This chapter discussed how to get parents and the overall community more involved into the school. There have been many studies about the effect parental involvement has on a student’s academic achievement. When there is high parental involvement in a student’s life the student will have an increased achievement, enhanced self-esteem, improved behavior, and better student attendance. Regardless of what the evidence shows to support parental involvement, it is a known fact that as a student moves through their academic career their parents become less involved. This happens because parents feel that students need more independence, because the parents are unable to help them with their school work, and also some parents are even intimidated since they never finished their school career. Another factor that can improve a student’s success in school is being involved in the community. This involvement can happen in a variety of ways; students can become more involved by participating in service learning projects, have career education, go to after-school programs or have a full-service community school. All these aspects work together to help create an encouraging environment for students at school, but as well in the community.
The big thing that I liked about this chapter was the inclusion of community involvement because as we all are aware many parents aren’t around much. I know that for me personally it wasn’t my parents that gave me support throughout my school years, but people in my community. I wish that more schools were even more open to the community because they play such an important role in encouraging development in students. As the panel of teachers discussed they make sure to allow community members into their schools because they have so much that they can offer to the students that parents and even teachers cannot. I do feel that it’s important to take into account where you are when considering ways to get parents and the community involved. If you live in an area that is very low-income you probably aren’t as likely to get much involvement, but I believe that if you have a positive attitude and demonstrate that you want to learn from the community members you would probably see an increase in involvement. I feel like parental involvement is so difficult because as a society we push independence; we want our students to be independent, but at the same time we’ve realized that they need more scaffolding to succeed in life. Parental and community involvement can be successfully done as long as there is a balance. I know that when I teach I will want parental involvement because I feel it’s important and this chapter gave me some great ideas on how to approach it.
This chapter discussed the various ways to get parents involved in the classroom. To get parents involved in the classroom Wormeli suggests using technology to communicate with parents. There are a variety of websites that can be used for parent teacher communication; some example websites are blackboard.com, myclass.net, and funbrain.com. He realizes that not every parent will have access to the internet or a computer, and for those parents he suggests using more old fashioned methods of communication. His suggestions are: postcards, having parents visit the classroom, teachers visiting the student’s homes, newsletters, report cards, surveys, and index cards. Each of the above suggestions are cheap, quick and effective ways that teachers can communicate with parents.
I thought this chapter was interesting because it gave so many suggestions on how to get parents involved in their student’s academic life. As we’ve discussed many times in class there is a decline in parental involvement when students enter middle school because parents try to give their students more space to grow. I also appreciated the fact that he realized not all parents have access to a computer and tried to come up with other ways to keep in contact with parents. Overall, I feel that this chapter was very helpful because it gave me a lot of ideas of how to get my parent’s actively involved in the classroom.
I thought this presentation was really interesting and got all of us actively involved in the presentation. I really liked the use of the various activities and my more anal side appreciated the fact that you included an agenda for us to see. Your website was very impressive and showed you were well prepared and knew exactly you wanted to present to us. I applaud your organization and upbeat attitude throughout the entire presentation. Another aspect I liked was your inclusion of Dr. Grace in the activities, because in many of the other presentations she’d been more of an observer and not a participant. I felt you accurately addressed some of the major conflicts faced in middle school such as bullying and the continued argument over same sex education.
The problem I had with the presentation was I didn’t feel like you told us anything. I liked Lincoln’s activity with the difference in ways boys and girls learn, but there was no explanation about why there were those differences. I left the presentation feeling very confused about what your book was actually about. I know that it was separated into three parts and that was the point in the different activities, but it wasn’t very clear what each part was about. I wish you had gone into more detail about the book and its various parts; things were mentioned (i.e. continuum) and weren’t really explained. Overall, I thought your presentation went really well so please don’t think I’m being a hater. I just really wanted to know more and I do realize that the reason you didn’t go into such depth may have been the lack of time or your author didn’t provide you with the information. So Good Job!
This chapter discusses how educators can create a safe and healthy school environment; as the authors stress if a student doesn’t feel safe they can’t be expected to perform academically. Teachers interviewed said they felt discipline was a big problem in their schools; the authors suggested the following strategies: common expectations for all students’ behavior, clarifying the consequences of misbehavior, having all staff members assume responsibility for student discipline, specifying teacher and administrator roles in handling discipline problems, and being consistent when implementing school wide discipline policies. Another problem in middle schools is the increased awareness of racial and ethnic differences between students. Lastly, the authors stress that teachers be aware of students risky behavior because there is an increased use of drugs, alcohol, and unsafe sex.
