Teaching in the Middle Grades Today: Examining Teachers’ Beliefs About Middle Grades Teaching

Since the beginning of the middle school movement in the mid-1960s, middle level advocates have called for a school experience for young adolescents grounded in adolescent development that engages students in meaningful learning (Eichhorn, 1966; Alexander & Williams, 1965). The aim of this exploratory multi-case study was to understand middle level teachers’ beliefs about middle level instruction in the current educational environment. To gain this understanding, researchers asked ten current middle grades teachers with varying levels of experience to discuss their beliefs regarding their primary purpose as a middle grades teacher, the current status of middle level teaching, their best and worst instructional lessons, and their perceived barriers to teaching at the middle level. The teachers described the role of teaching in the middle grades as challenging and stressful, but of great importance. In general, they described instruction that included discovery, student engagement, and relevance in an effort to address students’ academic development. There was minimal mention of the non-academic aspects of adolescent development. Finally, teachers viewed curriculum restrictions, students’ attitudes toward learning, difficulty with differentiation, and lack of technology as significant barriers to their success in the classroom

The Status of Middle Schools in the Southeastern United States: Perceptions and Implementation of the Middle School Model

For more than 100 years, education communities have debated how best to educate the young adolescent. Proponents of both the junior high school model and the current middle school model have advocated for a specialized approach to educating adolescents that emphasizes the developmental needs of students. To accomplish this, various organizational structures and instructional approaches are recommended. This survey study examines the perceptions of these middle school practices and the implementation of those practices in middle schools in the Southeastern region of the United States. We note several key trends in our results and highlight key differences in perception of importance and implementation of middle school components and strategies compared to the most recent large scale survey administered by McEwin and Greene (2011)

America’s Middle Schools: Examining Context, Organizational Structures, and Instructional Practices

The education of the young adolescent has consistently posed a challenge to the educational community. While the general belief is this age group (10-15-year-old children) would benefit from a specialized educational approach, historically, both the junior high school model of the early 1900s and the more current middle school concept have struggled to be fully implemented and embraced by the educational community. With almost a decade passing since the last national survey focused on middle grades schools (McEwin & Greene, 2010, 2011), researchers seek to reassess the context, organizational structures, and instructional practices of middle schools in the United States. Over 1,600 responses from principals and teachers to the national survey indicate the status of middle schools is largely unchanged since the McEwin and Greene (2010, 2011) study. Specific recommendations for moving forward are shared

A Shared Vision? Exploring the Perceptions of Principals and Teachers Regarding the Middle School Concept

From decades of recommendations, middle school advocates have recommended various organizational structures and instructional practices to meet the specific educational needs of young adolescents. Several notable national studies have sought to assess and report the status of implementation of these recommended practices, though largely from the perspective of the building principal. The purpose of this study was to examine both teachers’ and principals’ perceptions concerning the middle school concept. Based on responses of over 1,600 teachers and principals from all 50 states, findings indicate support for components of the middle school concept related to curriculum and instruction as well as school culture; however, support for components related to middle school philosophy and organizational structures received the lowest levels of support from principals and teachers. While reported support for middle school students was encouraging, the waning support for the philosophical and organizational components often considered foundational to the middle school concept was concerning

“They sit selfishly.” Beginning STEM Educators’ Expectations of Young Adolescent Students

To meet the demand for certified math and science teachers, alternative certification programs attempt to provide fast-track training and licensure of STEM-area educators (Goldhaber, Kreig, Theobald, & Brown, ). Teachers prepared in programs with a middle level specialization have been shown to participate in effective practices such as teaming and collaborative instructional strategies (Mertens, Flowers, & Mulhall, ). However, few preparation programs have middle level specializations, and teachers prepared in accelerated programs tend to have greater difficulties with classroom management, planning, and differentiated instruction than those prepared in traditional programs (Darling-Hammond, ; Wilson, ). Researchers examined a cohort of beginning teachers completing an accelerated STEM M.A.T. program whose struggles with planning and engaging young adolescents seemed outside of the norm. Utilizing the middle school model (NMSA, ; Jackson & Davis, ), Lortie’s () apprenticeship of observation, and the formation of teaching beliefs (Richardson, ) as an integrated framework, this study sought to describe and explain the beliefs of beginning STEM teachers prepared in an accelerated M.A.T. program. Findings indicate new teachers from STEM backgrounds view their students through the lenses of their previous educational experiences and highlight the need for traditional teacher preparation and specialized middle level instruction

The Fall of Icarus: A Paid Intern\u27s Search for Her Teacher Identity

While “reality shock” for beginning teachers has been well documented (Veenman, 1984), few studies have examined the transition to teaching of beginning teachers in accelerated preparation programs (Huling-Austin, 1986; Zeichner, 2012). This case study, taken from a larger study, examines the concerns a paid intern in her first semester of teaching. Findings suggest that conflict between her success-oriented self-perception and perceived failures to reach her own ideal within the realities of practice caused anxiety as she struggled to negotiate her teacher identity. (495