Block scheduled versus traditional biology teaching—an educational experiment using the water lily

Abstract

In this study, we compared a traditional teaching sequence (four distinct lessons) with a block schedule dealing with the ecological adaptations of the water lily. The educational unit contained original plant material and both experimental groups received the same tasks and working sheets. Pupils worked together in groups of three to four pupils in a self-regulated manner, carrying out hands-on experiments. However, both groups differed in their time schedule (four distinct lessons of 45 min versus one block of 180 min). Pupils from the traditionally scheduled education performed significantly better in the immediate post-test while these differences merged in retention.

Intensive mode delivery of a neuroanatomy unit: Lower final grades but higher student satisfaction

“…This is in spite of the research that has been done over time. Much of the research goes back as far as the 1960s, comparing various forms of intensive courses to traditional delivery, and has found that there was mostly no difference in the learning outcomes between these two modes of delivery, with some studies that found intensive courses were more favorable in certain disciplines (the biological sciences was not one of these) and a few studies that found traditional mode teaching was superior (Mims, ; Scott and Conrad, ; Van Scyoc and Gleason, ; Hutchinson and Martin, ; Lawrence and McPherson, ; Spurling, ; Burton and Nesbit, ; Davies, ; Randler et al, ; Ho and Polonsky, ; Laves, ; Ramsay, ).…”

“…However, it is not clear exactly how this relates to intensive mode delivery, as there is also research that shows intense immersion in a subject is beneficial to students in some subjects. Further, although it is intuitive to think that less allocated time would impoverish learning, it has been shown to be only a modest predictor of achievement, as other factors relating to the quality of teaching and productive use of time are also important (Scott and Conrad, ; Burton and Nesbit, ; Wlodkowski, ; Randler et al, ).…”

Effects of an Interdisciplinary Course on Pre-Service Primary Teachers’ Content Knowledge and Academic Self-Concepts in Science and Technology–A Quantitative Longitudinal Study

“…Referring to the findings of [116] that teachers' ASCs are indicators of their achievements in professional knowledge, the results on RQ 2 are used to assess the external validity of the cognitive test (see Section 2.4.1). Furthermore, studies on the effects of the course format (weekly versus block course format) are mostly situated in the context of schooling [152,170]. Few research reports relate to higher education teaching (see Section 1.4; [150]).…”

“…However, it is more important to examine the differences in terms of long-term CK retention, as "retention is considered the more serious test because it shows which knowledge is retained or stable over longer time periods" ( [170], p. 21). If it turns out that block course participants lose a lot of CK from the course after six months, it is questionable to offer this course format, as it usually still takes time for them to apply the knowledge in professional practice.…”

Beyond the Distributed Practice Effect: Is Distributed Learning Also Effective for Learning With Non-repeated Text Materials?

“…After 5 days, participants who received the distributed sessions outperformed participants who received the sessions in a massed fashion in free and cued recall with an increase of 13% and 14%, respectively. In a more recent study, Randler et al (2008) investigated blocked vs. traditional teaching in biology class. The traditional condition received four lessons of 45 min each in a weekly schedule, while in the blocked condition, the students received all lessons within one morning.…”