For me this chapter was nothing new, but it was a good recap of things I had heard from other classes. I actually found this chapter funny because all the topics the authors covered was recently discussed in my Special Education classroom; we had to create a positive classroom management plan. In this plan we had to include positive and negative consequences, a specific hierarchy, how to address cultural differences and classroom rules. I feel like because of this plan I am more prepared to create a safe and healthy environment for my students. The one aspect that I need to address when I’m in the field is how to encourage students to deal with risky behavior. Overall, I liked this chapter because I felt it discussed a lot of important issues that we face as pre-service teachers.
This chapter discussed how to plan effective instruction for middle grade students. There are three key aspects of teaching: curriculum, assessment and students; these three aspects are vitally important when planning effective instruction. Instruction needs to be available for every student in schools regardless of their abilities and encourage students to meet high expectations. The authors introduce three different models that teachers can use when planning effective instruction. The first model is authentic instruction; in this model students construct or produce knowledge, engage in deep thinking and questioning, and where their accomplishments have value beyond a grade. The second model is WHERE; in this model teachers keep in mind the purpose of an assignment, hooking students attention, allowing students to go deeper into material by use of extensions, reflecting on how an assignment went and changing it as needed, and lastly encouraging students to self-assess. The third model the authors discuss is differentiated instruction; teachers can differentiate in three different ways: they can change the content, process, and product based on student’s abilities. Another topic the authors stressed was the important of incorporating technology into the classroom; they want teachers to use technology not for fun and games, but using it in a way that encourages high order thinking.
At this point in the semester this information wasn’t very new to me; by now I have heard most of this information by someone in education. I felt the WHERE model was very similar to what Dr. Grace tries to get us to do with our lesson plans, but personally I liked the authentic instruction model the best. I feel like authentic instruction would really benefit high risk students because it allows them to see the value of an assignment outside of school which is always difficult to do. I liked how the authors mentioned teaching reading across content areas because it reminded me of the panel that was here. They mentioned how in their district they are trying to work on their literacy rates and because of that each content area has to incorporate literacy. This of course makes my English side cry with joy, because I find it said that in today’s world we have people that can’t read. I can understand not being solid in your multiplication facts, but in today’s world a lack of reading kills you. Everything incorporates reading and without a high literacy rate we cannot move forward as a nation.
This chapter discusses effective assessment and how to create it in your own classroom. Wormeli quotes Jay McTighe who said that assessment should promote learning, not just measure it. He demonstrates this by describing a situation when he assessed a student’s musical performance instead of assessing the student in a standard fashion. Wormeli has eight suggestions that teachers should keep in mind when grading; these suggestions are: defining clear goals, rigorous and motivating assessment, focusing on essential knowledge, using multiple disciplines, valid indicator of student’s knowledge, source of reliable information, using various formats, and easy to grade. Defining clear goals is important because then students are aware of what they are working towards so they aren’t surprised later on at the end of the unit. He suggests even going so far as to give students a copy of the test so they know what to prepare for. Wormeli suggests that assessment should be rigorous and motivating because students will put in more effort then they would for a standard assessment.
I liked this chapter because whenever I’m creating a lesson I always stumble when I get to the assessment part because I’m not quite sure what to do. I always hated worksheets so I like trying to find creative ways to assess students so that students can express their knowledge in a way that suits them. In my practicum I had to do a multi-genre paper for my Lit professor and it was so amazing! My topic was the Great Depression and I presented it in a letter, newspaper article, menu, and various other ways. I thought that was the best thing in the world and ended up doing it with my students; which didn’t exactly work, but I had the best of intentions. Overall, I really liked this chapter because it gave me a lot of ideas that I can use in my own classroom.
This chapter is about how to provide differentiated instruction to students that require it. Wormeli stresses how important it is for teachers to provide differentiated instruction to students because it’s impossible to expect students to learn at the same rate. He emphasizes that differentiating instruction doesn’t just mean giving easier or harder assignments; it’s supposed to be about changing the complexity of an assignment. Based on his own personal research, Wormeli created a list of characteristics on how to approach differentiated instruction. Some of his characteristics are: risk taking, being empathetic, organized, flexible, tenacious, resourceful, and able to collaborate. Wormeli also discusses how differentiating instruction based on the multiple intelligences can be helpful for students. He ends with saying how he felt that if he had tried to differentiate instruction sooner then he may have been able to help particular students succeed academically.
