August 11, 2011
Response 1
You have been selected to sit on a committee to transition your school from a junior high school to a middle school.
Respond to the following concerns:
1. What resources would you suggest that the committee use to guide the development of the middle school?
2. What do you see as the greatest barrier to accomplishing the goal?
3. What do you believe will be the greatest challenge for the teachers in transitioning to a middle school?
Justify your responses.
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Samantha G. said,
February 3, 2012 at 12:40 pm
1. Resources I have chosen, that I think would benefit the development of the middle school would be multiple things. First, educators must take into account that middle school children need not only academic support, but emotional and social guidance as well; the combination of cognitive and affective development is present. I believe one of the primary resources of teaching middle school is social and directorial skills, and of course academics. In terms of academic relations, block scheduling would be most effective in my opinion. During block scheduling, not only is it flexible, but more student orientated. Teachers can provide the students with in depth information regarding the subject matter when block scheduling exists; the teachers also have expertise in the subject matter. More so, classrooms would be in close proximity to one another; whereas in the junior high school, students might have one class in one wing of the building and the next class in another wing of the building. Common planning is also a major aspect in the middle school as well as highly important. Teachers can converse about the topics they will be presenting to their classes, test scheduling, and group activities they might incorporate into the curriculum.
2. The greatest barrier that might affect the accomplishment of this goal would be the transition of traditional teaching methods into a more developed teaching curriculum. What I mean by this, is that teaching in a middle school requires not only teaching academics, but enhancing the student’s social and cognitive interests. Many educators might not agree with the formats presented in a middle school and therefore, have a difficult time accepting a new method. All educators have different beliefs and methods in what they think educate their students the best.
3. The greatest challenge for teachers to transition to a middle school can be many things; I don’t think teachers agonize over just one thing. For example, in regards to academics, the standards are different as well as the grading system than in an elementary school or a junior high school. Another aspect would be time management. In the middle school and in the junior high school, the switching of classes is present and teachers need to utilize their time in class to teach the subject matter effectively. Some schools might use block scheduling and some might not; this transition for a teacher might be challenging. In regards to social challenges, teacher might encounter more issues regarding bullying, fighting, and peer pressures. Teachers need to adjust to these concerns and find strategies that work when faced with these issues with their students.
David K. said,
February 6, 2012 at 9:23 pm
1. I would suggest that the committee find someone, from another local district that had made the change from a Junior High School to a Middle School or just from a Middle School they felt was doing well, and have them come and speak about how they do things and what works for them. I may also suggest some type of publication that lists the similarities and differences between a Middle School and a Junior High School. The differences between a Middle School and Junior High may not look that different on paper but in practice the two are quite different.
2. I believe the greatest barrier to accomplishing this goal will lie in the scheduling and the amount of classes offered to the students. A Junior High school is more subject oriented than a Middle School. Therefore, a Junior High School may not offer as many electives to the students as a Middle School would. During the transition from a Junior High School to a Middle School the district may find that they cannot accommodate a wide variety of electives due to the space or the amount of quality, certified teachers to teach these new electives. A problem may also lie in the manner of scheduling when switching from a Junior High School to a Middle School. In a Junior High school classes are varied and there are many periods forcing students to switch classes and making the classes very diverse. For example, two students may only be in the same classroom only once a day. In the transition to the Middle School the district may decided to accept block scheduling which would combine Social Studies and Language Arts into a long period and Math and Science into a long period with a few shorter periods throughout the day. The block scheduling would keep a majority of the students in the same groups, in the same room, taught by the same teacher. This is something that may be difficult for not only for the students but for the teachers and administrators as well.
