Class Apps / Student Participation
by Curtis Chandler · Published 08/15/2021 · Last modified 08/16/2021
Great lesson. Weak response. When it comes to full participation, middle schoolers are a tough audience. The solution is in our hands, says teacher educator Curtis Chandler, who shares strategies from research and many hours observing in the classrooms of effective teachers.
When we are passionate and persistent advocates for middle graders and get them aboard the invisible elevator of agency, we can help them reach levels they once thought unachievable – and show the world what young adolescents can achieve, says middle school principal Dru Tomlin.
“My collaborative approach to discipline may sound too good to be true. But it’s still working, eight years into the experiment,” writes David Finkle. “Some classes respond immediately; some need time to adjust to the paradigm shift. But in the end, it nearly always works.”
Using rough drafts and revision in middle school math class can reduce anxiety and boost math learning. Kathleen Taylor and Amanda Jansen relate an action research project aimed at shifting lessons from a process of task completion to one of continuous, ongoing learning.
Many students don’t consider the source of media they consume on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube or elsewhere. Often they don’t consider the ramifications of spreading fake news or conspiracy theories. Frank Baker shares ways educators can make media literacy a classroom priority.
Because motivation is intrinsic, the two words Debbie Silver finds essential are ‘Empower Them.’ The teaching coach and bestselling author shares ways to help students grow into self-directed learners, using constructive feedback as the tool to help them see their growth.
Book Reviews / Student Driven Learning
by MiddleWeb · Published 07/15/2021 · Last modified 07/16/2021
With authors Susan Brookhart and Alice Oakley as guides, teachers can uncover the clues in student work, offer effective feedback, improve lessons and plan next steps, says reviewer and ELA/ELL teacher Josefine Carrion-Dreyer.
A writer’s notebook is a place to write down what you notice and don’t want to forget; a place to record your ideas and reactions to things. Most of all, it’s a place for students to take what they’ve learned in class and make it their own. It’s a place to live like a writer.
In her book Stephanie Affinito brings together the importance of reflection and the need to examine our classroom practices. She provides a framework for celebrating our reading and writing lives and offers ways we can help our students develop these habits for themselves.
Each educator braving the gauntlet of Covid-era teaching has been stressed and stretched to wits’ end. It’s time to collect the payoff from this strenuous work. Curtis Chandler relates 5 questions teachers asked themselves during the crisis. “If we begin the new school year with solid answers, we’ll be rewarded.”