This is a topic that we hear about frequently over our education career. Differentiated instruction is probably the most important thing a teacher can do, but it’s also probably the most difficult. In my practicum class I had 2 severely autistic students, 1 student with emotional disturbance, 3 more with learning disabilities, 2 gifted and talented students, and then the rest of the class. I remember planning a lesson felt like walking through a mine field because I was never quite sure where I could or couldn’t go based on the student’s various levels. The high note was at the end of a unit of the Revolutionary War my students presented about a person that played an important role in the war. I told them they could present the information however they wanted and I can remember the look of pride on my two students with autism when they showed their poster board. I feel like differentiating instruction is an area I struggle in, but hope to improve.
This chapter discussed the concept of holding students and teachers accountable for high standards. Wormeli encourages teachers to hold their students accountable for their grades. In this chapter Wormeli recognizes that holding a student accountable can involve risk tasking. He illustrates this with a story about a boy with Tourette’s syndrome and how he had the boy play the lead role in a play. Wormeli felt that doing this encouraged the student to reach for a higher goal and that he made the student accountable for this performance. To hold students accountable for meeting high standards Wormeli suggests: providing models of success, display assignments publicly, reducing or eliminating extra credit projects, allowing students to struggle and having a telephone in your classroom. Other suggestions Wormeli made on how to meet state standards were: putting the student first and not just teaching to the test, keeping yourself aware of new relevant research, make sure school is about learning and not maintaining control of students, make sure students understand and be prepared to re-teach content in new ways, collaborate with colleagues, seek and use available resources, and give students time to learn the format of state exams. Doing these suggestions will according to Wormeli create students that are successful and able to analyze information.
I found this chapter to be interesting because it encouraged teachers to hold not only themselves, but their students to high standards. I found this to be interesting because I feel like a recent trend in education is to not hold students accountable. For example, the school in Rhode Island fired all its teachers because of the grades; the problem may have been the instruction style, but it also could have been students weren’t as one parent suggested willing to put in the work. I liked how this chapter connected well into the Turning Points 2000 points. I feel like the suggestions in this book would create a great environment in which students are accountable for themselves and determine their success. I think that it is important for teachers to also be held accountable and like how Wormeli has his students grade him. I would like to use this in my classroom.
I really enjoyed this presentation; it was by far my favorite presentation seen so far. I thought they started off the presentation with good energy and caught my attention by placing an agenda on the board. I particularly liked that because I appreciate when people help my brain focus on each activity by clearly organizing the information in a way I can follow. I thought the backburner activity was ingenious because it helped relieve stress, but it also encouraged us to see other’s perspectives since we learned what was stressing them. I would definitely use that activity in my class because it helps students in a variety of ways. Another aspect of the presentation that I felt worked well was using the animal references when discussing the parts of the brain; though after awhile I got confused as to what was what. Overall, I thought this presentation was great and introduced a dry topic in an exciting and interesting way.
The problems I had with the presentation were the amount of information given to us in such a short period of time and the use of the jigsaw. When Cassie described the different parts of the brain we had the note taking sheet to help us, but I think I would have rather had a sheet with notes already on it. Since, she was giving us so much information I had a hard time following her and taking notes. Another problem I had was the jigsaw; at this point if I never see another jigsaw it would be soon. Both groups that have presented have done one and I feel that there is too much information given to us for us to accurately present the information to other people.
I liked the handouts, especially the one about the different types of learners, but I really wanted to know about the other types of learners. I know there are definitely more then three types of learners and felt that the others were just ignored. On one handout was suggestions on how to encourage movement in the classroom, but I wished that the presenters discussed more how to efficiently teach a lesson and incorporate the amount of movement the book suggests.
At the end of the day I was really impressed with the presentation and commend the group on tackling such a dreadfully boring book. Your presentation was really fun and it demonstrated the personality you will have in your own classrooms. Good Job!
This chapter discussed how to take brain research and use it to create a better learning environment for middle school students. It’s also important for teachers to understand how their student’s brains work so they can work their student’s to the best capacity. For example, Wormeli suggested having multiple students answer the same question, this way students don’t relax their minds and instead are thinking about other ways to answer the question. Another important aspect mentioned in this chapter was the importance of making learning relevant to a student’s life. When knowledge is relevant a student will be able to make connections to the material and store the information in their memory. To make knowledge relevant and interesting for students Wormeli suggest the use of Bloom’s Taxonomy which has seven skills: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Using these skills will help students not only build a core of knowledge, but also learn how to think for themselves.
I found this chapter to be very interesting because of the way the information helps me plan better lessons. In my PSY 225 class we covered some of this information, but we never discussed why it’s important to know this as future teachers. I found it interesting that Bloom’s Taxonomy was mentioned in this chapter since we have it drilled into our brains whenever we create a lesson plan. Wormeli mentioned that most people overlook it because it’s so widely known, but I know that personally it’s the first thing I turn to when I’m creating a lesson. I liked the section that specifically discussed student’s misconceptions and how to make sure to address them. I agreed with that because I’ve witnessed a small misconception in a student that eventually turns into something huge. Overall, I enjoyed the chapter and will implement some of the items discussed into my own classroom.
