Period (school)

Another special example of a middle school and high school period is the study period. In school or college, a study period is a period in a student's timetable where a student may undertake self-directed learning activities, rather than having lessons being taught by a teacher.

While study periods are normally intended for study activities, such as set exercises, problem solving, or homework, students often consider these periods of the school day as free periods and may use the time to socialize rather than study. For this reason, study periods may often be supervised by a teacher being present in the study room. In some instances, the teacher may even tutor the students, and the study period may become a tutorial, although this is not normally the case. Study periods often occur because of scheduling conflicts in the school timetable, when there is a mismatch between available students, teachers, subjects and classrooms.

Study periods are generally monitored by teachers or teacher's aides, who often encourage students to use this time to complete homework, catch up on missing assignments, or study for tests or quizzes. Sometimes, students also use periods to converse, make phone calls, text message, play video games, or otherwise socialize or pursue non-academic topics, though this is sometimes discouraged or forbidden. Periods in which such things are allowed are occasionally differentiated from study periods by the name "free period". Some students even eat lunch during a study period due to long lines and short lunch periods at their schools.

Study periods are often used by students to visit with teachers, who have a "prep period", in order to discuss work or assignments. A study period can be a period to utilize school resources or otherwise request teacher assistance in any subject not understood by the student.

Many academics feel that study period is an inefficient allocation of time which is often underutilized, but others say it is a positive addition to a regular schedule because it creates a good environment for completing homework or large projects.