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Literature Review
Essential learning for the middle school student covers a wide spectrum.
Just how important is the middle school compared to other grades? Robert Balfanz (2009) emphasized the role that middle school grades have in the likelihood that a student will or will not graduate high school. He also argued that the middle school could play an important role in closing the students’ achievement gap. If the middle school educators took note of certain indicators such as attendance and misbehavior and then developed curriculum to solve these issues, the willingness to learn would change for the students and their communities. Balfanz (2009) also notes that it is “essential to enter high school with at least close-to-grade-level skills and knowledge.”(p. 4) He further emphasizes the importance of academic learning. He specifically argues for an engaging curriculum related to the adolescent’s desire for adventure and camaraderie. Essential learning for middle school students needs to include organization and self-management skills. The curriculum needs to be built on student strengths along with the added benefit of strengthening the family-student-teacher support triangle.
Another large group of educators believes that what is essential for learning is the nonacademic support that middle school students in the low socioeconomic status need. As stated in an Edutopia article by Claus Von Zastrow (2010), “students who cannot see the blackboard won’t succeed, so they need help getting glasses.” (p. 1) Von Zastrow considers nonacademic support is essential and part of the learning process along with the curriculum based academics. In essence, Zastrow argues that the school should support the needs of the whole child. When we remove all family instability, limited experiences, insecurity, mental and physical issues, and include an experience-rich curriculum, there should not be any excuses for a child not to learn.
One of the major drawbacks with the culture of the Happy Camp Elementary community is lack of family involvement with their children. Far too many parents of middle school students have a low expectation of their child’s education. It is imperative that parent’s help with the learning process within the home. Parent Academic Resources, Inc. author Krzysztof Grabarek (2005) indicates that the student’s family is essential to his or her success as a learner. This is accomplished through “the use of trigger questions, providing resource help, and by using big ideas when working with children.” (p. 5). This concept is conceptualized within the standards in many of the current curriculums. Grabarek goes on to emphasize that family members who are more experienced learners may prove to be great resources and can often help students become more independent learners. Essential learning includes parental involvement.
A creative curriculum needs to include a hands on approach that is missing in many middle school programs. Beere, a School Improvement partner, who focuses on essential learning for the 21st century, asserts that learning based on “teaching how to do something is what will prepare these students for the 21st Century.” (Beere, 2007 p.1). Beere argues the importance for an educator to know how a student learns because this understanding can be helpful in developing curriculum that includes, “literacy, numeracy, communicating and self-management skills. These skills will allow the middle school students to become emotionally intelligent, and flexible learners.”(Beere, 2007, p. 2) She further indicates that this curriculum of essential learning can be accomplished by the use of project work “where students are the specialists and teachers become facilitators.”(p.3). She also feels that project based activities, are essential for learning. The concept of project -based learning is cooperative, collaborative, investigative and the has the ability to analyze data. These concepts are essential learning skills for the middle school student, and they also help with the self-management and organizational issues that plague many of these students.
An edutopia article by Diane Curtis (2001), takes us on a journey through the project based learning model where she quotes Bruce Alberts, former president of the National Academy of Science, that every middle school student needs an essential ability to be “challenged and to solve problems”(p.1). With project-based learning, students are called on to answer questions relevant to them. What is learned can be embedded deeply enough that one can apply the information at a later date. The opportunity for hands on exploration is essential for the middle school student. Project based work is essential for students to understand real-life problems for their future choices in their career pathway. This type of essential learning does prepare the student for the real world. Many corporations have given their models of problem solving to school districts specifically designed for the middle school and high school programs.
The first paper on the adolescent was published in 1904. We are still studying this group of individuals. The National Middle School Association (2010) has published a paper titled; This We Believe: Keys to Educating Young Adolescent developed a framework of four essential learning essentials for the middle school curriculum:
· Developmentally Responsive-- Using the middle schooler as a forum for curriculum, instruction, behavior and attendance plans.
