Turning Points 2000, Chapter 9 Synthesis

Chapter nine was all about the importance of involving not only parents and families in classrooms, but the entire community. It noted that research showed that the more involved a student's support group (parents, other relatives, what have you) was in the student's academic life, the student was more likely to have higher grades and a more positive attitude, higher attendance and graduation rates, higher rates of enrollment in some form of post-high school academics, and fewer placements in special education. In addition to the benefits to the student, the teachers were more likely to experience higher morale, see more community and family support, and hold better reputations with the community. The chapter discussed ways to bring the students and their communities closer together, among them being community outreach programs that get the students directly involved with local establishments.

The majority of the class felt that, while parent involvement would be ideal, it is not always going to happen to the extent that we wish it. Amber summed it up quite nicely by stating, 'I feel like parental involvement is so difficult because as a society we push independence.' Many also brought up the difficulties of parental involvement in different households, and the importance of remaining aware of the possible explanations of why it is difficult- work, disinterest, cultural/language barriers. Community involvement seemed to be well-received, as it could not only expand student horizons as far as subject matter is concerned, but could allow the student to pursue interests that they might not be able to under normal circumstances. Many of the programs mentioned were also career-based, which would help boost enrollment in post-secondary training or academics even more.

Book Talk: Girls and Boys Learn Differently

This presentation was incredibly enjoyable. I loved the different stations, and had lots of fun making Play-Doh roses with Dr. Grace! Though from your reviews your book wasn't as enjoyable as some of the others sounded, you did a fantastic job of making the information easy to understand with cool activities. I was incredibly jealous of your Wix page, and our group has since started playing around with that site and all of its fantastic possibilities. The quiz confused me a little bit, and I think it would have been more interesting if it hasn't been as long and there had been more information about the different brain types, but overall that part interested me the most. Excellent job!

Book Talk: A Whole New Mind

This presentation was incredibly fun- I had a blast. It seemed like you guys really enjoyed reading the book (I want to read the book...), and you also looked like you genuinely enjoyed presenting the crucial information. I found the facial recognition activity to be really interesting, mainly because I find people-watching really fun. I'm sorry that our group was slightly ridiculous, but I think it was mainly a result of the creative ways we experienced the information you were presenting. I loved loved loved the story activity, even if we did kill off Grandma. Also a highlight was Dr. Grace's exclamation on the Wordle. Most excellent. :) In all seriousness, though, your presentation was well thought out and informative without being boring, which is most excellent indeed. Thank you!!

Book Talk: Student Oriented Curriculum

Overall, I found the book talk presentation to be interesting and intriguing, all at the same time. First of all, there was a lot of movement, which, especially that particular day, I really appreciated due to my hyperactiveness. I liked how the presenters gave us a chance to share our own experiences in middle school, but something I think I would have enjoyed more was the choice of whether to speak in front of the class like that or not. I was the student (and still am, depending on the situation) who froze up when asked a direct question, even though direct questioning was happening all over the place. I REALLY enjoyed the activity at the end, where we picked from the statement papers and wrote about them. Another aspect of the presentation that, I'm sorry to say, didn't really hold my interest, was the bit where we counted off and then later jigsawed. I found that the information was too dense even with the notecards to take notes with. I did see, however, that in addition to notecards, one group got a typed handout; I was extremely jealous and would have probably been less stressed out about sharing about my first group topics had I had a secondary notesheet to look back on.
Overall, I liked the way the presentation went; it was very relaxed and unrehearsed, which I find to be ten times more exciting than a 'practiced' lesson. I think I would have liked to see the 'Devil's advocate' point of view come out a little more for added variety, but in all, excellent job. :)

Meet Me in the Middle: Chapter 13

This chapter discussed the unique classroom experiences that could be had in the great wide world of the outside. The author strongly advocates some form of outdoor activity with classrooms for several reasons; not only is fresh air a necessity that many students don't get enough of, but it allows for more movement and less same-old, same-old kind of thing for each and every day. He also suggests that spending time outside breaks down the traditional lenses that teachers view their students with, and even vice versa. The author shared his own experiences with taking his classes on various camping and wilderness trips, which only illustrated that students are ready, willing, and incredibly able to further develop their own sense of independence within the supervised setting that the teacher can provide. Wormeli also mentioned the different types of outdoor activities he has enjoyed with his classes.