3. The greatest challenges I see for teachers would be the transition from being a content-oriented, cognitive development teacher to a student centered, cognitive and emotional development teacher. A Junior High is more like a High School then a Middle School. The kids change classes frequently and start about the same time as a High School would. The teachers are more like High School teachers than Middle School teachers and teach accordingly. The teachers in a Junior High school are more focused on the subject matter and whether or not the students are getting the material as opposed to their emotions and likes and dislikes. A Middle School teacher teaches a little differently, bridging the gap for students between Elementary School and High School. The teacher is more student-oriented and is concerned not only about the student’s progress in the classroom but their emotional development as well. This may be a hard transition for some teachers, to change from a stern, content oriented teacher to one that is not quite a Elementary teacher but is not a High School teacher either. It takes a certain type of person to be able to suit both of the needs of a Middle School student and some of the teachers may not be able to make that change as easily as others and the students will suffer because of this.
Jenny Tovar said,
February 6, 2012 at 11:02 pm
1.The association for middle level education, also known as the middle school association would be the number one resource to use when making the transition. This association promotes academic success and it solely focus in the middle grades. It is a great resource for educators, principals, students, parents, and college professors.
In order to make sure the transition is a success, the committee needs to be mindful of the middle school characteristics such as:
•Classroom proximity.
•A variety of extra-curricular activities and after school program.
•A curriculum that is challenging and relevant to the students
•Cooperative planning from educators to create lessons which are interrelated amongst the different subjects.
•Highly qualified teachers in their content area.
•Block scheduling.
2.Lack of cooperation from the staff would be the greatest barrier to accomplishing the transition. It requires a team of professionals and dedication to provide the best educational environment for the students. Some people might be resistant to the change; as change brings about a sense of confusion and uncertainty at first.
3. I feel one of the biggest challenges that might come about is getting the teachers to work together to create lesson plans. In many instances teachers are used to working on their own and creating individual lesson plans.
Thomas Harkness said,
February 8, 2012 at 12:37 am
Thomas Harkness
1) I would suggest we contact another school organization that transitioned into a middle school. I would also suggest that we contact educators, curriculum specialist, architect, and child psychologist. We need to meet the social, educational, and emotional needs of our students.
The middle school curriculum needs to be uniquely designed to meet young adolescents’ physical, psychosocial, and cognitive developmental needs. The building needs to be designed so that classrooms are near each other to meet the needs of the student.
Thomas Harkness
2) I see the greatest barrier to accomplishing this goal is that everyone needs to buy into the middle school concept or idea for it to work. Such as interdisciplinary teams for teachers, instructional grouping within heterogeneous learning for students, cooperation for instructional planning, flexible scheduling blocks, team based learning for student-teacher environment, team grouping for student-student environment and more frequency contact with guidance advisors.
Thomas Harkness
3) I believe that interdisciplinary teams will be the greatest challenge for teachers in transitioning to a middle school. For too many years, teachers taught in isolation; they planned for classes, collected teaching materials, decided on methods of teaching, and decided on means of assessment. Working alone, they did not know other teachers’ successes, failures, and methods. Each teacher had her or his “own little world” in the classroom and taught a group of students without the benefit of praise or constructive criticism from other teachers. Naturally, because teachers never planned together, there was little curricular integration. Students went from class to class without seeing any connections among the subjects they were studying. They were taken to the school library for isolated “library lessons” that had no connection to the topics studied in their classes.
With common planning times and a shared group of students, effective interdisciplinary teams include a balance in the teachers’ expertise, age, sex, and race; team leaders with specific responsibilities; an established team decision-making process (examples as, goals, grouping, scheduling, homework, and discipline); agreed-on procedures to assess students’ strengths and weaknesses; the development of a team identity; flexibility in student and master schedules; the support of school and district administration for the teaming concept and team efforts; sufficient time for team planning; adequate staff development; and team members who are proficient in using human relations skills. This is a big change for teachers to undertake going from a junior high school to a middle school.
Thomas Harkness
Natalia Pinzon said,
February 8, 2012 at 6:17 pm
1. What resources would you suggest that the committee use to guide the development of the middle school
Some online resources I would suggest that the committee use are the following websites:
– http://www.amle.org/AboutAMLE/ThisWeBelieve/tabid/1273/Default.aspx Where you can find the characteristics of a middle school, what the Association for Middle Level Education believes a middle school should be like, and other “This We Believe” resources
- http://www.amle.org/ This is the general page for the Association for Middle Level Education, where you can also find professional preparation and developments, publications, conferences, and many other resources that will help the committee transition into a middle school.
