2. Who is this person, anyway?
Brandie Bohney
Columbia City HS Graduate
Hanover College Graduate
Current grad student at IUPUI
Seven years classroom
teaching (English), from
remedial freshmen through
AP seniors
First year interdisciplinary
course
Five years curriculum
development
3. What is the interdisciplinary course?
Geography-History of the World
▪ Course originally designed for
honors students
▪ Eventually redesigned for
students not strong enough
academically forWorld History
▪ Students placed via teacher
recommendation
English 9
▪ Meets same standards as non-
block English 9
▪ Four required assessments per
quarter (district requirement)
▪ Presentation focuses on skill
development
▪ Shares 1-2 assessments with
GHW in the block format
4. Advantages of the Looped Block Class
Harder to hide
Skill-based
focus
Specialized
differentiation
Increased
accountability
Reduced
workload for
students
Broader-
scope projects
5. Advantages of the Looped Block Class
Harder to hide
Skill-based
focus
Specialized
differentiation
Increased
accountability
Reduced
workload for
students
Broader-
scope projects
6. Nowhere to Hide
Prevents adaptation through
invisibility
Easier to mask their skills (or
lack thereof)
Easier to get a more capable
student to do the work
Sometimes help comes too
late in mixed-ability groups
Differentiation is easier in the
blocked class
7. Advantages of the Looped Block Class
Harder to hide
Skill-based
focus
Specialized
differentiation
Increased
accountability
Reduced
workload for
students
Broader-
scope projects
8. Allow for Focus on Needed Skills
Skill development needs can be
met.
Reading strategies
Study skills
Sentence-level mechanics
Skills transferable to larger ideas
and concepts.
Standards remain the same.
9. Advantages of the Looped Block Class
Harder to hide
Skill-based
focus
Specialized
differentiation
Increased
accountability
Reduced
workload for
students
Broader-
scope projects
10. Specialized Differentiation
More kids in concentration
who need the same skills
Prevents most from feeling
“stupid”
Concentration on skills leads
to greater understanding than
overviews.
11. Advantages of the Looped Block Class
Harder to hide
Skill-based
focus
Specialized
differentiation
Increased
accountability
Reduced
workload for
students
Broader-
scope projects
12. Increased Accountability
Looped structure
We can easily find students
(absences, other issues)
Can bring both classes
together for large-group
and/or collaborative
instruction
Increased communication
between instructors
Shared assessments
Motivation for almost all
students (two scores for one)
Increased class time for
assistance
13. Advantages of the Looped Block Class
Harder to hide
Skill-based
focus
Specialized
differentiation
Increased
accountability
Reduced
workload for
students
Broader-
scope projects
14. Reduced Workload for Easily Overwhelmed
Students
Shared assessments
Two-for-one deal again
More in-class work time
More access to instructors
Building academic stamina
Large-scale projects
15. Advantages of the Looped Block Class
Harder to hide
Skill-based
focus
Specialized
differentiation
Increased
accountability
Reduced
workload for
students
Broader-
scope projects
16. Broader-Scope Projects
Because of the structure, the
students are able to
complete larger-scale
projects
Essay-website-presentation
Presentation with tech
Debate competition
Teacher focus on specialty
area
17. Challenges of the Looped Block Class
Discipline
Issues
GroupWork
Scheduling
Collaboration
Time
18. Challenges of the Looped Block Class
Discipline
Issues
GroupWork
Scheduling
Collaboration
Time
19. Discipline Issues
Puts many students with
behavior problems together
Active inquiry from beginning
Strong need for good teacher-
student relationships
Boundary setting
Tempting to do a lot of
lecture/note-taking
Can be effective if students are
engaged
Group work can be
frustrating
20. Challenges of the Looped Block Class
Discipline
Issues
GroupWork
Scheduling
Collaboration
Time
21. Group Work Often Proves Difficult
We were a bit unprepared
for this difficulty
Immaturity, ADD,ADHD
This population is often
underprepared for successful
group work
Requires patience,
understanding
Part of my current study
More groundwork for group
settings
More examples and practice
prior to group attempts
Still tremendously important
22. Challenges of the Looped Block Class
Discipline
Issues
GroupWork
Scheduling
Collaboration
Time
23. Scheduling Difficulties
Looping works best with
alternating schedules
Type of course can work
outside a block schedule
Back-to-back classes
Population may also
struggle in other courses
Places them frequently in
numerous classes together
Can increase misbehavior,
attempts to cheat
24. Challenges of the Looped Block Class
Discipline
Issues
GroupWork
Scheduling
Collaboration
Time
25. Carving Out Collaboration Time
Common prep time for
cooperating teachers is
essential
These types of courses
require extensive time for
cooperative teacher to work
together
Before or after school are
not enough
During resource times is
also inadequate
27. Questions?
Please feel free to contact Brandie or Wes about the inter-disciplinary course
we are teaching. We would be happy to help you in any way we can!
Brandie Bohney
317-846-7721 ext. 7697
bbohney@ccs.k12.in.us
Wes Drew
317-846-7721 ext. 7696
wdrew@ccs.k12.in.us
