Are we asking our students to take risks that we as adults aren’t willing to take? Structure is utilized in the middle school experience to build a safe learning environment for our students. Students are placed on teams where they take classes with the same peer group, increasing their comfort level in contributing to classroom
One middle school gives students a personal send-off On the last day of school for the past six years, after hiking a small mountain near our school in Vermont, we gather in the shade of venerable maples for a final ceremony with the eighth grade class. After each eighth grade team member reflects briefly on
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Robust learning happens when students have choice and voice in curriculum. “Students in the middle grades … have the ability to perceive deep truths and are making decisions that will affect the way they live the rest of their lives. This transitional time between childhood and adulthood is the prime time to introduce students to
Read More… from Moving into Action: Middle Level Learners as Change Agents
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In September, my seventh grade students gave me a quick social snapshot of their class. As their new school counselor, I had asked them to submit their thoughts anonymously in a box, and they didn’t hold back. Their comments and questions ranged from the philosophical to the practical: “Why do people spread lies? If someone’s
Read More… from Beyond Power Tools: How Maker Learning Can Improve Social Dynamics
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Implementing Disney principles in middle schools. From theme parks to movies, the Walt Disney Company is world-renowned for the high caliber of its customer experience. And, while many perceive how well they do what they do to be Disney “magic,” it’s not magic at all! Rather it is the result of two things: (1) Intentional,
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A transformative experience that will inform your approach to teaching As educators, we take a mental snapshot of our students. We figure the funny seventh grader who goofs off with boys in the hallway has plenty of friends to sit with at lunch. We assume the cynical loner who tries to sleep through our class
Read More… from When Every Educator in a Middle School Shadows a Student for a Day
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