be involved in interest clubs the theatre director can call an extra rehearsal coaches can meet with athletes in small groups to work on a skill Model UN can host an additional mock trial clubs and teams can have extra bonding time (club/sport potluck). By opening up an hour during school, students can hold club meetings and not interfere with after school schedules. Increased Student Involvement : Some students’ extracurricular activities are limited by schedules they can’t be on the speech and soccer teams due to scheduling conflicts. They are no longer just grouped by cliques and class schedules they bond through common interests. Students play intramural sports during the hour. Ellspermann noted that students arranged band and dance performances. The flexibility in schedule allows teachers to utilize their strengths some teachers may prefer to socialize with students, while others may prefer to lead a resource room.Ĭommunity Building : In 2014, Principal Jayne Ellspermann wrote an article for Principal Leadership that discussed the Power Hour successes at West Port High School in Florida. Our lunchtime will increase to thirty minutes, and during the other half hour, we will be assigned to one of the zones. Teachers and administrators will rotate roles: monitors and facilitators. Currently, a lunch detention is fifteen minutes (hardly an inconvenience), but during the proposed Tiger Time, lunch detentions will be an entire hour (students will eat lunch in the room). For students who have D’s and/or F’s in classes, they will be required to check in to a study location for a minimum of thirty minutes. Students who are passing all classes will be allowed to move around locations as they see fit. Additionally, certain rooms will be designated club and activity meeting locations. For study areas, students will be able to choose between the library, computer lab, curriculum resource centers (staffed by a teacher), quiet study hall and group study hall rooms. These locations allow students to build relationships by talking, playing games, and relaxing with one another. Obviously, students will report to the cafeteria for lunch, but it is no longer the sole social area students can continue to interact with peers in the gym, theatre, and courtyard. In their plan, students have zone options: lunch, social, and study. This system can have tiers of privileges, consequences, and rewards.įor the past two years, a collaborative team at my high school has developed a Power Hour (renamed “Tiger Time”). Power Hour, a school-wide “free” hour, allows students to take ownership over their educational experience schools using this tactic have observed higher student achievement, fewer discipline problems, and healthier behaviors.ĭuring Power Hour, the entire school takes a “break.” Within the hour, students are to eat lunch and participate in various programs: resource centers, tutoring, club meetings, study hall, etc…Teachers, students, and administrators can collaborate in order to create a system tailored to the specific school that benefits every student. For some schools, the primary objective is to convince students to attend school, while other schools worry about over stressing their students.
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