Deeper Learning FAQs
Beginning with the 2021/22 school year, The Sharon Academy High School will be implementing the Deeper Learning model of teaching and learning. These frequently asked questions will be updated as new questions arise. We hope that they will be a start to answer most concerns, but also welcome any other questions to be directed to Head of School Mary Newman at mnewman@sharonacademy.net.
Logistical questions about the schedule change
- How will the new schedule affect transportation?
- What time can kids get dropped off at the earliest and what are they going to do until school starts at 9?
- Some teens are highly effective in the morning. How will the new schedule benefit them?
- How do courses relate to modules?
Academic questions about the schedule change
- With a 9AM start time instead of 8:15, but no change in the end time of the school day, don’t students lose 45 minutes of school time each day?
- Currently, classes are 75 minutes long. The new schedule would increase classes to 90 minutes, but include a built-in study time. So, is time spent on learning really any longer or more intense?
- How is work time during class different from study hall?
- Will this schedule prepare students adequately for college?
- Will learning a topic intensively during one module carry over to the next time I engage in that topic?
- How will teachers rework their curriculum to fit these extended times?
- How does the new schedule hone math and language skills?
Questions about the decision to change
- Is it risky to take on a new learning model immediately after the pandemic’s disruption to learning?
- Will this change induce some students to leave TSA?
- How were students/families/the community involved in the decision to shift to the Deeper Learning model?
Logistical questions about the schedule change
How will the new schedule affect transportation?
Busing schedules will not change. For some students who ride the bus, there might be less effect on their sleep schedule, but for others, this might be a time for them to eat a solid breakfast and prepare for the day before needing to be fully “present” in class.
What time can kids get dropped off at the earliest and what are they going to do until school starts at 9?Will there be someone supervising them?
All students are welcome to arrive on campus starting at 7:30am. There will be staff and teachers available and, on some days, activities that students can choose to engage in before 9am when the first class starts. This is also a time when students can arrange to meet with teachers and advisors.
Some teens are highly effective in the morning. How will the new schedule benefit them?
All students are welcome to arrive on campus starting at 7:30am. There will be staff and teachers available and, on some days, activities that students can choose to engage in before 9am when the first class starts. This would be a great time for students to meet with a teacher, work on assignments, meet in clubs, or just do their own thing.
Note: Research shows that adolescents benefit from a later learning start time and added sleep.
How do courses relate to modules?
There are 8 modules each year, which simply means that the academic year is divided into 8 spans of time. During each module, students have an opportunity to schedule two academic course slots, totaling 16 different “slots” to accommodate the five academic subjects: English, Social Studies, Math, Science, and World Language. This gives students one extra slot, in which they can choose to take an additional course, explore an Extended Learning Opportunity, or work on proficiency recovery (if they have not yet met certain standards that are prerequisites for more advanced courses.)
Academic questions about the schedule change
With a 9AM start time instead of 8:15, but no change in the end time of the school day, don’t students lose 45 minutes of school time each day?
The day may be shorter but only about 2 hours of total academic time are lost over the course of a year. The reduced time comes from eliminating a stand-alone study hall period, which we have found is not used effectively by many students.
Note: Study halls have not been shown to improve student learning.
Currently, classes are 75 minutes long. The new schedule would increase classes to 90 minutes, but include a built-in study time. So, is time spent on learning really any longer or more intense?
Teachers are already in the process of redesigning their courses so that in one module (which is about a month long), a topic can be deeply explored or investigated, and students can produce evidence of their learning in meaningful ways. Class time will be designed for learning collaboratively with peers, doing research, and producing evidence of proficiency. Students not only spend 15 more minutes in class learning, they meet 5 times per week instead of 3. So by the time Friday rolls around, students will have had 450 minutes of class time instead of 225 minutes (in the old schedule). And remember: since they will be taking only two courses at a time, they will be able to focus on and invest more energy in each course.
How is work time during class different from study hall?
Unlike 75-minute long study halls with a supervising teacher and students working on many different assignments, work time during class gives students access to their teachers in a context focused on completing the work in that subject area. Teachers will assign specific tasks for students to be working on during this time, and will be able to go around and check in on them, answer questions, redirect, and guide. In addition to this in-class work time, we are planning on having a Proficiency Recovery block on Friday afternoons, designed for students who need extra support on specific assignments. A teacher would require students who are behind in their work or needing more help to go to the Recovery block until the work is completed.
Will this schedule prepare students adequately for college?
