Teaching

Joy in Reading: A Middle School Literacy Enrichment Program

A middle school community intentionally creates opportunities and experiences for all students to develop a love for reading. Only two remain. The girl and boy glance earnestly about as the votes are cast. One by one, the members present their decision to their leader. Once the elder finalizes the count, the group roars as the

Read More… from Joy in Reading: A Middle School Literacy Enrichment Program

Effective Instructional Practices for Diverse Learners

Using popular culture resources to engage learners. Middle level teachers can make learning engaging by using popular culture texts. When faced with the challenge of engaging students, many teachers often struggle to create relevant learning experiences while also meeting the needs of each learner. Four teachers at an Atlanta area school learned to integrate various

Read More… from Effective Instructional Practices for Diverse Learners

Doing What’s Best for Students

What’s best for students? I hear this question repeatedly in schools, yet day-to-day responsibilities often seems to get in the way of answering and fulfilling this promise. Best practices tell us that the more involved students are in their learning, the more they will grow. For this reason, we spend countless hours in professional development

Read More… from Doing What’s Best for Students

Derailing “IDK”

Helping students articulate questions and uncertainties. I have never been in a train wreck, but I have been in chaos created during a class discussion when a student sullenly mumbles, “I don’t know.” Lesson derailment! Disastrous emotional derailment! Let’s investigate the crash site. What? Why? How? What? As the lesson collapses like a house of cards,

Read More… from Derailing “IDK”

How do I help students develop the ability to engage in self-assessment? What can we do?

A teacher’s ability to facilitate self-assessment and student reflection on (independent of you) is essential during the middle grades years. Self-assessment is a student’s ability to check and understand his or her own progress toward a learning outcome. Students who self-assess are involved in personal check-ins, checkpoints, and goal reflections that are student centered, student

Read More… from How do I help students develop the ability to engage in self-assessment? What can we do?