Back when I was in middle school, I was part of a wheel elective system, and I loved it! I got to try out 12 different electives over 3 years, and it was great to explore a variety of subjects in a short time.
Now that I’m working in education, I haven’t seen the wheel in any of the schools I’ve been in.
What are your thoughts on the wheel system?
I’ve seen the wheel model in a few schools, but it usually depends on the school’s resources. To run a wheel program, you need to offer a variety of electives, which some schools just can’t do. For example, in my Title 1 school, we only have a few elective teachers, so it’s tough to fit all the students into the electives they want. And in California, English Language Learners have to take extra English classes, which takes up a lot of their elective time. So, for schools with limited time and resources, it’s hard to make the wheel work.
@NomadNerd
You bring up a good point. I’ve worked in a Title 1 school too, and we only had a few full-time elective teachers. I sometimes think a 7-period day would help give students more flexibility to choose their own electives, especially those who need extra support classes like ELD or special education.
I teach in a wheel for 6th graders. It’s fine, but I think 6th graders are too young for year-long electives. The wheel lets me work with a fresh group every quarter, which is nice. I also teach grades 6-12, so I get to introduce my subject to the younger kids, which helps them decide if they want to take it in the future.
Our school does: Art → AVID → Band → Computers.
Personally, I’d prefer not to teach middle schoolers, but if I have to, 6th graders are the sweetest out of 6th to 8th grade!
@EducationExpert4
I also taught 6th grade in a 6-8 setting, and I agree that they’re usually the sweetest! It’s great that you get to give students a taste of your elective so they can decide if they want to take it later. That’s one of the best parts of the wheel model—students can try out a subject before committing to a full-year class.
It seems like a lot of middle school programs have gone away. Many schools have gone back to the junior high model instead.
Brown1 said:
It seems like a lot of middle school programs have gone away. Many schools have gone back to the junior high model instead.
Shouldn’t the Middle School Concept vs. Junior High Concept debate be settled by now?
Middle School: Group students by their math abilities for all classes.
Junior High: Group students by their abilities for math, but for other classes, group them by their English abilities. Teachers don’t have to escort students to each class.
What’s your take?
@MsBella
If you don’t think it’s important to help kids socialize and learn how to function in society, then the junior high model probably works for you.
franklyn said:
@MsBella
If you don’t think it’s important to help kids socialize and learn how to function in society, then the junior high model probably works for you.
If you think that walking students around in groups helps them become independent, then you’re in the middle school camp.
I was in high school over 20 years ago, and we had a wheel system. In 7th grade, we rotated between Spanish, PE, and French, as well as home ec, woodshop, art, and keyboarding. In 8th grade, we had art, sewing, metal shop, and some other electives I can’t remember. In 9th grade, we took classes like drafting. Some electives were semester-long, others lasted a full year, like art and French.
The school my kids will attend doesn’t use the wheel system. They have an A/B day schedule, and honors students can take more electives because they don’t attend core classes every day.
@Samuel3
I also really liked the wheel model. It’s a shame that some schools don’t offer as many electives anymore.
Hazel_Mae said:
@Samuel3
I also really liked the wheel model. It’s a shame that some schools don’t offer as many electives anymore.
Yeah, it’s too bad. I don’t live in the same state anymore, but from what I’ve heard, kids today don’t have nearly the same variety of choices we had back then.
I think I experienced the wheel model, although I never heard it called that. We had core classes like math and history, and then we could pick electives like music or woodshop.
I bet the reason it’s not used as much now is because of budget cuts, standardized testing, or just too many students wanting the same electives. In high school, I tried for years to get into photography, but I never made it in.
@Hudson
Yep, that’s the wheel! You’re probably right—it might be harder to implement now because of budget issues or other factors.
I teach a self-contained class, and it was a real struggle just to get my students their required art credit, let alone other electives. So, it seems like the wheel model wouldn’t work for my students.