Middle School Age Differences

“…apart from the prime and given responsibility of teaching selected content and skills, middle school teachers must be about the business of helping students believe in themselves, form their character, discover their interests, nurture their potential, gain a sound perspective on their physical development and related health issues, and develop those universally and critically important humanitarian and social skills—all while daring them to be their best selves, to breath deeply, and to live well at the moment.”

Pickhardt states that in some cases the middle school teachers give parents the wrong message. This message is to let the student not do the work and fail as they will learn more from their consequences. Pickhardt explains how most of these students need to learn from the academic failure and letting them fail would mean that there would be a lack of effort in wanting to do work. Here parents can help the students by giving them support to continue giving the most academic work that can be done. Sixth grade students don’t get the attention that they

Teachers must hold high expectations for all of their students and recognize that all learners seek challenge, purpose, and affirmation. Students naturally want to learn and teachers must expect them to respond with investment, persistence, an opportunity to display their accomplishments and personal reflection. (Woolfolk, 2011). Teachers must connect new content with the knowledge scaffolding a student already possesses, in a way that encourages focused and engaged learning.

Motivation is an important aspect of everyday life. "Researchers have consistently found that an approach based on extrinsic rewards and consequences actually reduces children's intrinsic motivation to learn" (Solley). Motivation is lost due to the pressure

“A middle school is a school organization containing grades six to eight that, first provides developmentally appropriate and responsive curricular, instructional, organizational, guidance, and overall educational experiences; and second, places major emphasis on 10-15 year olds’ developmental and instructional needs” (Teaching in the Middle School, 6). The researcher has a great point for the fact that a middle school should be focus on the needs of diverse young adolescents. All young adolescents are in a special time in their lives that require extra guidance during this crazy change. Middle school students test out the boundaries and want to learn about new activities and interests during this stage. It takes a special person who wants to teach these diverse students who need the extra support from their teachers to show them what’s out there for them and to introduce them to new things.

In order to allow children to grow, learn and develop to their utmost potential, educators need to be attentive, inclusive, flexible and understanding. Attentive to the differences of each child and the variances they bring with them to the classroom, in order to best understand a child’s individuality. In being inclusive of all children, regardless of their circumstance, gender, history or attitude; the educator can make a conscious effort towards equality for all children. Having flexibility, to allow for prompt changes to pedagogy; as children are continually changing, growing and adjusting to their environments, therefore their learning path may also need to change, the educator needs to be able to introduce alternatives where required.

Childhood and adolescence are times of crucial growth in developing their sense of self and learning about the world. If the average American teenager spends about 7 hours in a classroom environment per day, then teachers are in a prime position to impact their students. As a teacher, I can ensure that my students receive the encouragement, compassion, and respect that is so important in becoming an able and confident member of society. Not every student receives academic support at home. Therefore, my classroom should also offer resources, classroom assistance, and a positive learning environment. I should invest time and effort into my students. I can help them realize their own potential and

Educators throughout the nation have become frustrated with the demand of how to encourage and motivate their students especially those that are not prepared academically and socially. In this case a student will generally display disruptive behavior, a lack of interest, and unrealistic ambitions. Once an educator is able to identify the different factors that affect a student’s motivation along with a few helpful strategies he or she will be able to create the educational motivation needed for effective student learning.

The Middle School years reflect on the child falling into patterns of certain behaviors and habits. This is the age where students will begin to form their study habits and focus on their social groups and connections, which in some cases can take president over their schooling. However, when a child applies themselves great growth can occur. According to School and Children: The Middle School Years, “children are thought to be functioning developmentally at what Piaget termed the concrete and formal operational stages. During this phase, basic literacy as well as computational and conceptual skills are acquired.” (Epps & Smith, 1984) Students during this phase of growth and development can work on harder skills and make greater connections between their education and their world.

The first key ideas to be discussed within this paper is the importance of an integrated and negotiated curriculum. By using these key ideas in conjunction, we are able to accommodate for individual middle school students. An integrated curriculum enables students to draw from prior knowledge and skills across all subjects. Usually this is achieved through a ‘big idea’ which is chosen based on the middle students’ needs and interests both on a personal and a community level (Rennie, Venville & Eallace, 2010, p.201). This linking of subjects through a big idea can aid in maintaining interest within the middle year students and therefore enhance academic achievement. This spark in interest can be developed even further through negotiating the curriculum both in an individual and group setting. Research outlines that if students feel like they have a ‘voice’ and ownership of what they are learning then learning is more effective and rewarding (Hunter, Forrest, 2010, p.205). Therefore, a negotiated curriculum is highly effective as it allows this sense of

Maturity is a huge role in today considering these middle schoolers knowing too much. The problem that we face today with maturity is having younger kids (11-14) knowing too much by that age. We've all heard those inappropriate words in school or seeing inappropriate motions. A Sciological professor, Tony Campolo said," I am convinced we don't live in a generation of bad kids. We live in a generation of kids who know too much too soon." From those very words I would have to agree. We know we go through maturation is 5-6 grade, but even in middle school these problems shouldn't be occurring.

Everything teachers plan and do should focus on the individual child. They tailor, adjust, and adapt the curriculum to fit each child in the program, rather than expecting children to fit the program (Elkind, 1987). It is imperative in a developmentally appropriate perspective that the curriculum and teaching methods be age appropriate, individually appropriate, and culturally appropriate (Bredekamp & Copple, 1997). This means considering and understanding similarities within an age group, and also recognizing each child’s individual differences. In a developmentally appropriate classroom, children are allowed to progress at their own rate, and both the curriculum and teaching strategies are relevant for all the children in the classroom. Thus, a great deal of flexibility is required, but this does not mean a total lack of structure and academics; rather, it means that the structure and academics of the program are based on individual and group needs and current understanding of child development (Raines, 1997).

High school is a crucial period for all adolescences, it’s a time where teenagers are approaching young adulthood, their learning new skills rapidly, and making important decisions (Blakemore, 2011). For this reason, it is highly imperative for high school students to have positive influences in their lives, especially in their educational setting. In high school, educators play an important role in their student’s lives because they have the opportunity to have a stronger impact on their future and their goals. In addition, they also have the opportunity to, inspire them to learn and try new things, teach them how to make sound decisions, and encourage them to collaborate with their peers (Bellanca & Brandt, 2010).

There are different things a teacher can do to trigger this type of motivation in students. “Some examples of

Yet, the education does not stop at middle school, for high school really puts all the basic skills from elementary and middle school to work as the assignments and the exams become more challenging. We do not only learn about reading, writing, history, and math, we learn about the people around us as we associate with different personalities, and as we see what we have grown up to be and what we want to be later in life. Accordingly, the high school years are a time when teachers emphasize the importance of graduating and attending college in order to have a “succesful future.”