9 Essential Questions Brainstorm Notes
Question 1: Why should an early adolescent’s educational experience by different from that of an elementary or high school student?
Ø Intense time of change
· Physical
· Cognitive
· Emotional
· Identity—figure out where you fit in
Ø This time of change is very diverse
Ø Curriculum
· Elementary school provides foundation
· High school emphasizes critical thinking
· Middle school uses the foundation to help students begin to engage in critical thinking
Ø Students need responsibility, yet a fair amount of guidance
Ø Sense of community is important, shift towards how the individual fits into that
community
Question 2: How can the organizational structure middle-level grades provide for the needs of an early adolescent?
Ø Organizational structures
· Types of scheduling
· Multi-age classrooms
· Homo/hetero groups
· Interdisciplinary teaching
· Looping
Ø Helping provide for the needs
· Helps become organized
· Allows responsibility
· Long term activities
· Provide stability and consistency
· Know what to expect
· Adjust easily to the unexpected
· Help students who need to work at being better
Question 3: What support structure should be provided for middle level students and why is this so important? What is the teacher’s role in this support system?
Ø Support structures
· Advisor-advisee
· Teams/grade families
· School
· Extracurricular groups
· Friends/Peers
· Parents
· Community
Ø Why important
· Need support during social changes
· Growing from dependency to independent
· Learn from implicit curriculum
Ø Teacher’s role
· Fills gap from other sources
· Advisor
· Show acceptance and support
Question 4: What curriculum is appropriate for the middle level student an dhow does the teacher access that curriculum?
Ø Curriculum
· Student-centered
· Manipulatives
· Diverse—multiple intelligences, race/ethnicity, ability, etc.
Ø Access
· Know your resources and your options
· Be creative
· Talk to others
· Know your students
· Know the topic
· Textbook reps
· Internet, library
· University resources
Question 5: What should characterize teaching and learning in the middle level classroom? Why?
Ø What
· Hands-on, minds-on
· Multiple intelligences
· Insightful teaching
· Relevant
· Interdisciplinary
Ø Why
· Involves all students
· Makes the learning and material more compelling
· Increased student learning
Question 6: What is the role of parents and community in the education of adolescents? How does the teacher engage these individuals in the students’ learning? Why is this important?
Ø PARTNERS
Ø Outreach activity—ways of getting parents and community into schools, like class grandparents, guest speakers, parent reading partners, etc.
Ø Service learning and community service—getting students to connect with community, like going to nursing homes, doing oral history projects, etc.
Ø Programming—official school activities and communications that are accessible to parents and community, like bilingual materials and meetings, having meetings off school grounds, etc.
Question 7: What should the environment be like in a middle level classroom? Why?
Ø Safe
Ø Supportive
Ø Positive (on multiple levels)
Ø Easy to see and hear
Ø Open
Ø Accepting
Ø Good learning environment
Question 8: What assessment and evaluation techniques are most appropriate for middle level students?
Ø Portfolio
Ø Using a variety of techniques
Ø Traditional and non-traditional (balance)
Ø Interviews
Ø Journals
Ø Demonstrations
Ø Performance assessments
Question 9: How does an effective middle level educator continue to learn and grow?
Ø Read—journals, book, internet
Ø Conferences—like Education Minnesota
Ø Organizations
Ø Community
Ø Open to new ideas
Ø Evaluate your lessons
Ø Collaborate with colleagues