MiddleWeb

Two Videos with Excellent Teaching Tips

In a recent MiddleWeb newsletter, we highlighted Success at the Core, a website filled with videos about high-impact instructional strategies and ideas for leading change at the school level. It's all free — just register to access everything on the site. If you'd like to sample before signing up, here are two sample videos that don't require becoming a SATC member:

The Big Brain - a Cooperative Learning Protocol – Take a look at how students in Barbara Cleveland’s seventh grade math class use a small group cooperative learning protocol in a math investigation.

Facilitating Student-Centered Discussion – Take a look at how students in Steven English’s eighth grade science class refine their understanding of scientific concepts through small group and whole class discussions.

Each video runs about 8 minutes. As you'll see, just below the video window, SATC has provided some information about the school, class length, etc. Both of these videos involve classes with lots of student diversity.

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AVID: College Readiness for All

More and more middle schools are launching AVID programs -- Advancement via Individual Determination - as a structured way to help their students focus on the goal of college completion. This news story profiles an AVID program in Glendale CA that emphasizes rigor, boosts students' critical-thinking skills, and offers college field trips to students who may be the first in their families to consider higher education. You'll find more at the AVID website, including details of a national conference set for Dec. 9-11 with the theme "Delivering the Dream: College Readiness for All."

 

Create a Classroom Culture of Risk-Taking

This article from Educational Leadership's "Meaningful Work" issue (Sept 2010) sums up 20 years of research by Carol Dweck and her colleagues, identifying two distinct ways in which individuals view intelligence and learning. The fixed mindset believes intelligence is simply an inborn trait, while those with a growth mindset believe that they can develop their intelligence over time. Dweck argues that not only does meaningful schoolwork promote students' learning of academic content, it can also teach students to love challenges, to enjoy effort, to be resilient, and to value their own improvement. She shares ideas about how to help students come to see that long-term growth and success depends on taking risks.

 

Return of the Middle School Model

  We recently shared a news article about some Illinois school districts that were abandoning the "fluffy" middle school philosophy and returning to good old junior highs. Now an Ohio district is heading in the opposite direction. Faced with chronic poor performance after years of functioning like junior highs, this fall the Columbus school system is going back to the middle school model. Then there's the new NYC study saying K-8 rules. Maybe it's not about grade configuration at all?

 

YA Novels Renew Excitement about Learning

Middle grades instructional coach Elena Aguilar suggests that shared novels and storytelling can help reignite excitement about learning and build community among students returning to school.

As a teacher, on the first day of school, I wanted my students to know that in my class we would read a lot and we'd read great literature, literature that would help us understand our world better, and ourselves. In the first weeks of school, I also needed to build community in my classroom, define routines and procedures, and particularly in middle school, get kids re-anchored in the purpose and pleasure of learning. I used stories to accomplish all of these objectives...

In her Edutopia blog, Aguilar recommends three favorite books that work well at the beginning of the year. See her suggestions and other story ideas from her readers.

Teaching Secrets: Cultural Competency

What is the most effective path for working with students who come from backgrounds different than your own? Middle grades instructional coach Elena Aguilar offers her ideas in this recent Teacher Magazine article titled "When the Kids Don't Share Your Culture." Aguilar's 13 tips will be of interest not only to new teachers but to all who work with children in multi-cultural classrooms.

English Language Learners: What Principals Need to Know

"When schools are set up with teams, professional learning communities, and block scheduling, a great deal can be done to ensure the success of ELLs," says this article from a recent issue of NASSP's Middle Level Leader. Providing ELLs and their teachers with an effective program, writes teacher and clinician Courtney George, "requires that school leaders understand some of the basics about second language acquisition theory as well as how structural changes at the school level can provide teachers and kids with the support they need and deserve." George summarizes the current research and program approaches and offers two student scenarios to frame her message.

Schools Still Exploring Single Gender Classes

A Virginia school district will pilot single-gender classrooms in grades 6-8 during the coming school year. The focus will be on core academic classes. While some groups question whether such approaches "prepare students for the real, coed world of work and family," school and district leaders cite research evidence and their own experience in defending a practice they say can help some students flourish who might not otherwise. According to the National Association for Single Sex Education, about 500 public schools in the U.S. offer single-gender programs of some kind.

What Does It Take to Get Really Good?

At the Fires in the Mind site, sponsored by What Kids Can Do, young people are sharing stories about their own efforts to get really good at something -- from ballroom dancing and skateboarding to developing mathematical thinking and good study habits. As always, WKCD provides the authentic voices of a diverse cross-section of American youth -- a precious commodity. And they've included mindful ideas for teachers and parents to start some fires of their own. The site asks: "Do kids have to be born with talent to shine at math or chess or debate or cello? What draws them in, and keeps them going when things get harder? What's happening at school--or not happening--to light the fires in young people's minds?"

PBS Picks Teacher Innovators

In this press release, read details (and see video) about the top 10 teachers recently honored by the Public Broadcasting System for their innovative teaching. The group includes three teachers in the middle grades, but you'll find easily adaptable innovations from other grade levels, including Robert Schechter's "An Author You Can't Refuse," a writing strategy he employs with ELL and mainstream students. PBS has featured nearly 200 middle level teachers over the course of this awards program, so be sure to explore the Gr. 6-8 dropdown menu at the innovation gallery. See, for example, this video of history teacher Joe Huber sharing animation work of his 8th graders.

