by Lewis J Rhodes

Created on: December 19, 2008

There is a misconception that pupils require a certain number of hours in the day to satisfy their educational requirement. This is a very dangerous principle, and when applied to the extension of the school year, could cause a reversal in the learning process.

Children have a limited concentration span. This varies from child to child, but in general only increases slightly as the child gets older. A short sharp focus on a particular topic, often produces far better results than an extended lesson set to satisfy the length of time in a lesson period. As each semester draws to its conclusion, the attention and focus of a child comes under pressure as the pending holiday gets closer. Children, like adults, get 'burnt out', and as much as we would like to increase their retention of curriculum material, extra input can cause the reverse.

We need to separate academic retention, and experiential retention. If the school year was to be extended because the children require further exposure to life skills and the environment, perhaps a case can be argued. To extend the year for purely academic intervention would serve little or no purpose. Research might even find that less learning has taken place, requiring the need for greater reinforcement at the beginningof a new term/semester. As education learns to involve all the sense in the learning process, perhaps learning may be recognised outside the classroom as a means of educating a child. We already know, that the less academically interested often learn from arenas which may not be considered acceptable, and in some circumstances negative.

There is grounds for arguing that breaks should be increased not lessened. These breaks could have a targeted function, where the child is required to use the time in conducting a research or investigation into a particular topic? Doing this kind of work would require parental involvement; not always possible of course!

In the modern world, children are under extreme pressure to achieve. Grades and results are increasingly the benchmark to which parents, authorities, and indeed universities judge the capability of the pupil. Regrettably we have no other benchmark, at least not at the moment. It is therefore important to give the child the highest possible standard of education available, within the capability of the child. It is quality of education that is important, not time. The length of a lesson is irrelevant, especially if the concept is cognitively understood withing the first 15 minutes.

No, we don't need to extend the school year! What we need to do is ensure that each child receives the best possible input available, so that their experiences are both beneficial and useful.

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