The first thing I thought when I was reading this particular chapter was, 'I LOVE BEING OUTSIDE.' No, seriously. The second thing I thought of were two isolated third-grade-related incidents relating to outdoor lessons. The first one was my own third grade experience on Ossippee Mountain, where the entire third grade of Narragansett Elementary School in Gorham spent the day hiking. We investigated the weather tower (couldn't climb up, but we tried!), observed different ecosystems, and watched for animal tracks. The second third grade experience is technically my younger brother Marshall's, but I was there as well, so... anyway, at the very end of the school year (because the Ossippee Mountain trip is always in October), my brother Marshall's class took a weekend trip to Baxter State Park and hiked Mount Katahdin to Chimney Pond. The cool thing about this trip is the fact that his teacher, Mr. Sands, put together enough fund-raising materials so every child's family could take part in the trip as well (which is where I come in). My dad, Marshall, me, and my friend Sarah were able to go on the trip, and even though Sarah and I were in seventh grade at the time, we had a blast learning about the geological elements and how to read maps, compasses, and build fires and such. I especially think that, even if an overnight excursion isn't possible or practical (I mean, what if something happens to the students, or they aren't ready for that kind of responsibility?), day trips to local outdoors-y places can fulfill the suggestions Wormeli has made.

Meet Me in the Middle: Chapter 9

Chapter nine discussed the benefits of block scheduling versus traditional class period lengths. The block scheduling format is not only helpful for teachers in that they are more inclined to vary instruction and spend adequate amounts of time on different subject material, but it's helpful for students- the author mentions the students that 'are invisible in traditional scheduling' because they require additional attention from the teacher. The chapter also discusses other considerations, such as how to deal with missing work and absenteeism, other methods of instruction (such as guests, extended simulations or activities, activities that build on developed skills each week, etc), and what block scheduling can do for professional relationships with other teachers.

I found this chapter interesting because I experienced block scheduling in my middle school, high school, and in Mount Blue when I did practicum, and each method was different. The one I was used to from Gorham school districts were a Monday, Tuesday, Friday periods 1-7 traditional school day. On Wednesdays periods 1,3,5, and 6 met, and on Thursday were periods 2,4,5, and 7. The method that Mount Blue used was an alternate day, where certain class periods were scheduled as a color (blue or gold), and Monday, Wednesday, Fridays were one color, and Tuesdays and Thursdays were the other, with the color switching the next week. The method they described in the book was unlike any of the other ones I'd ever seen. On the subject of block scheduling as a whole, I found it both incredibly helpful and annoying, all at the same time. For me, especially Math blocks, block schedules were created to torture me. I found that the extended period of studying a subject that I was abysmal at discouraged me even more, and I found that when I had math class during period 5, which met every day rather than having a block, made learning a little more bearable and easy.

Meet Me in the Middle: Chapter 12

Chapter twelve discussed how important it is to be a good, just adviser to the students you teach. Being able to experience your students in different situations is an important part of developing strong relationships with them. The author used an example of taking his students hiking and experiencing firsthand how their classroom demeanors differed from their attitudes elsewhere. He suggests taking the time to engage your students in different activities to further bring out the different sides of the students' personalities. This can also double as personal development for the students, as they can hone different skills and talents they may have and get positive feedback from their classmates.

The ideas that the author puts forth in this chapter are really interesting; I know in middle school for seventh grade we went to a culture fair in Boston for the day, and got to walk around to booths representing different countries and cultures. We learned that our English teacher could play the bagpipes, a skill he learned in college while on exchange to Scotland. In eighth grade, we went bowling and found that our math teacher was in a bowling league. Both experiences made me realize that they were people with lives outside of school, and had interests and talents outside of school that we didn't necessarily know about. I think taking the time to experience your class and teachers in new ways like this puts things into perspective a bit, and could also bring the team teachers close together when they see each other outside of school walls.

Meet Me in the Middle: Chapter 11

Chapter eleven discussed team teaching, and how the teachers formulate working plans that compliment each others' plans; that is, if one teacher has a test coming up in their class, the other teachers are able to schedule their tests to fall on different days. Team teaching also allows for further collaboration, which would be made much more difficult if they didn't have an elevated sense of communication. Teachers can plan units that 'match up,' so to speak- for example, if the history class is discussing the sinking of the Titanic, the science class can build Morse code transmitters. The team teaching aspect allows for more integrated activity, which further encourages students to communicate and collaborate on their own.

As far as this chapter is concerned, I agree wholeheartedly with more integrated instruction, as I think it's easier to grasp certain concepts when small parts are revealed throughout different disciplines. I think eighth grade science class, when we built Morse code transmitters and learned Morse code, would have been more interesting if we had been studying anything that would lend the historical implications for the development of the code. I think it's equally important for integrated units simply for the 'good example' teachers set for students as an example of good communication.

