The prospect of a new high school provides many opportunities to improve the direction of education at Pentucket. One such area is study hall.

Students love their study hall because of the extra time it provides to complete their assignments. At Pentucket Regional High School, studying is done in the cafeteria or the library, and students can also seek assistance from their teachers.

Junior Melanie Adams thinks that studying outside should be an option because she would be more productive. She also suggests more outlets for personal laptop use so she can have access to her files. Senior Sarah Tripp also believes that the sign-out procedure should be more lenient.

This raises the question: Should a new school create a study hall area that benefits all learning styles? This question was tested by the University of Pennsylvania in 2013. According to interiordesign.net, a 7,000 sq. foot study hall was built under the football stadium. The architect found that students absorb more information when in a relaxed position, and they write better sitting upright. Should Pentucket follow this example? The librarian, Ms. Costello, believes that a common area would best suite the school’s needs, but “on the learning aspect, teachers should be able to ask for the furniture that best fits their subject.”

As for the current study hall, students and teachers have mixed views about whether extracurricular activities, like athletics and theater, should warrant an extra study hall. Adams says that any students taking an AP class should be ensured a year-round study hall. Junior Liza Russell believes that students in AP classes should have a study hall added to their schedule, but she also believes that it is easy enough to simply request one. Junior Jack Mathison rows for an out-of-district team, and he believes that student athletes should have a study hall for that season.

According to Ms. Costello, high school is not only for education, but for the life skill of time management. Teachers are available before or after school for extra help, and the library closes at 3 p.m. every day. She believes that extracurricular times should be shorter instead.

Would students need a study hall if teachers were asked to limit the length of assignments? Ms. Costello does not think teachers should be asked to limit the length of assignments unless it is for an elective, because “kids who are interested in whatever the elective is, they will go and do it on their own.”

Whether the design of the environment changes or not, Ms. Costello has study tips for all situations. In terms of studying for a test, she advises that students read over their notes as the week goes on. For homework, she suggests re-reading sections that were covered in class that day. Adams suggests organizing all assignments into a list in order of importance to refer to during study hall to stay on track.

The future of study hall is whatever one makes of it as long as it is productive for them.

Photo credit: http://www.interiordesign.net/projects/9899-2013-boy-winner-study-hall-school-library/

Source credit: http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin/admin347.shtml