Creating Opportunities for Productive Struggle in Math, ELA, Social Studies, and Science While productive struggle has been the focus of much research for the past two decades (e.g., Ewing et al., 2019; Hiebert and Grouws, 2007; Townsend et al., 2018), much of that research centered on mathematics content. Here we posit that productive struggle can,
How one school’s daily advisory program became a cornerstone of their culture The evidence is clear that young adolescent students benefit from having their academic and personal development guided by an adult advocate. Many schools promote this goal through an advisory program, or regularly schedule times when students can interact with a small group of
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How using fewer, more impactful words can help when navigating challenging situations with kids The following is an excerpt from AMLE’s newest publication, Help Us Begin: HUB mindsets and strategies for meaningful conversations with kids, especially when you are challenged by the topic. Order your copy to gain access to all of the strategies included
“If we are to build the real middle level school, the school that is developmentally responsive and intellectually vigorous, it will take convictions and the courage to carry them out.” -Dr. John H. Lounsbury Have you ever asked, what is the purpose of an association (like AMLE)? There are associations for just about every profession,
Read More… from Strategic Plan 2022-2026: A vision for the future of AMLE and middle level education
A beloved activity in my 7th grade science class was the mitosis dance activity. The kids worked collaboratively to choreograph a complex performance set to music and complete with a human cell wall and spindle fibers pulling apart the sister chromatids (aka their fellow classmates). I was pleasantly surprised to see that the activity engaged
[Note: This article is a significantly (about 75% so) revised version of a column I did in the February 2013 issue of AMLE’s Middle Ground magazine. It has been updated numerous times since, including through our time here in the 2021-2022 school year. RCW] Many schools aren’t designed for teaching. Most are designed to protect
Read More… from Where Do We Find the Time to Do All This Stuff?