This schedule is more similar to a college format, which requires students to focus on fewer subjects at a time and manage their free time, deciding when they need to access their teachers for help, study, or work collaboratively on a group project. Students will make more decisions about topics they want to pursue than previously, and will experience having to complete prerequisites (very common in college) in order to be ready for certain modules.
Will learning a topic intensively during one module carry over to the next time I engage in that topic?
Studies show that rote learning (memorization) doesn’t stick in our long-term memory the way that experiential learning does. One of the main goals of the shift in schedule is to promote deeper learning: learning that is enduring because students can connect it to their lives, their world, and their future. Students are not expected to remember the details of a math equation, but rather what problem-solving looks and feels like. Spanish words and verb tenses are more readily mastered when they are used actively in conversations and writing than simply memorized for quizzes and tests. Memorization is sufficient in the short term, like remembering lines for an Interim show; but all the experiences of preparing for a performance, whether on stage or back-stage lead to retained skills, the hallmark of real, flexible learning.
How will teachers rework their curriculum to fit these extended times?
Teachers will not necessarily be changing what they teach; in many cases, they will restructure the most powerful content in their curriculum to leverage the new pattern of teaching time. The fact that classes will meet 5 days per week for a total of 450 minutes allows learners to build up momentum and stay more focused and engaged on the two classes they’re taking, and so teachers will design projects, investigations, explorations that take advantage of the more concentrated time frame of each module.
How does the new schedule hone math and language skills?
Deeper learning is all about learning that lasts, knowing how to use appropriate tools & resources, demonstrating perseverance, and thinking critically. Math and language teachers are committed to making classroom learning as applicable to real-world scenarios as possible because we know from our experience and research that applying knowledge—knowing when a polynomial needs to be factored, or how to connect with a host family around a dinner table in Madrid—is what solidifies that knowledge in our brains. It shouldn’t take students more than the first day of a module to get right back into the content exploration they left in the last module. It shouldn’t take students more than the first day of a module to get right back into the content exploration they left in the last module.
General questions
What happens in Seminar, Clubs, and Chain Reaction?
Seminars are where students explore age-appropriate wellness and life skills, such as Digital Citizenship (for 9th graders), Sex Education, Emotional Well-being, Alcohol/Tobacco/Other Drugs (10th and 11th grades), and Post-secondary Planning (11th and 12th grades).
Clubs are where students can participate in student-led groups, such as Student Government and Queer/Straight Alliance (which are groups that already exist) to clubs that students have wanted for years but haven’t found the time to create during school, such as a drama club, jam bands, book clubs, outing club, D&D, chess club, etc.
Chain Reaction Week expands upon our traditional day dedicated to the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. into a week of exploring issues of equity and social justice. This is a new initiative and the details of the week have not yet been finalized, but students will be in school and engaged in learning activities that build the community’s understanding of and commitment to equity and social justice.
Questions about the decision to change
Is it risky to take on a new learning model immediately after the pandemic’s disruption to learning?
It is precisely because NOTHING has been normal for over a year that we feel this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to implement a major improvement. However, we recognize that the change may be more difficult for the rising juniors and seniors who remember the former schedule. For them, there is no perfect time. The adjustment will be less difficult for the incoming 9th graders and other new students who are starting at TSA for the first time, and for the rising sophomores who experienced only the hybrid pandemic model.
Note: Students in many similar situations have adjusted to schedule changes more easily than teachers and adults. It’s about creating more memorable, compelling, and engaging learning and the schedule is simply a supportive means to make that happen.
Will this change induce some students to leave TSA?
Every year some students decide that TSA is not a good fit for them. Sometimes, it is because our model fell short in the ways that the adoption of this Deeper Learning model is designed to address. This model gives students what many have been asking for: more choice of topics, more of a voice in what they’re learning, fewer subjects to focus on at once, deeper explorations of topics that matter to them, and assignments that are designed to be more relevant and connected to their lives. We believe that putting deeper learning at the center of our program will better serve all of our students.
How were students/families/the community involved in the decision to shift to the Deeper Learning model?
The decision was made after years of listening to students, parents, and teachers wrestle with the challenges we face with our current model. We have been discussing the problem of students having too many different things to juggle for years, and also the problem of students not being able to focus during study halls. Students have told us, again and again, that they want work to be more relevant to their lives, more connected to real-world issues, more authentic. Students and families have told us in exit interviews that they are leaving TSA in search of more options for classes and extracurricular activities.