- http://www.turningpts.org/ On this website you will find tools to help transform middle schools.
Since one of the major differences between a junior high school and a middle school is that a middle school has to meet not only the academic needs of the students but also the emotional and affective ones, I would also suggest to the committee to gather information from psychology books, specially the ones focused on education and adolescence.
2. What do you see as the greatest barrier to accomplishing the goal?
I believe that the greatest barrier will be to get the right educators. Teachers and administrators have to realize that now, they wont simply be teaching students the academic aspect of the subjects, they will also have to be there to support and encourage them, and help them develop emotionally and socially as well. I believe it will be hard for teachers who are use to simply teaching, to now have to actually care about their students and meet the needs of those young adolescences.
3. What do you believe will be the greatest challenge for the teachers in transitioning to a middle school
The greatest challenge I believe will be to change the mentality of the teachers of being simple educators to actually being a support system in all aspects of the students’ lives. In a way, they will have to be more than teachers; they will have to be willing to become guides, counselors, advocates, and even friends without losing the professionalism.
Amanda Owens said,
February 8, 2012 at 8:27 pm
1. What resources would you suggest that the committee use to guide the development of the middle school?
In order to successfully guide the transition from a junior high school to a middle school, I feel that it would be important to have both elementary school professionals as well as high school professionals help out in creating ideas or systems that will make the students successful. The middle school should have a flexible curriculum, unlike one in high school, because it is important to ensure that students are not working above their ability level. The school will also need a strong guidance staff to help students transition both mentally and emotionally. Strong teachers that really care for their job and are willing to work hard to adjust and accommodate for the students is essential as well.
2. What do you see as the greatest barrier to accomplishing the goal?
I believe that the greatest struggle for accomplishing this goal will be to have all of the school’s staff gain a new mindset and to be motivated to stick with it and work hard for it. I also believe that it may be difficult to have teacher’s work together because in the middle school that is vital. Teachers have planning time together and it is vital that they work collaboratively to offer the students interdisciplinary lessons and to ensure students do not have four tests on the same day.
3. What do you believe will be the greatest challenge for the teachers in transitioning to a middle school?
I believe that the greatest challenge for the teachers will be to change their ways. It is often difficult, especially for professionals who have been in the field for a number of years and are set in their ways, to change their ways. I believe it will be difficult for them to adjust their daily routine, lessons, and mindset to accommodate the new transition. I feel that they also might find it hard to work successfully with their cooperating teachers. Some might even find it difficult to master the whole idea of a middle school. Middle school is slightly more nurturing, demanding, and individualized than a high school and some teachers may not have the personality or skills to be this type of teacher.
Dorothy kema said,
February 8, 2012 at 9:23 pm
I would suggest that what the committee should use the following to guide the development of middle school s.
• Allow flexibility and encourage experimental method of teaching.
• Identify teaching strategies for students.
• Help students appreciate other personality types.
• Promote interdisciplinary approaches and be able to assess students’ characteristics, social and organizational skills.
• In cooperate in lesson plans with appealing topics that students might find interesting.
• Students’ personal concerns can be included in the lesson. Such concerns as to how to getting along with others, who am I? or other subject related skills.
2
The greatest barriers to accomplish these goals will be lack of effective classroom management strategies and skills. Middle school is a whole new experience to the students. Their transition is not particularly easy. It can make it hard for students to transit to subject, physically or mentally. Therefore, effective classroom management skills are critical importance to the success of the students that we teach.
3
Some of the challenges might be:
• Change in planning period: Transiting to middle school can be difficult because the teacher has to plan his/her lesson alone. Choosing and designing a lesson with its related tasks can be time consuming.
• Changes in teaching approaches. A middle school teacher should serves as an advisor, mentor, counselor, or guide to help students feel a sense of safety, confidence, and purpose in their learning. These can be very challenging to the teacher.
