This We Believe 1-26
Pages 1-26 in This We Believe discusses three topics regarding middle school education. The first is the importance of middle school education. Middle school students are unique and diverse in many different ways. Young adolescents not only go through physical and emotional changes that impact their educational experience, but society is constantly changing around them. These are changes that teachers must keep in mind when planning and implementing lessons. The second is the main goals of middle school education, which outlines 13 major goals. Two of the goals that stood out to me as being extremely important were students developing their strengths and talents, and students assuming responsibility for their actions. In order for students to be successful in the classroom, I believe it is incredibly important for them to be aware of their strengths and advocate for themselves. The third and final topic that is discussed in these pages are the attributes and characteristics of middle school education. One characteristic of middle level education is that students and teachers are engaged in learning. One quote that stood out to me on page 16 was that “successful middle grades practices purposefully empower young adolescents to assume this role, one that includes self-advocacy”. As mentioned above, I believe that self-advocating when it comes to one’s strengths and learning is key to being a successful student. I also agree with the idea that assignments and tasks must be challenging but achievable to students, and high expectations should be held for every student. This idea is key to keeping student engaged and motivated in the classroom.
This We Believe 27-33
Pages 27-33 in This We Believe discusses leadership and organizational structures within schools. The section begins by stressing the importance of having a shared vision.This shared vision should focus on promoting the learning and success of every student. It also stresses that school structures need a committed and knowledgeable leader to be successful. One thing that really stood out to me in the discussion of leadership was the statement on page 29 that “successful principals use the expertise of a variety of people…” In order to build an environment where everyone feels like that their opinions are valued, it is important that decision-making does not rely upon a single person. This is why I like the idea of teaming and having a leadership team that works alongside the administration. Another concept that stood out to me in this section was the idea of professional development programs that are based in a certain school. I like this idea because it makes professional development seem more relevant. From my experience with professional develop I find that many teachers find it boring and tedious because it often does not apply to the immediate need of the school they are working in. One thing that I am left curious about in this section is block scheduling. The section mentioned that during longer periods some students can be provided additional support and others can do other enrichment activities. I’m curious how this would work in the current middle school structure and how effective it would be for students.
This We Believe 33-42
Pages 33-42 of This We Believe discusses the middle school culture and environment. In addition, it also addresses how to get the parent and the community involved within the school community. One thing that is incredibly important to a safe school environment that is mentioned in these pages is how the members of the school address each other. Teachers and administrators should speak to each other with respect, and all staff should address students by their names. Students and staff should be able to feel like they can interact with each other comfortably. Another integral part of a middle school culture and environment is the idea of advocacy. I really like this idea of each student have an adult advocate within the school. This not only provides students with an adult that they trust in the school, but it allows them to set goals and to learn valuable skills. Equally important to a school is guidance and support services. These professionals use their knowledge to not only assist students, but to assist teachers and staff. Finally, the last thing that is addressed in these pages is how to involve families and community members. Involving families leads to higher levels of achievement for students and even less behavioral issues for many students. Getting families involved can be tricky, you always need to be sensitive to family structures and the local culture, but keeping that communication open is beneficial for all involved. On the other hand, involving the community in the learning process can be an incredible resource. It can provide students with a real life learning experience that they can’t get in the classroom.
This We Believe 43-62
This section of This We Believe takes the opportunity to reiterate the importance of providing an appropriate education for young adolescents. The section includes a call to action, which outlines ways in which an educator might begin to make some changes in their middle school. Also in this section is the research that was used to write and support this concept for middle school education. It is clear that a variety of sources have been used to develop a well rounded framework. The section ends by once again address the unique characteristics of young adolescents. I think it is important that they mentioned in this section that the importance or impact of a certain characteristic can different influences on different students. It is also noted that these characteristics are not experienced in any order, but are indeed intertwined meaning one characteristic can affect others. The area of development that stands out to me the most is psychological development. I think this is the area that I might be most sensitive towards because it was a major struggle of mine when entering middle school. Young adolescents are attempting to navigate a new place, a new schedule, and new teachers. On top of that they are trying to find their place within friends groups and within their community. I think this is something that educators need to be incredibly aware of when planning and interacting with young adolescents day to day. At this time students need a safe and supportive environment in order to navigate the changes going on around them.