The class agreed that they felt this chapter discussed the various outdoor activities teachers can do with their students. If teachers do some of these activities outside of the school setting it gives students a chance to see that their teachers are real people and not just a teacher. Another positive that comes out of these outdoor activities is the sense of responsibility students have; Wormeli found that students were more likely to do things for themselves after having these types of experiences. Also, students have a sense of gender equality because they all have the same responsibilities and participate in the same activities. Overall, the class felt that Wormeli was promoting these activities because of the changes seen in student’s behaviors.
Most of the class really liked this chapter and felt that they would implement some of the ideas into their own classroom. For example, one activity most people liked was having students write while outdoors. Some of the class could remember when they had experiences outside of school that allowed them the chance to see their teachers as something other than just a teacher. We’ve all had that moment when we see one our teachers in a store or something and they’re acting out of “character” and we get really confused because we have forgotten they are people too. Some of the class raised the issue of practicality and safety of overnight excursions and suggested that it may be better to just have day trips to local outdoor areas. Overall, the class liked the activities and would like to implement some of them in their own classrooms even if they have to adapt the activity.
I found this presentation to be extremely informative and interesting. It presented me with material that I haven’t seen before and left with me with a curiosity to observe this in a classroom. One aspect of the presentation that I thought worked well was having all of the class get up and move to the different areas of the room when questions were asked. I liked that the presenters asked why we were in that group and if we would have liked to have seen our schooling worked out differently. The other thing that I enjoyed was the activity they did at the end of the presentation; they have everyone pick a favorite quote and explain why they chose it and how they would implement it in their classroom. I feel like the presenters really grasped the concept of a student-oriented curriculum and that was noticeable in the way they presented the information to us.
The few problems that I had with the presentation were the jigsaw and the final activity. I liked the concept of the jigsaw, but I didn’t feel that it worked out well. The amount of information given was too much to process at one time; the group I was first with had note cards given to us to help us take notes, but I felt like that was a waste of time. There was another group that had notes typed up by one of the presenters and I felt that the notes would have been more efficient. Also, I had a hard time understanding what other teams were saying since they hadn’t read the book. I think I would have preferred just having the presenters talk to us as a whole class instead of in groups. Maybe we could have still done a jigsaw, but instead had each group come with ideas on how we would implement the presenter’s suggestions in our own classroom. The other problem I had with the presentation was the assumption that everyone would agree with the material. As we witnessed with Jen, whom I agreed with, some of the suggestions posted on the board didn’t work with certain people’s teaching philosophy. I would have liked to have seen what they would have done to work with the people who weren’t completely sold on their book.
The two questions I had at the end of the presentation were: “How would you be completely inclusive in your classroom if you have students with severe disabilities like autism?” and “How and why would you implement this in your own classroom?”
Thank-You for an interesting look at another type of middle school environment. I enjoyed learning about a different, slightly unorthodox, teaching philosophy. Your presentation has left me wanting to observe these alternatives schools to see how they work. Good Job!
This chapter discussed the various outdoor activities that teachers can do with middle school students. Wormeli was an advocate for these activities because he felt there were many revelations made on these trips. For many students, going on a trip with a teacher is a new experience, and while they’re on the trip they are able to see a different side of the teacher. Also, the teacher is able to see a different side of their students. While students are on a camping trip they come to appreciate all the commodities they have at home since they don’t have them here. Also, when teacher’s do these type of activities with their students, there tends to be an increase in student’s level of independence; without being nagged to, they will pick up after themselves, clean up their own messes, figure out things on their own, and overall just be more independent. The things that students can learn while doing these outdoor activities cannot be taught outside and because of this Wormeli strongly encourages teachers to implement some of his ideas.
When I first started reading this chapter I was a little hesitant to accept Wormeli’s ideas because I felt there were so many unknown elements; I felt that it was an accident in the making since students could wander, how would you contain a group of students in the wild and the possibility of student’s saying there was inappropriate conduct. Then I thought about all the possible rewards as a result of these activities and I realized that the benefits outweighed the possible negatives. My favorite activities were: “Math as a Tool to Study Nature, from Water Flow to Tree Grow” and “Outdoor Writing”. I thought that both activities were designed well and students would be doing academic activities as the same time as having fun. Overall, I enjoyed this chapter because of the suggestions Wormeli had. I can see myself referring back to this book to come up with possible ideas as to what I would do on a trip with my students.