· Challenging-- High expectations for all to learn.
· Empowering-- Taking responsibility for ones life.
· Equitable-- Every student has a right to learn.
According to NMSA, the above four attributes are essential for the success of any middle school student. These essential learning attributes put learning into the hands of the students. Educators who relinquish this control allow students to control their own educational destiny. Any time that a middle school teacher can be a mentor for a student, that student will have a better chance to be successful.
Middle school students are walking dichotomies. They can talk about world peace and then hit the kid next to them. (Vawter 2009) Brain research has been in the forefront as of late with a great amount of information regarding the middle school mind. David Vawter through his article Mining the Middle School Mind reminds us that the with the middle school student, the opportunity to change the shape of their brains is still one of our greatest challenges. The middle school brain is changing at a rapid pace. Not only is it growing new connections, it is pruning itself. Their brain is so intertwined that simple operations, such as previous skills, memories, and learning are impacted. (Vawter 2009) “Sometimes students just can’t access the part of the brain they want. It is possible that a connection that was present yesterday, or even a few moments ago, is either not working or is no longer in existence.” (Vawter p.1) “Unfortunately, they lose things, they forget to turn in assignments, and they can get side-tracked walking to their next class.”(Vawter p. 1)
“The most important attribute that middle school teachers and administrators can have is an understanding of preadolescents, mixed with a dose of patience.” (Vawter p. 1) The middle school student does not know why their brain does not work. Is it the role of the middle school teacher to prepare students for the next progression into the educational world or, to prepare the middle school student for real life situations? What Is Essential for My Middle School Students to Learn That Will Prepare Them For High School and College or the Workplace?
Within my research four themes were apparent:
· Middle School students need to be independent learners.
· Students must feel the importance of middle school as a way to propel them to high school and beyond.
· A strengthening of the family-student-teacher relationship.
· Curriculum must be relevant to real world experiences, be challenging, be explorative and have the ability to be accomplished through multiple approaches.
This literature review offered me a greater understanding of what researchers feel is essential learning for a rural middle school student.
Just how important is the middle school compared to other grades? Robert Balfanz (2009) emphasized the role that middle school grades have in the likelihood that a student will or will not graduate high school. He also argued that the middle school could play an important role in closing the students’ achievement gap. If the middle school educators took note of certain indicators such as attendance and misbehavior and then developed curriculum to solve these issues, the willingness to learn would change for the students and their communities. Balfanz (2009) also notes that it is “essential to enter high school with at least close-to-grade-level skills and knowledge.”(p. 4) He further emphasizes the importance of academic learning. He specifically argues for an engaging curriculum related to the adolescent’s desire for adventure and camaraderie. Essential learning for middle school students needs to include organization and self-management skills. The curriculum needs to be built on student strengths along with the added benefit of strengthening the family-student-teacher support triangle.
Another large group of educators believes that what is essential for learning is the nonacademic support that middle school students in the low socioeconomic status need. As stated in an Edutopia article by Claus Von Zastrow (2010), “students who cannot see the blackboard won’t succeed, so they need help getting glasses.” (p. 1) Von Zastrow considers nonacademic support is essential and part of the learning process along with the curriculum based academics. In essence, Zastrow argues that the school should support the needs of the whole child. When we remove all family instability, limited experiences, insecurity, mental and physical issues, and include an experience-rich curriculum, there should not be any excuses for a child not to learn.
One of the major drawbacks with the culture of the Happy Camp Elementary community is lack of family involvement with their children. Far too many parents of middle school students have a low expectation of their child’s education. It is imperative that parent’s help with the learning process within the home. Parent Academic Resources, Inc. author Krzysztof Grabarek (2005) indicates that the student’s family is essential to his or her success as a learner. This is accomplished through “the use of trigger questions, providing resource help, and by using big ideas when working with children.” (p. 5). This concept is conceptualized within the standards in many of the current curriculums. Grabarek goes on to emphasize that family members who are more experienced learners may prove to be great resources and can often help students become more independent learners. Essential learning includes parental involvement.