Turning Points 2000: Chapter 6

Chapter six discusses the strategies that can help create a vibrant learning environment for middle schoolers. One of the key components was relationships; making the development and maintenance of relationships a crucial part of the learning environment can help young students to be more successful. The size of the school was also discussed, and if the number of students cannot be limited, the creation of smaller learning communities like 'wings' or 'houses' is a valid alternative. Houses as an alternative allows the student the 'feel' of a smaller school even if that isn't the case, and allows students to develop more meaningful, deeper relationships with the small percentage of the students that are in their house. This is also true of the teachers; having a few teachers will allow for stronger bonds with the teachers in the particular house.

I know from my own experience I grew quite attached to the teachers from my houses in middle school, which were all named after Maine rivers (Allagash, Royal, and Swift for seventh grade, and Crooked, Presumpscot, and Wild for eighth). I found it to be a very successful practice because each house had its own science, english, math, and history teacher, and then the entire school shared Allied Arts (the computer technology, Spanish, French, art, health, physical education and music teachers). I have also heard in some schools, the teachers you have for the first year move up with you as you change grades. While this could be a good practice, especially if a strong relationship has been developed, I worry if a student were to not get along with a specific teacher or have strong opposing opinions, how uncomfortable that student might be.

This We Believe

1-7

This particular section talks about how difficult it is to be a young adolescent on the cusp of quasi-adulthood with today's pressures and conflicts. This first section stresses how important it is for middle schools and middle school teachers to provide the correct amount of support for the students. They detail how the physical changes to not only the ever-developing mind, but the rest of the body as well affect how a student's perceptions, opinions, and route of thinking might develop.

This section was really intense, and provided some background information about the brain that I was not aware of, such as how the brain develops during adolescence as much as it does during infancy, and how it is both continual and irregular, making it unique to each student.

9-19

This section reiterated information from the other books we've been reading in collaboration to the NMSA publication, which is both interesting and helpful because it shows that the issues and opinions discussed are shared by multiple established organizations.

This section made wonderful points about the importance of collaboration and leading by example; middle school is where students are more likely to be interested in developing their 'image,' and having positive examples to follow will allow the students to mimic positive behavior. That being said, I loved the bit about having an 'adult advocate' for every student- it reminded me of having a mentor, which can be successful for not only school situations, but everyday experiences as well.

19-34

This section talked a lot about effective curriculum, and how middle school students especially respond to connections they can make with the material being learned to their own lives. There has to be a perfect balance between challenging and frustrating (this I can relate to, as I have several memories of assignments that were challenging but relevant to something I was interested in or had going on in my life, as well as those that made me give up, mid-homework, because it was very difficult and was more for route memorization than paired with another purpose). Relevance can come through several different channels, one (and probably the most obvious) being integration- what better way to practice skills for one class by using them in another?

I think one of the biggest challenges I face personally is making sure that students are connecting with the subject. I mean, I'm a big geek for anything historical and will be fascinated, but that doesn't necessarily mean that my students will be as well. I definitely agree with making connections through the other subjects as well- I once had a statistics project in maths (by far my worst subject ever, taken by choice senior year as a means of scoring higher on the SAT), but the statistics were all taken from gravestones in the oldest cemetery in town. This immediately kicked into my social studies brain, and when we discussed later in the week what information archaeologists were able to assume from cultures and civilizations long since gone, I was able to formulate relevant thoughts that connected the classes. I think subject matter that proves difficult (in my case, maths) is immediately easier when put into something that holds the student's individual interests.

34-51

This section went over how to get all facets of the community involved in the transformation for the nation's middle schools, and included parents, teachers, principals, superintendents, state government officials, etc, and how collaboration and being on the same page with the same goals in mind would help propel the movement forward with more ease and less roadblocks, so to speak. It's interesting and sad, all at the same time, that students weren't mentioned in the facets of the community needed to see the movement to change middle school setups succeed. I feel like student input is a valuable tool (although I can see how it would be cautionary just because of the possibility of someone not taking it seriously), especially if those students understand why there is a movement for change, what the benefits for them would be, and overall, how informed they are in the process. In essence, they're going to be experiencing middle school, so they, of all people, would know firsthand how things work.

Overall, I liked this book, if even it felt like I was rereading information discussed in the other books we've been delving into. It was interesting to get in-depth with some of the more scientific discussions of adolescent development, because even though I experienced it already I hadn't ever been exposed to that perspective.