This chapter discussed how to make middle school curriculum reach out to every student. The authors suggest that teachers who want to create a curriculum that will make students succeed should focus on tying them to the standards. They call this concept the backward design, because teachers would first pick a standard they want to meet and go from there. Most of the rest of the chapter discussed how to chose standards and implement them; some of their suggestions were making sure that when choosing standards they are useful and clear, brief, and if it’s possible for the students to cover all the standards the teachers want. After they discussed the curriculum, the authors discussed the different assessment methods that teachers can use to connect with the standards. When teachers are assessing they should make sure that they assess students both formally and informally in multiple ways. The authors suggested that teachers focus on authentic assessment because it makes the assessment real and interesting for the students. By using authentic assessment, teachers are given students the chance to demonstrate their knowledge in a real way.
I thought this chapter was interesting because a lot of what was discussed was new information and I would like to see it implemented before I pass judgment. The authors really brought up a lot of good points when they discussed how to pick standards for instruction. For example, they suggest that a standard should be feasible and developmental; this is something that we constantly see schools fail at. Students will get this huge textbook on the first day of school and they never actually make it through the entire thing. I can’t tell you how many different years I covered the same topics just in different ways. Schools always seem to end right around World War I or II. I liked many of the suggestions because I felt that if they had been implemented when I was in school I probably would have paid more attention to certain subjects.
In these few pages the discussion was about how important middle grade education is and how to create a successful school. The NMSA believes that middle school’s should not chose some of the characteristics that they have created; they believe that for a middle school to be successful it will take hard work and implementing all of the suggestions the NMSA have come up with. In the first seven pages is a look at all the different factors that young adolescents are facing during this time period. At this point in a young adolescents life they are changing rapidly, experiencing puberty, looking to peers for support and beginning to develop a sense of right and wrong. Overall, in these first opening pages, the NMSA presents their ideas of how to create a successful middle grades education system.
I felt like the NMSA’s suggestions were very similar to what was presented in the Turning Points 2000 book. I thought they raised many good reasons on why it is important to have a middle grades education system. At this point in their life, young adolescents are facing many different things that can help them be successful or cause them to lose focus on their goals. I believe that the suggestions the NMSA created would, when implemented, create a successful middle school.
Pages 9 – 19:
I had a hard time reading the ten pages out of this book since they were identical to the reading in chapter six of Turning Points 2000. Nonetheless, I liked what was discussed in this section of readings; I feel like the suggestions of including everyone in the learning cycle would create a good atmosphere. I think it is very important that people are aware of what they are getting themselves into when they think about teaching middle school because it is not for everyone. I believe that it takes a very special type of person to foster the development of young adolescents. I also believe that to have an encouraging middle school environment teachers have to form a collaborative team; they have to demonstrate the ideals that they are trying to teach their students. For example, if a teacher is respectful to another teacher, students will witness this and try to demonstrate the same behavior. At this age students are very “monkey see monkey do”, so it’s important to always try to maintain a professional image that will promote a good environment for students.
Pages 19 – 34:
In these pages the topic of discussion is how to create a middle school curriculum. The NMSA suggests that curriculum should be relevant, challenging, integrative and exploratory. They suggest to curriculum should be relevant in such that it allows students to ask questions about the world and search out the answers. When teachers do this, they are allowing students to become actively involved in their own learning; doing this helps keep students interested in what they’re learning because they are playing a role in the education system. To create a challenging curriculum the NMSA believes that curriculum should get students actively involved in their learning and keep them interested. I like this suggestion, because I can remember many times as student where I would ask what the point of an assignment was. I believe that having an integrative assignment is so important if you want your students to succeed; when they go from one class to another and the topic is the same, it really helps them better understand the topic. Lastly, to create an exploratory curriculum teachers have to allow students to have the chance to figure things out on their own. When students have the chance to seek things out on their own they are excited! Young adolescents love being given the opportunity to do “adult” things and will gleefully discuss their findings with you.
I really agreed with what the NMSA suggested to create a successful middle school. I believe that as teachers we are facing a more difficult time in creating middle school curriculum because of how diverse middle schools have become. Schools aren’t just facing the difficulty of creating curriculum, but they are also facing all the changes students go through. For example, middle school is the time when students begin to experiment with drugs, alcohol, dieting, and sex. It can be hard to get your students focused on you when they are focused on what’s going on outside the curriculum. Overall, I liked this section, but again felt like it was repeating what we had already read in other books.