A creative curriculum needs to include a hands on approach that is missing in many middle school programs. Beere, a School Improvement partner, who focuses on essential learning for the 21st century, asserts that learning based on “teaching how to do something is what will prepare these students for the 21st Century.” (Beere, 2007 p.1). Beere argues the importance for an educator to know how a student learns because this understanding can be helpful in developing curriculum that includes, “literacy, numeracy, communicating and self-management skills. These skills will allow the middle school students to become emotionally intelligent, and flexible learners.”(Beere, 2007, p. 2) She further indicates that this curriculum of essential learning can be accomplished by the use of project work “where students are the specialists and teachers become facilitators.”(p.3). She also feels that project based activities, are essential for learning. The concept of project -based learning is cooperative, collaborative, investigative and the has the ability to analyze data. These concepts are essential learning skills for the middle school student, and they also help with the self-management and organizational issues that plague many of these students.
An edutopia article by Diane Curtis (2001), takes us on a journey through the project based learning model where she quotes Bruce Alberts, former president of the National Academy of Science, that every middle school student needs an essential ability to be “challenged and to solve problems”(p.1). With project-based learning, students are called on to answer questions relevant to them. What is learned can be embedded deeply enough that one can apply the information at a later date. The opportunity for hands on exploration is essential for the middle school student. Project based work is essential for students to understand real-life problems for their future choices in their career pathway. This type of essential learning does prepare the student for the real world. Many corporations have given their models of problem solving to school districts specifically designed for the middle school and high school programs.
The first paper on the adolescent was published in 1904. We are still studying this group of individuals. The National Middle School Association (2010) has published a paper titled; This We Believe: Keys to Educating Young Adolescent developed a framework of four essential learning essentials for the middle school curriculum:
· Developmentally Responsive-- Using the middle schooler as a forum for curriculum, instruction, behavior and attendance plans.
· Challenging-- High expectations for all to learn.
· Empowering-- Taking responsibility for ones life.
· Equitable-- Every student has a right to learn.
According to NMSA, the above four attributes are essential for the success of any middle school student. These essential learning attributes put learning into the hands of the students. Educators who relinquish this control allow students to control their own educational destiny. Any time that a middle school teacher can be a mentor for a student, that student will have a better chance to be successful.
Middle school students are walking dichotomies. They can talk about world peace and then hit the kid next to them. (Vawter 2009) Brain research has been in the forefront as of late with a great amount of information regarding the middle school mind. David Vawter through his article Mining the Middle School Mind reminds us that the with the middle school student, the opportunity to change the shape of their brains is still one of our greatest challenges. The middle school brain is changing at a rapid pace. Not only is it growing new connections, it is pruning itself. Their brain is so intertwined that simple operations, such as previous skills, memories, and learning are impacted. (Vawter 2009) “Sometimes students just can’t access the part of the brain they want. It is possible that a connection that was present yesterday, or even a few moments ago, is either not working or is no longer in existence.” (Vawter p.1) “Unfortunately, they lose things, they forget to turn in assignments, and they can get side-tracked walking to their next class.”(Vawter p. 1)
“The most important attribute that middle school teachers and administrators can have is an understanding of preadolescents, mixed with a dose of patience.” (Vawter p. 1) The middle school student does not know why their brain does not work. Is it the role of the middle school teacher to prepare students for the next progression into the educational world or, to prepare the middle school student for real life situations? What Is Essential for My Middle School Students to Learn That Will Prepare Them For High School and College or the Workplace?
Within my research four themes were apparent:
· Middle School students need to be independent learners.
· Students must feel the importance of middle school as a way to propel them to high school and beyond.
· A strengthening of the family-student-teacher relationship.
· Curriculum must be relevant to real world experiences, be challenging, be explorative and have the ability to be accomplished through multiple approaches.
This literature review offered me a greater understanding of what researchers feel is essential learning for a rural middle school student.