
Few students enjoy taking a three-hour class, but the education department has found a way to change this attitude, along with a whole new way of teaching and learning.
Students in the education program have the opportunity to take a “block” of courses in a three- hour span every day that are being taught by five teachers all at the same time. They spend ten weeks in the classroom and then five weeks student teaching.
“I liked how well (the teachers) played off of each other,” senior Sarah Riordan said.
Riordan, who is an education major, said this was just one of the benefits of having many professors teach at the same time. She said the students were able to see different teaching styles and which ones were more effective in teaching.
Professor of Education Michael Kolis said one objective of the class, for students, is to make connections with each other. Kolis also said one difference from this class and a regular class is the way he gets to teach. He can teach in a logical order rather than teach material based on the amount of minutes per week.
Professor of Education Deborah Pattee said the block program has been very successful.
“After the class is over, we have created professionals,” she said.
Not only does it benefit the students, it also benefits the professors teaching. Pattee said the block is an important “intellectual activity” for professors.
Riordan took the block classes last semester and said both the students and professors had a lot of fun with the class.
“Humor is a huge aspect of the class,” Riordan said, adding that it made the class more enjoyable.
Another aspect Riordan enjoyed was the different kinds of relationships she had with students in the block class than in her regular classes.
“We all have the same goal of being a teacher,” she said.
One focus of the class is team building, and spending three hours every day with those kinds of activities created a “community feeling.”
Pattee agreed with the community feeling of the classroom.
“Students become friends and they get together outside of class,” she said.
Riordan said her friends who weren’t in the block classes were upset they didn’t get in because their regular classes aren’t as exciting.
“People who weren’t in it said to me ‘This sucks. Why couldn’t I do it?'” she said.
Kolis said next year only the cohort, or block groups, will be available for these specific courses.
As of now, the block option isn’t open to any other program and won’t be for a while. Riordan said she thinks the university should create more block classes for other majors.
“Everybody should have this opportunity.”