Pages 35 – 51:
In pages 35 – 51 the main topic of discussion was an overview on the steps necessary for the education system to put the NMSA’s suggestions into practice. Another topic of discussion was the characteristics of young adolescents. In the implementation plan all of the people in the education system were told what they would to take to put the suggestions into place. All the people mentioned were: teachers, principals, parents, superintendents, local and state boards of education, departments of education, and teacher educators. What I found interesting was that they didn’t mention anything about students being involved which is odd considering what we have talked about in class.
I felt like the characteristics of young adolescents are being slammed into our brains repeatedly; quite of few of the readings we have done lately have been about young adolescents. For this I am grateful, because I feel like I have a much better grasp on the different changes young adolescents are experiencing. One thing I found funny was how they repeatedly mention that this book is meant to be used with the companion volume, but we’ve never looked at the companion volume. Overall, I liked this book and would have rather read from just this book instead of some of the other readings that were eerily similar in topics.
In this chapter Wormeli discusses his belief of making sure that students are allowed and encouraged to be active during classes. Wormeli recognizes how this is a hard time for young adolescents during this time period because of the fast physical changes that take place in their bodies. Because of this he suggests getting students up and out of their seats at least every ten to fifteen minutes. He suggests allowing students to hand in their papers, switch seats, or work with another group. Wormeli recognizes that these suggestions are not the only ways teachers can get their students to be active. He suggests creating lessons that get students up and out of their seats. He used the example of going outside and using trees to demonstrate ratios.
I really liked this chapter and agree with what Wormeli suggested; I think that it is important to get students up and active. I liked a lot of the activities that he suggested especially measuring trees for ratio; when we did ratio in math, our worksheets would put pictures of a person and a tree, which now that I look back at it seems so funny. They gave us worksheets that we could have easily gotten rid of if we had just gone outside and done the work ourselves. The one thing that I disagreed with was his suggestion to have students get up every ten to fifteen minutes. I do think that students should have many different opportunities to stretch and move around, but if they’re up every ten minutes you’ll never have the opportunity to teach.
In this chapter Wormeli supports his belief that with block scheduling students get a better education. He believes that with the longer eighty minute block teachers are able to better plan out an effective class period. He gives an example of how he would plan out an eighty minute block. First the teacher comes up with the objectives they want the students to meet in the lesson, how to get students involved in the lesson, the teacher then will create the lesson sequence and extensions. Wormeli also stresses the importance of summarizing the lesson for students over the course of the lesson so that they don’t forget the material or get confused. Also, Wormeli suggests that teachers should assess students both formative and summative means. Lastly, Wormeli raises the issue of student absences; when a student misses a day of classes in a block schedule they miss a much larger class period. His suggestions were to have students have partners they can go to for missing work, have a homework posting service, or make yourself more available to the students to go over the missing work. Overall, Wormeli believes that having middle schools use a block schedule creates a better atmosphere since there is less transition time and more time for teachers to get the material across to students.
I agreed with some of the points that Wormeli raised, but others I thought were crap-assed. For example, block scheduling does not lessen the amount of absences students have. I’ve been to multiple schools that were block schedule and they had huge problems with attendance and mischief. For example, one year between classes (eight different times) students managed to write bomb on various items and cause the entire school to evacuate. I think that a big plus of block scheduling is it prepares students for college, because you have a day in between to get the homework done. The one thing I didn’t like about block schedules was the amount of homework you would have. Since we would cover more material in class, we would have more homework. I believe that you get more homework in a block schedule then you do when you have all your classes in one day. I’ve had both systems and I feel like block scheduling is really difficult for students to deal with. It can be confusing and it is a large chunk of time to expect a student to pay attention without a break. I think that I like the other type of schedule more since it’s more consistent, but then again that just suits my personality type.
This chapter discussed how to organize a middle school that would create the best environment for young adolescents. A key component in a young adolescent’s life is relationships and it’s very important that this is incorporated into their education. When young adolescents have relationships in middle school they are more successful. In this chapter the authors suggest that it is better for middle schools to maintain a smaller size; their suggestion is schools should not exceed a population of 600 students. They recognize that it is not always possible to have a school of this size, so they recommend that when dealing with a larger student population to create “houses”. Doing this will allow students to have a more personalized education and would create the feeling of a smaller school. With the creation of “houses” students become more familiar with their teachers and build a relationship that benefits them; it is also suggested that teachers should have the same students for an extended period of time so this relationship can further develop. In “houses” teachers form teams that work together to create an effective environment in which students can succeed academically. Teaming is not easy for teachers to do, for it to be successful there is a need for support from the entire faculty, time for planning, and a clear chain of command.
