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

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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.

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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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Mr. Stanley Marhula delivers a biology lee- More preparation is required in team teaching, a vital part of modular scheduling. Miss lure to a large group in the auditorium. lola Mudt, Mrs. Dorothy Dyrseth, and Mr. David Cade plan a presentation for English. Students Learn To Budget Unscheduled Mods classes, which are limited to thirty students, are designed to give additional help in areas. Mr. John Koestler helps his students improve their German accent. Switching from a traditional schedule to a modular schedule demanded a drastic change on the part of the students and faculty. With forty percent of their time unscheduled, students had to learn how to plan their independent study time. The Instructional Material Center was the most widely used study area. It was here that students could use tapes, filmstrips, records, magazines, pamphlets, and hooks. The English and social studies resource rooms were also located here. The other resource rooms for mathematics and science provided an area where students could receive extra help from their teacher. Open laboratories for foreign language, business, art, home economics, and shop courses allowed students to come in during their unscheduled time to practice or study. 19