E J Cooper High School - Talons Yearbook (New Hope, MN)

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Modular Scheduling Offers Unique Education Senior Donna Gunnerson diligently uses her knowledge of shorthand as she utilizes the dictaphone in a business listening laboratory during her unscheduled modules. To promote greater learning by the students, Cooper High School switched to the Stanford modular scheduling system this fall. This scheduling system abolished the traditional six hour-long classes a day. Instead, each day was divided into twenty-minute units of time called modules. This system will be employed at Cooper as a long-range experiment for three years. Afterwards a final evaluation will be made. Modular scheduling has better prepared the college-bound students and also those who are going directly into the working world. As a result of modular scheduling, eight resource aids were hired to handle materials in the Instructional Material Center and relieved teachers of extra paper work. One of the most important aspects of modular scheduling was it gave students a chance to work without constant adult supervision. With forty percent of time unscheduled, students had use of most facilities. While a student checks out a reserve paperback book in the English resource room in the Instructional Material Center, Mrs. Stella Aurola, aid, examines the overnight check-out card. This familiar scene is repeated throughout the entire IMC each day. 17

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To give oil students the opportunity to discuss group assignments or extra curricular activ: ties with their friends, a talking area was established in the cafeteria. The English Resource Center, which is part of the IMC, is used by students as a quiet study urea. English teachers are available as resource persons to help students. As the new school year at Cooper High begins to take effect, the staircase becomes a site for confusion as huddled students try to read their complex schedules. As Gail Christensen enters the cafeteria, Mr. Robert llraun checks her lunch pass. 16

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Modular scheduling introduces a totally different atmosphere to the Cooper auditorium. In this large group students become better prepared for college through efficient note taking and careful listening to materials presented by their instructor. Mr. Brian Boettcher leads a discussion in one of his small group biology classes. Small groups are limited to fifteen students to encourage student interaction and individual help.