• Schedule adjustment: Teacher will spend long period of time in one form of scheduling (Block) and will teach in more concentrated experiences of subjects.
• Focusing on both cognitive and affective development of the students. It is imperative that the teacher must guide, instigates, and motivates students in order for them to learn.
Onisha Cole said,
February 8, 2012 at 11:01 pm
Response 1
1. In order to establish a true middle school the first step would be to complete research on what the term middle school describes. A comprehensive study of successful middle schools and the policies that made them successful would be needed. Turning Points (turningpoints.org) is a great website to find out information on said middle school model. One is able to gain a deeper understanding of a true middle school and the policies needed to help it achieve. The site speaks about the six practices and seven principles, which are interconnected, that are used to help the schools meet the vision of a middle school. Turning Points works with the school directly in order to ensure that the vision is upheld and the proper steps are carried out.
2. I believe the greatest barrier to accomplishing this goal is the need to change the mindset of the community and involved professionals. Junior High Schools are often viewed in the same light as a Middle School. It may take a lot of time and workshops to convince the community of the need to adapt this change in education. It will require individuals who understand the vision and see the necessity for it. They will need to have a passion to see this through in order to successfully change the mindset of the community.
3. I believe teachers will find it hard to adjust to the role of caring professional in the middle school system. If they are coming from a high school or junior high school, they are accustomed to treating their pupils as mini adults. As a middle school teacher, they will have to be able to balance the role of teacher and nurturing adult in the classroom. They cannot merely send students out of their classroom if they come off as difficult, instead, they will need to figure out if the pupil is alright mentally and emotionally before making a move. They will need to have the right balance of strictness and leniency. They cannot treat them as they would elementary schoolers, but they cannot treat them as high schoolers either. They need to treat them as their own breed with a mix of needs from both levels.
Martina Torretta said,
February 9, 2012 at 12:52 am
1. Resources to guide the development of a middle school: middle school certified teachers in the proper content, classrooms all in the same wing, block scheduling, elective classes, clubs, exploratory classes, team taught classrooms, bullying policy, supportive parents, and an affective, emotional, and academic school.
2. The greatest barrier to accomplishing these goals is the support of parental guidance. Without adult supervision, other than the teacher, the child will not be able to grow approach their needs emotionally and academically in an effective way.
3.The greatest challenge for the teachers transitioning to a middle school from a junior high school is that the school is more student-centered, not subject centered. Middle schools look for ways for the pre-adolescent student to grow into an adolescent student. In junior high, the children are already thrown into the mix, and the schools are just worried about grades. In middle school, they care more about the whole person as an individual rather than their cognitive academic abilities.
Carolyn H. said,
February 9, 2012 at 2:43 pm
1. What resources would you suggest that the committee use to guide the development of the middle school?
The resources that the committee should use to guide the development of the middle school should consist of a team of general education teachers, special education teachers, guidance counselor or psychologist, school principal and vice-principal and feedback from parents and students could be taken into consideration. Each individual teacher would bring their viewpoint and expertise to the discussion and development of the transition plan for the best interest of all middle schoolers.
2. What do you see as the greatest barrier to accomplishing the goal?
The greatest barrier to accomplish this goal is that the students population will have emotional fears about adjusting to the change and teachers not having the resources available to help the student or even know how to handle the student’s psychological, emotional, psychological and social issues so, that it will be a positive growing experience for the student at all grade level and thus cutting down on the high school drop out rate because of student’s disinterest.
3. What do you believe will be the greatest challenge for the teachers in transitioning to a middle school?
The greatest challenge for teachers in transitioning to a middle school is being highly qualified to teach their subject matter, having common planning time and being supportive and informed of students who have emotional and social problems and being effective in helping students to cope. Safety and security of the students are important so having the classroom located in close proximity during transition is important. Block scheduling would also cut down on students wandering unescorted throughout the school building.
Note to Dr. Hrevnack-
I am sorry for the late submission but I had computer issues.