New Teachers: Let Kids Struggle

Veteran middle grades teacher Ellen Berg has sage advice for new and not-so-new teachers in this Teaching Secrets article at Teacher Magazine, "Don't Cripple with Compassion." Berg, an eighth grade language arts teacher in San Diego, had her personal aha moment about letting students struggle more with learning while attending a math conference, oddly enough. Berg offers a concrete example from her classroom describing how she's toughened up her teaching and the positive results she's seen.

PD Sourcebook: Response to Intervention

The Spring 2010 issue of Professional Development Sourcebook is devoted to stories and resources about the Response to Intervention (RTI) model, which integrates assessment and intervention to maximize student achievement and reduce behavior problems. Among our favorite resources in this info-packed issue is the interview with middle grades teacher Donalyn Miller, author of The Book Whisperer, and her Texas principal, describing how their school has implemented RTI. A good reference for general and special ed teachers alike.

Inner-City Middle Schools to Watch

Three inner-city Chicago schools were chosen as 2010 "Schools to Watch" by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform, which uses stringent criteria to select programs around the nation deserving of attention and emulation. This link leads to a TV news report on the achievement. You can visit the National Forum website to find out more about the STW program - and about their June conference in Washington DC where these and other schools will share some of their strategies.

Attracting Urban Youth to Afterschool Programs

This research report, first published by the Teachers College Record, uncovers several qualities of after-school programs that help them not only attract urban youth but keep them coming back. These qualities, the authors say, are critical factors in positive adolescent development: supportive relationships with adults and peers; safety, and opportunities to learn.

Voices of Latino Middle Schoolers

In this collection of writing and media from middle school Latino/a students in Austin, Los Angeles, and Oakland, the concepts of "place, identity, and culture rule." Brought together by What Kids Can Do and the National Council of La Raza as part of a service-learning project, the young authors fight stereotypes, share what makes them who they are, explore their communities, and imagine some facets of the world they want to help create. "From start to finish," says WKCD director Barbara Cervone, "students talked about the key concerns they want to address as leaders. Safe families in caring communities. Respect and equity for their ethnic groups. High expectations. Healthy food options. A passionate desire to contribute in positive ways." An excellent launching pad for your own school or classroom projects.

Policy Wonks Want to Fix You

Last year the National Journal began a blogging project that quickly attracted some of the most noted education policy commentators in the US. This "panel of insiders" regularly tackles topics considered "hot" -- and in late February, the hot issue was "What Can Be Done for Middle Schools?" The many ideas about how to "fix" the middle grades included a notable post by scholar Diane Ravitch, author of the best-selling Death and Life of the Great American School System, who wrote: "One of the big problems in middle schools is the absence of a genuine, coherent, substantive curriculum... Adolescents are idealistic and hungry to explore a wider world. Schools should engage their hearts and minds with great ideas, great adventures in science, history, and literature, and great experiences in the arts, and stop prying them with pap. No wonder they are bored and restless."

Help ELL Students Become Co-Creators

California teacher Larry Ferlazzo's popular teaching resources blog began with a strong focus on teaching English Language Learners -- then exploded into one of the best general resources for teachers across the K-12 spectrum. An ELL teacher himself, Larry distills his key ideas for helping non-native English speakers succeed in school in this recent article for Teacher Magazine, on the eve of the publication of his new book, English Language Learners: Teaching Strategies That Work. He proposes that the best way to empower ELL students as they master English is to abandon the "deficit model" common in many schools and develop their self-efficacy and leadership skills.

School Creates Personalized Learning Plans

"Public schools have long offered their students the same basic academic program," writes New York Times reporter Winnie Hu, "with little real choice aside from foreign languages or an occasional elective in what was a one-size-fits-all approach that drove many families to seek private and charter schools." That's changing at New Jersey's Linwood Middle School this year, where all 428 sixth graders "are charting their own academic path with personalized student learning plans - electronic portfolios containing information about their learning styles, interests, skills, career goals and extracurricular activities."

Why Some Middle Schools Do Better

A new report, Gaining Ground in the Middle Grades: Why Some Schools Do Better, is garnering some serious national attention. While the 18-month study focused on CA schools, many findings have general application. EdSource and Stanford University researchers set out to answer the question: "What district and school policies and practices are linked to higher student performance in the middle grades?" The 18-month process included surveys of more than 4,000 California teachers, principals, and superintendents about a wide range of middle grades practices. "The major contribution of this study," say the authors, "is the set of inter-related, actionable practices that middle grades educators and leaders can implement now by making smart, strategic choices." At this page you can download a press release, a narrative summary, or the full report.

What If Parents Were Partners?

Not long ago I got an "I need help" note from Jacque, a parent & community resource person in a sizeable midwestern school district. She wrote that "The numbers drastically drop of families attending conferences in middle school — at a time which such conferences might be needed even more than in elementary." It's a common problem across middle-school America. Some of the smartest advice I've heard comes in an interview I did recently with teacher Larry Ferlazzo, the author of a new book (and blog) on parent engagement. Larry's approach matches up well with my other favorite book on the subject, Beyond the Bake Sale by Anne Henderson. Both Larry and Anne argue that middle school leaders who really want parents engaged have to make them equal partners. Many educators don't seem willing to go that far. Here's a link to the Henderson book — note all the free resources in the right margin. And visit our MiddleWeb Blog tag "parents & families" to see dozens of resources we've shared in the past.