Bishop / Harrison The Successful Middle School

This We Believe
1. Auflage 2021
ISBN: 978-1-56090-305-5
Verlag: Association for Middle Level Education
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: PC/MAC/eReader/Tablet/DL/kein Kopierschutz

E-Book, Englisch, 94 Seiten

For educators committed to success for every student, this updated edition of AMLE's landmark position paper is widely recognized as the best articulation of the middle school concept. Studied and implemented in schools serving students ages 10-15, this book offers a set of 5 attributes and 18 characteristics that define successful middle schools. Rooted in research cited throughout the book, you will find a framework for creating the learning environments and opportunities that all young adolescents deserve. When its concepts are embraced, students are prepared for success in school and career.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Bishop, Penny

Harrison, Lisa

Leseproben

Culture and Community Educators respect and value young adolescents. Middle grades teachers’ relationships with students have a profound impact on young adolescents’ sense of belonging in school.14 Positive student-teacher relationships are created when students feel valued, respected, cared for, encouraged, and listened to by their teachers.15 Middle school students’ sense of belonging is linked to many important outcomes, including increased engagement, motivation, academic achievement, positive attitudes toward school, and a decrease in absenteeism and at-risk behaviors.16 Young adolescents voice that caring teachers value them both as learners and as individuals.17 Effective middle school educators engage in developmentally responsive practices that also respond to young adolescents’ multiple identities. While age represents an important shared identity across middle schoolers, other social identities such as race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, gender, dis/ability, and religion equally contribute to who young adolescents are and to their experiences in and outside of school.18 Middle grades educators who value young adolescents acknowledge these multiple and intersecting identities and seek to cultivate relationships, design curriculum, and establish learning environments that support, affirm, and honor youth holistically.19 Middle grades educators enjoy being with young adolescents, think positively about them, and appreciate the dynamics of the ever-changing youth culture. They pay attention to and learn about the beliefs, values, and norms of their students. Not trivializing youth culture, middle grades educators examine young adolescents’ participation in popular trends and their choices in language, music, and fashion to understand what youth are trying to convey through these and other forms of expressions.20 They seek to understand aspects of students’ digital worlds, such as social media and gaming. They then support, accept, and meet students where they are currently, while also encouraging their continuous identity development.21 Middle grades educators demonstrate that they value students by listening intensively to their students’ words, observing their actions, and being attuned to their silences in order to actively respond to their needs.22 These educators support students' social-emotional learning in school and in partnership with students’ families. They recognize that students face many challenges that can be traumatic and therefore work collaboratively as educators to design schools that are spaces of healing for students.23 In addition, they speak up for and stand by youth when social injustices that explicitly or implicitly impact them, their families, or communities occur.24 Such educators are inevitably role models for students. They realize their own behaviors send influential messages to young adolescents and so practice those qualities of heart and mind they want young adolescents to emulate. They model inclusive, democratic, anti-oppressive, and team-oriented approaches to teaching and learning. When such dedicated and knowledgeable middle grades educators work together, they create exciting and equitable learning experiences for all students. Their professional commitment and passion make a positive difference in the life of every young adolescent they teach. The school environment is welcoming, inclusive, and affirming for all. Middle school educators purposefully foster a culture that sustains the dignity of all members within the school community. This includes students, their families, local community members, and the staff who work within the school. Equal attention is also placed on cultivating individual classroom cultures that support the learning and development of young adolescent learners. Affirming classroom communities, whether physical or virtual, are formed when students’ identities are valued and respected by their teachers and peers; students’ experiences are honored; activities that students enjoy are incorporated into the curriculum; and social, emotional, and academic learning are supported. In their own words… Sarina C., Grade 7 My favorite thing about middle school is the relationships you
build with people, whether it be a kind teacher or a great group
of friends. As students transition into the middle grades, their social interactions with their peers increase and become more important and complex. Successful middle grades educators develop socially-accepting learning environments, knowing that peer relationships impact students’ adjustment in school.25 Students’ sense of belonging is increased through peer emotional support, such as when students feel that their peers like and care about them, and peer academic support, such as when students are willing to help their peers answer questions or assist with homework.26 Conversely, peer rejection, when students are actively disliked or excluded by their peers, can result in increased social anxiety, aggression, loneliness, and poor academic performance.27 Even short instances of peer rejection impact students' well-being, and prolonged moments of peer rejection can have sustaining effects that last into adulthood. To support positive peer relationships, teachers intentionally monitor peer hierarchies and interactions in classrooms and other common areas such as hallways, playgrounds, and school lunchrooms.28 Teachers also foster cooperative-oriented classrooms that encourage collaboration versus competitive-oriented classrooms that can reinforce and contribute to social status rankings.29 Regularly incorporating social and emotional learning skills such as empathy, civic-mindfulness, and relationship skills can help establish and maintain inclusive school environments. In addition, embedding designated times into the school day, such as morning meetings or advisory, where students can discuss their thoughts and express how they are feeling, can also serve to build community. In their own words… Nehemiah H., Grade 6 Over the past year, you have shown me what it’s like to have people who truly care. Middle grades educators acknowledge that prejudices such as racism, xenophobia, ableism, religious intolerance, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and classism are present in schools and often are broadly labeled as bullying.30 However, it is important for educators to explicitly recognize and name bigotry when it exists. This helps students to see when their actions or others are discriminatory and reflective of prejudice beliefs. In affirming and inclusive schools, positive behavioral and social expectations are clearly communicated and equitably applied and upheld. Prejudiced actions are directly addressed by enforcing anti-discrimination policies and developing a school-wide system in which students can safely report student victimization.31 An inclusive school climate is established through implementing intentional and thoughtful practices. For example, educators work to foster interethnic friendships as such relationships help to reduce racial prejudices and improve social, emotional, and cultural competencies.32 “Safe space” posters, displayed throughout the school building let LGBTQ students know they are welcomed and will be supported. Furthermore, educators provide students with tools that support and encourage upstander behaviors as part of bullying and prejudice intervention education.33 These actions create a school culture in which all members, including students, actively work together to sustain a welcoming school community. To build affirming and inclusive middle schools requires educators to examine their own biases. Even the most well-intentioned educators have implicit biases that influence their teaching practices.34 Implicit bias is a normal part of human cognitive functioning and is often connected to positive and negative stereotypes around various identities such as race, gender, and class. It is precisely because of educators’ commitment to supporting their students that it is important for educators to be aware of how their implicit bias impacts their teaching in order to reduce unintended inequitable outcomes.35 Educators can examine both their explicit and implicit biases by asking difficult but important questions36 such as How do stereotypes shape the way I see students, families, and the local community? What assumptions guide my interactions with students, families, and the local community? How do my own experiences and privilege limit my understanding about students, families, and the local community? Reflecting on these questions is especially important for teachers whose experiences and identities differ from their students. These and other questions about disciplinary practices, curricular choices, and family engagement directly...