As students move from an elementary school setting to a middle school setting, ensuring a smooth transition is a collaborative effort involving teachers, parents, students and school administration. Often parents and students are nervous about the magnitude of this transition and easing those concerns can be handled by hosting a curriculum night. The purpose of Curriculum Night is to acquaint all students and parents with their teachers and administration as well as provide useful information concerning what the student will learn and the environment in which he/she will learn. The Curriculum Night addressed in this paper is specific Exceptional Education students in the 6th grade English Language Arts co-teaching
Young adolescents are experiencing a very critical time in their lives by attempting to discover themselves and determine who they want to be. Middle school children are extremely diverse, physically, emotionally, and mentally due to the changes they experience during the transescence period. Within the middle school years, an interest in education is either sparked or neglected, and as a future educator it is my responsibility to encourage a love of learning through the classes of mathematics and social studies.
When 6ths graders are sent to middle school early, they don't know the schedule and are nervous. According to the new york times,sixth graders are trust into a environment completely alien to them. Therefore,they should be in elementary school for one more year. According to public school review,students are not ready to dress up in a school uniform.This shows,again that people are very unprepared for middle school. Middle school is not meant for 6th graders, because they
My middle school experience was nothing short of the typical cringe-worthy school pictures, embarrassing fashion ensembles, feisty friendship fallouts, and awkward bodily changes. I nonetheless made the most of my three years in the “big kid wing” of Owensville Community School.
As the readings so often portrayed, the transition into middle schooling can be quite the rough event for students. Despite this, I was quite surprised to find that in a study conducted by Waxman and Huang (1998) of the three education groups—elementary, middle and high school—middle schoolers were actually identified as harbouring the most negative classroom perception. This semester’s Education readings have repeatedly shown that the more independent structure of middle schooling can overwhelm students who are transitioning from their tight-knit elementary classes. Compound these school structure changes with the onset of puberty and it quickly becomes clear that there are challenges to be had in educating the middle school student. (Tilleczek, 2010 p. 5) After participating in this semester’s Education topic, however, I have to come to the conclusion that an effective educator can thoroughly minimise the risks associated with middle school students through the development of holistic teacher—student relationships.
Adolescent literacy has become an important focus in recent years when addressing concerns about the achievement gap. With this, there is a need to focus on integrating reading in secondary areas such as science. The National Science Education Standards describe scientific literacy as “the knowledge and understanding of scientific concepts and progresses required for personal decision making participation in civic and cultural affairs, and economic productivity” (National Research Council, 1996, p. 22). In order for students to be scientifically literate, they must be able to read and comprehend a variety of science texts so they can develop reasonable. conclusions and share in meaningful
In middle school in the county we have experimented with the three configurations. The research conducted in the county by Swinton and Sunwonton (2014) sought to compare the success of sixth graders in the different grade configurations. “Success” was defined as proficiency in reading and in math, low absenteeism, and fewer suspensions. The achievement was examined from the end of the fifth grade to the end of the seventh grade, to determine how transition had an impact on their preparedness for high school. The results of their research determined that students who experience a middle school transition appear to improve the least in reading achievement the year of their transition compared to the other students who do not transition that
In education, the experience of being in middle school can be difficult for many students. Similar to most years, students receive new teachers and the have a curriculum that is different. The middle school years are more than just learning. The students also are starting to go through puberty and are learning about their own individuals. For most students, they do not understand the changes they are going through both physically and mentally. In This We Believe: Keys to Educating Young Adolescents, one can see research that shows how this is a crucial time for middle schools, and how teachers can effectively guide their students through this time.
When entering the middle school profession, it is important to remember who we are there to serve, the students who are there to learn. When looking at this I cannot help but think of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, and more importantly how as an educator, I can serve those needs more effectively. With students growing up more rapidly than ever before, teachers must strive to understand their swinging emotions, test their moral boundaries, and challenge them in their learning. It is safe to say that these needs will take time and effort to meet. I believe that as an educator, I am responsible for meeting these needs through challenging coursework, making time to allow my students to socialize, and allowing my students to trust that I can help them emotionally if they require it. These are just a few steps that I can take to advance my philosophy.
