Catholic Education magazine, March 2010

March 01, 2010

There has been much discussion in education circles and by policymakers on time spent on tasks in schools, but there has been little focus on the actual lesson duration. How long is the perfect lesson?

Most high school teachers still expect lessons to be timetabled in handy 35- or 40-minute chunks. Independent school teachers are still likely to be planning lessons at those lengths – although things are changing – but in the government sector, timetabling varies from school to school. Some swear by 50 minutes, others prefer an hour and a few even two.

Read Ella Ngobeni's thoughtful piece on the ideal lesson length, as well as articles on St Vincent School for the Deaf's new principal, Ingrid Parkin, a piece by CIE Director Mark Potterton and Nontobeko Sithole on the importance of listening to children, a reflection on the Dublin Diocese and child abuse by former Master of the Dominicans Timothy Radcliffe, and a look back at the Matric results of 2009, among other pieces.

To download the pdf (1,8MB) of the magazine, please click here.