Chapter 2 lays out multiple ways of motivating and engaging middle school students. There were a few strategies from this chapter that I find are incredibly important when trying to motivate and engage your students. There were also a few instructional strategies that I had never thought of using that I may end up using in my future classroom. I completely agree with the quote on page 463 that “Getting young adolescents to pay attention and learn is 80 percent of our battle in middle schools”. From the little bit of experience that I have with working with middle schoolers, I can say that this has been a battle at times. If you are unable to gain students’ attention your lesson is not going to effective for your students. When it comes to gaining attention I strongly believe in two strategies that were mentioned in this chapter. The first is having an interest in getting to know your students. If students feel like their teacher is interested in them they will value the time they spend in that teacher’s classroom. The second strategy is creating a good learning environment. If students feel safe and supported in the classroom they will be more engaged and more likely to participate. Lastly, a few instructional strategies that I had never thought of, but will most likely end up using are PQRST and exclusion brainstorming. I really like the idea of making readings a bit more structured, because as the author mentioned students often find reading from a textbook to be boring. Giving the reading a purpose will engage students with the material more. I also liked the exclusion brainstorming strategy. Trying to get students interested in a subject is half the battle when it comes to motivating students to participate in the classroom.
Chapter 1 of Meet Me in the Middle starts to explain how teachers can create a good learning environment for their students. It begins by discussing teachers’ motivations for teaching, as well as teachers’ attitudes. In addition, the chapter also stresses the importance of listening to students. There were a few ideas that stood out to me throughout this chapter. The first idea was that teachers should be going to work everyday prepared to enlighten their students. Although to most of us this seems like it should be a given, this is an important thing for teachers to remember. It is a teacher’s job to go to school everyday prepared with meaningful and effective lessons, not just a lesson to fill the time. Another idea that stood out to me was the idea of teachers with “high” egos versus “low” egos. This is another important thing to be aware of as a teacher, especially when it comes to students making mistakes. It is important to for students to know that it is okay for them to make mistakes in your classroom, and if you are constantly reminding them that they have made a mistake they are not going to want to participate in your classroom. Finally, the chapter brings up one final idea that I think is incredibly important, and that is teachers should be listening to their students. By listening to students, teachers are not only learning about their students, but what they could be doing to better support their students in their classroom. I really enjoyed the example given by the author because it shows that miscommunications can happen, but in the end the student and the teacher each learned something about each other.
Similar to chapter 1, chapter 2 also discusses the Turning Points model. However, it goes more into depth on the changes that have been made to the model, as well as how the model works together as a whole. One of the recommendations for this model that I liked the most was to “organize relationships for learning to create a climate of intellectual development and a caring community of shared educational purpose”. This idea of creating smaller communities within a bigger school is also something I became familiar with during my student teaching. From observing and participating in this process, I now strongly believe in the benefits it provides to teachers and students. This model provides teachers the opportunity to learn a great amount about their students, and it also provides students with the extra help that they need to be successful in school. Another section that stood out to me was changes to classroom structure versus practice was discussed. It is clear that in the past when this model has been implemented it has done little to create changes to classroom practice. Without changes occurring both in structure and practice little impact will be made when it comes to students’ performance academically. This dilemma reminds me a lot of what is going on in a lot of schools that are still figuring out how to implement proficiency based education in their schools. They are attempting to change the structure of their school, without having a full understanding how their practice must change (other than the standards that they will be required to teach and asses). Although it is a bit of a different scenario, it makes me curious to see how students perform academically under proficiency based education.
Chapter 1 discussed the Turning Points model that was proposed about ten years ago. While structural changes from the original model seem to have had an incredible impact on student performance, it is clear that little changes have been made to curriculum, assessment, and instruction. In addition, little has changed in addressing the needs in high-poverty areas. On page 6, Jackson and Davis suggest that “the poor quality of middle grades education in America’s cities means that up to half the students in our nation’s largest cities are unable to make a successful transition to high school”. This is quite a stunning statistic, and something that stood out to me in this chapter. If students are unable to make a successful transition into high school their drive to move onto higher education may be diminished. This statistic also stood out to me because I became invested in working with students transitioning into high school last semester during student teaching. It was apparent that some students seemed to be more socially prepared for high school, but not as academically prepared, and visa versa. Another thing that struck me was that a core value of the Turning Points model is equity for outcomes for every student. This means that teachers must have high expectations for all students from all backgrounds. I think that this is a very tricky issue for most teachers because it seems easy to get caught up in trying to assume who will succeed in your classroom and who will not. I also think it is difficult to change your mindset when you having categorizing students in this way. However, I do agree that this must be done in order for every single student has the opportunity and the support they need to succeed.