I think that this chapter raises a lot of good points, but would like to see this implemented. While one of the middle schools had this system in place it was more of an in name only thing. There were “houses” and advisory programs, but they were not successful. Even so, I liked the suggestions and would love to work in a school that successfully implemented them. I think that it would make for a better educational experience if schools and the teacher to student ratio were smaller. I like the idea of working on a team because you have other people you can turn to for guidance; I know that there are times when teachers need another opinion and working with a group of fellow teachers would be great. I know that one of my worries as a future teacher has been how to teach when you have so many students; I like the concept of having a more manageable classroom because you get to know your students and are better equipped to help them.
In this chapter the topic of discussion is how to be a good advisor to young adolescents. Wormeli used one of past situations to demonstrate how important it is to change how we do advisory programs. In his case, they went hiking, and while on the hike his students behaved in ways that were different from the way they behaved in the classroom. Doing this activity allowed teachers to see another side of their students and for students to see the good in one another. Wormeli suggests that doing a full-day advisory session gives the chance for all students to shine in one way or another. When students are in the classroom the only way you can normally gain attention is for being a good student or a bad student, whereas doing a physical activity a student could be recognized for being athletic.
I really liked Wormeli’s suggestion to change the way we do advisory sessions. I think that giving students a chance to see teachers outside of school will help them feel more comfortable around them. Also, when you do the advisory days teachers have the chance to see their students in a new light. For example, if you took students hiking you may learn about how certain students really like to hike. I feel like if we had done this in my middle school people would have loved the opportunity to get out of the school and do something fun together.
In this chapter the main topic was how to create a successful middle school team of teachers. With the creation of teams, teachers are than better prepared to help their students achieve academic success. For example, when teachers work on a team together they can better plan due dates so that students don’t have multiple projects due on the same day. Since teachers are working together is unites them as a group and allows for integration across different subjects. When you have a team of teachers it is important to have your values as a group available somewhere. Also, each team member has to hold one another accountable for their actions.
I liked the idea of team teaching because I feel like it would make middle school easier to transition into for students. I can remember there were times when all the teachers would have major assignments due on the same day and we’d wonder why the teachers didn’t talk about scheduling conflicts. I think that when you’re on a team you are better prepared to help a student, because when you’re by yourself you only see a student in your class whereas other teachers can present their observations. Doing this allows you to really make sure that a student is getting the best available help. I think that it would be exciting to be on a middle school team because I think that you’d really have a chance to develop a good middle school environment for their students.
In this chapter the topic of discussion was how to be a middle school teacher that inspires their students. One suggestion Wormeli had was to always maintain a positive attitude, even when you’re having a difficult day. If you show up with a smile on your face your students will respond. Wormeli also discussed how it was important to make your students comfortable with you. It’s important for middle school teachers, or any teacher, to make sure to listen to their students because they can bring up very important subjects. The example the author used with his student who felt humiliated demonstrated how important it is to maintain a line of communication with your students.
I thought that this chapter raised a lot of important issues, which make you more conscientious as a teacher. I think Wormeli raised a good point when he said that you should listen to your students; it’s very easy for me to get into the mind frame of “I’m right and you’re wrong” and I never give the other person a chance to explain. What I disagreed with him on was his belief that you should allow your students to touch you. He went so far as saying that students will lay their heads on their shoulders; in today’s education system that could cause you to get fired. I believe it is important to maintain a sense of connection with your students, but I don’t think that they should treat you like a friend/parent. I think that to maintain a good relationship with students, you have to maintain a balance between the teacher relationship and being friendly.
Chapter 2:
This chapter discussed the various ways that middle school teachers can make learning fun for students. Wormeli raised the idea that students will not actually learn unless they are actively involved in their work. Wormeli presented various ideas that middle school teachers can use to get their students involved in their schoolwork. He suggests that teachers present the material to students in an enthusiastic way, such as a game and students will retain the material better because they are actively involved. Wormeli also suggests making sure that you are meeting the different learning styles of your students because not all students learn or work in the same way. Another suggestion Wormeli had was to make sure that you are clear about what goals you have, because when teachers aren’t clear students will lose whatever motivation they had to complete the assignment. Overall, Wormeli was discussing how important it is for teachers to make sure that the material they present is done in a user friendly or adolescent friendly way.
