MATHia actually works quite well with a block schedule because it is designed to utilize several different types of activities such as student presentations, cooperative learning activities, and computer work. Because a block schedule involves periods that range from eighty to ninety-five minutes long, it’s important to break the periods into several chunks, varying types of classroom activities approximately every twenty minutes in order to hold the students’ attention. For example, the Cognitive Tutor can be used on a five-day schedule. During four of the days, students can spend half of the period in the classroom engaged in cooperative learning and presentation activities, and the remaining half of the period can then be spent in the computer lab. On the fifth day, half of the time can be spent in the classroom, and the other half can be spent in the computer lab. The classroom time can be divided between assessment and classwork.