For the purpose of this study, additional research was conducted to determine other contributing factors that may impact the academic achievement of sixth graders as they transition into middle school. In North Carolina, researchers studied the working conditions of middle schools and in Australia; researchers examined the motivation and goals that students have to perform well in secondary schools.
In this chapter, I will present the scholarly peer-reviewed literature regarding the transition from middle to high school and possible transition programming for students entering ninth grade. Literature research methods, the philosophical framework, and the need for scholarly research on the transition from middle school to high school are presented. Early indicators for are fully discussed. Five major themes from the literature prevailed and will also be captured. The first theme is the predictive behaviors for at risk students, which include poor attendance, low academic performance in middle school, and student misbehavior (McKee & Caldarella, 2016; Samel et al., 2011). Student transitions to ninth grade are of the highest importance, since transition programs help mitigate the risk factors of students likely for early dropout (Easton et al., 2017; Neild et al., 2008; McKee & Caldarella, 2016). Then, the academic, procedural, and social concerns of students, families, and educators regarding the transition from middle to high school are discussed. Next, the most commonly researched freshman transition program models are explored. Common freshman programs include ninth grade only teams of students and freshman courses focusing on academic remediation (Ellerbrock & Kiefer, 2010, 2013, 2014; McIntosh & White, 2006; Balfanz,
Think there should be restrictions on grade level and sensory the content to students’ age. I consider this to be a very difficult topic in terms of public school education. There are so many different aspects of educating adolescent about sex and sexuality, and so many different beliefs and opinions in terms of how parents feel about the subject. I think before teaching a sexuality educational class to middle school and high school students it is important for the teacher to realize that his/her own cultural values may differ from those of the students and to make sure that cultural values are not infringed on the students. I work in a Title I school and cultures are indeed, especially when the school has a large Hispanic population. So,
Middle age is a period in a child’s life where changes in their physical, psychosocial, and cognitive development occur regularly. According to our textbook Teaching in the Middle School, since change is continually occurring with their bodies, middle school teachers must focus on teaching the student instead of what is taught. During this period of development, individuals may experience physical discomfort, fluctuating emotions, and abilities to analyze and synthesize information can result in experimentation and reasoning. As a result of the differing growth and development rates among middle school students, teachers will have a diverse classroom. In order for success to be promoted in the classroom, the teacher must be sensitive to students and their constant changes as well as provide a diversity of activities to meet the needs of all levels of cognitive development.
Nearly 40 years later, the effectiveness of the United States educational system again came into question. The launch of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) in 1995 measured student performance in mathematics and literacy worldwide. Twelfth grade students in the United States ranked among the lowest in the world (Schmidt, 2012). While the United States demonstrated growth ranking in the top 36%, just 9 years later many of the countries that participated in the first study chose not to participate in the follow-up study. Schmidt (2012) theorized that the three most
The meaning of the term’ curriculum’ is difficult to define. For school, Pratt (in Brady and Kennedy, 2014, p. 3) argues that curriculum can be ‘an organized set of formal educational and training intentions’. For students, Marsh and Wills (in Brady and Kennedy, 2014, p. 3) maintain that curriculum is ‘an interrelated set of plans and experiences that a student undertakes under the guidance of the school’, while for teachers, the challenge is to develop curricula that will cater for the needs of all students (Ah Sam & Ackland, 2005). There are various meanings attached to the term’ curriculum’. My personal definition for school curriculum is that schools develop programs of different study areas basing on the content of the national curriculum document; teachers plan their teaching basing on the programs; eventually, students experience the curriculum by engaging in diverse teaching activities. In this essay, I will be discussing The Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) in relation to the strategic plan and teaching philosophy of Hampton Park East Kindergarten.