I agreed with what Wormeli said about presenting material in a way that makes it interesting for students. I can remember the times in middle school that I would be bored out of my mind, because the material was presented in such a way that I lost interest quickly. I think it is so important to remember that when you are teaching middle school your students will be between the ages of 11-14. You cannot expect the average student of this age to sit through an hour long lecture and retain the material. When you’re young you need to be taught in a variety of ways that maintain your attention. The little notes from the students just demonstrate and further validate what Wormeli was saying: it is important to remember who you’re teaching. Once you remember that you’re dealing with young adolescents it’s much easier to regain your sense of fun and make them an active participant in their own education.
Chapter 17:
In this chapter Wormeli was telling teachers of young adolescents to not give up on their students. He was reminding us how important it is to look at the positive instead of only looking at the negative. He pointed out how the one percent of adolescents receives press for their bad actions, but the other ninety-nine percent don’t receive any for the many good deeds they do. Wormeli was pointing out how teachers of young adolescents need to appreciate the quirks that this group demonstrates. In this chapter he said how he felt more comfortable leaving his children with students in middle school because at this age they are very conscientious of their actions. They are very worried about how they are perceived, whereas when students get into high school they lose the connections they have with their teachers.
I agree with what Wormeli said, I do think that the small groups of students that misbehave in middle school get attention, whereas the students that work hard and are successful are never heard from. I think that I’m going to work hard to make sure that instead of being impatient with my students, I will instead appreciate their quirks and make each class entertaining. The more I read about young adolescents the more I know that middle school is meant for me. I think young adolescents are more eager to learn and at this age group they are very easily encouraged. Students at their point in life are just learning who they are and it is very enjoyable to watch as they discover themselves.
This chapter covered the reasons why a distinct form of education was created for middle school. In 1987, when research was done on young adolescents, researchers realized that young adolescents are in an important time in their life because of their opportunity for success and their vulnerability to failure. The Task Force on Education of Young Adolescents published their report in 1989; this report’s findings paved the way for middle school education to begin changing. The task force realized that young adolescents need a certain type of educational system; for example, large middle grades schools needed to be divided into smaller communities so they could have a sense of comfort. When young adolescents enter middle school they feel out of place because they don’t have the same comfort level as they did in elementary school; middle school is an entirely different situation, one in which there is less of a focus on being supportive for students. In the report there are many helpful suggestions that have been proven to raise grades; though not to a point where young adolescents are at the same level as their peers globally. As pointed out in this chapter, the students in the United States are falling behind their peers on the global level; here in the US, there are increasing problems with drugs, alcohol, unprotected sex, pregnancy, and STDs. The purpose of this new education system was to help young adolescents become successful and be less at risk.
I thought this chapter was useful, because it pointed out what problems we as future middle school teachers are facing. I felt like this chapter put things in perspective because it really showed me the challenges that I’ll face. I liked the suggestions that the task force report gave; especially when it talked about putting large middle school groups into smaller communities. I know that when I was in Lincoln Middle School in Portland, Maine we had the 7th grade split up into “houses” and in each house we were separated into sections. What frustrates me is we have all this data that talks about how the US is falling behind globally, but no one does anything about it; the students that are struggling now are the ones that will be running the country in a few years and that thought frightens me. We know that students that are non-white struggle more in schools, but we do not forcefully attempt to rectify the situation. I feel like, we as teachers, are failing our students because as the chapter said, “The hard fact is that many educators believe some groups of students are less able to achieve academically because they see these groups of students achieving less than others on a daily basis”. I feel like teachers do notice the problems, but they aren’t sure how to tackle the issues; I think that the recommendations of the task force are a start, but they are not the end.
Chapter 2:
In this chapter the writer is explaining how the turning points recommendations changed after they had the research from the past ten years. The goal of turning points was to ensure success for every student because they felt that the original recommendations were not specific enough. For example, in the original recommendations it seemed that the core knowledge they discussed was inflexible and a prescribed body of knowledge. Whereas, in the newer recommendations it does discuss the core knowledge, but they want it to be flexible so it can reflect the changes seen in society. Doing this helps make sure that the curriculum taught is relevant to the adolescent’s lives because when it’s not, it’s difficult to get them interested. Overall, they modified the recommendations to better encompass every student instead of a select few.
What I liked about this chapter was how the modified recommendations worked. I felt that the first set of recommendations was very vague; they had goals that they wanted to achieve, but they didn’t really specify how. In comparison, the new recommendations the task force provided suggestions on how to ensure success for every student in a way that middle grade teachers could understand and implicate. I also liked how people are beginning to say use the word “every” instead of “all” students because I do feel like when you use the word “all” people are mentally excluding large groups of students. The recommendation I felt was modified the best, was the recommendation to make curriculum relevant to students. I’ve never understood how we can expect a set curriculum to work with every student. Teachers are going to have to use different strategies and curriculum with different types of students and in different types of locations.