Meet Me in the Middle: Chapter 17

Chapter seventeen was largely about the negative media representation that middle school students get now- the author included the rampant outbreak of sexually transmitted disease as the glaringly cranky example. He also discussed several incredible feats that his middle school students have achieved that certainly outshine the negative; raising substantial sums of money for good causes, managing websites, performing at events that have thousands of people in attendance, coordinating construction projects, and an avid reader of 2,000 books in the time of 4 months. The entire chapter suggested taking any previously held notion about middle school students and re-evaluating that notion, because the results may surprise and delight.

One of the things that the author shared in the chapter is the installation of the graffiti wall in his classroom. Not only is this something I could see myself as a middle schooler enjoying writing on, but I could see myself as a teacher waiting excitedly to see what people wrote on the paper. I think the whole point of this chapter is to trust the middle school students in your class enough to be savvy, smart, and intelligent. Because the media tears them down, many teachers' minds are poisoned with the media representation, and that trust is lost.

Meet Me in the Middle: Chapter 2

Chapter two discussed the different ways to make lessons appeal to the middle school set, as motivation is a key component in effective and efficient learning. Making things fun through games, dramatics, movement, and being able to relate the lessons to the students' everyday lives are big ideas that the author suggests as 'tried and true' success stories. Another important but incredibly related point in the chapter is the necessity of a safe learning environment for students at all times.

This chapter spoke directly to me, as I definitely saw the importance of the safe and comfortable learning environment right away. A naturally shy individual, I have been known to spend September through May of a September through June school year being absolutely silent in classes because there was something that I wasn't 100% comfortable with (whether it was the other students, the material, the teacher, it could have been anything). For those of you who know me, most of the time I don't shut up. This still holds true in classes I'm taking now, and for teachers to make sure that their classroom is a fun and comfortable environment is key for successful learning AS WELL AS social development, which is also a phenomenon associated with the middle school set.

Meet Me in the Middle: Chapter 1

Chapter one discussed the importance of attitude in several different aspects; how we as teachers look at our profession/calling, how the community at large views the middle school experience, and how students see the difference in attitude and respond accordingly. Some of the different ways to display a positive attitude are through examining our own behaviors and intonations, and making sure that we listen, hear, and understand the students when they are trying to convey their thoughts and feelings to us.

I really liked that chapter one had an invigorating rant about how people underestimate the power of the teaching profession and calling, focusing on (what else?!) the middle school teacher and experience. It was quite refreshing to be exposed to an attitude right there on the page that declares it a privilege to do what we (will eventually) do. I also found it refreshing to find that the first aspect of teaching that the author suggested be dissected is the teacher themselves- I think that, given that the teacher is often the emotional barometer of the classroom, this is incredibly important to remember to do.

Turning Points 2000: Chapter 2

Chapter two discussed the essentials of the Turning Points vision, moving from the original eight-point list format to the seven-point web, where all aspects of the vision interact and affect each other. The reason for such a change was the need for modern language and terminologies, as well as the need to demonstrate the reality of such interaction between curriculum, assessment, and instruction, as well as the interaction between teacher, parents, school, district, state, and country.

Chapter two described many of the things that I believe I have been already taught to strive for in a classroom during my education courses. Providing a safe and health learning environment, ensuring that communication remains open between student and teacher, teacher and parent, parent and student, using a variety of different instructional strategies to expose students to new material and ideas, these are all things that are essential to making sure that such a school meets the needs of its students.

Turning Points 2000: Chapter 1

The first thing I noticed about chapter one was the way it stated most emphatically the gravity of the position the majority of middle schools and the importance of the most efficient reforms. It didn't just declare that the United States needed to fix how middle schools are run, but how certain changes have benefited the students. It made a point of backing up that strong support of reform with different test score statistics, mostly in reading, writing, and math (ironically enough, all subjects tested in the SAT). The studies also made note of the students more likely to be affected by poorly planned and executed middle school education, those students being mostly from minority groups and lower socioeconomic statuses.

When I first read the chapter, I tried to put myself back in my own middle school days. I mean, apart from the fact that it was in a school that was labelled a 'junior high preparatory school,' it had some of the similar attributes that the studies said most students benefited from, such as team teaching, smaller learning communities, etc. It was interesting that the chapter mentions the different emotional and physical changes that students are going through during the same time; the transition from child to quasi-adult is probably one of the most awkward stages in a student's life, and being made to go through that in such a socially involved school setting with the additional pressures of increased schoolwork, for lack of a better word, sucks. I found it additionally interesting that the first chapter made such a point to continue to stress the importance of hiring professionals that have either a special background or interest in the age group.