This We Believe

The first seven pages of This We Believe is about how we should shape a middle school. It says that we should pay attention to the lives of the adolescents attending the school and bas e the curriculum we teach on them. The pages also touch on how society is constantly changing now and because of that, we need to think more about where there students comes from. Lastly, the seventh page gave the National Middle School Association's mission statement.

I really enjoyed this reading because it ended on telling us the mission statement of the NMSA. I think that it was very important to know because it shows us what the goals of the authors are regarding middle school students. I also agree that times are constantly changing, and along with the times, teens are changing. Although we have all been a teen before, times were even slightly different. This makes a world of differnce when we go out and teach teenagers.

As we move on in the book, we are given the emphasis that students and teachers need to have positive interactions. Teachers need to set examples of working hard and interacting with coworkers so that students understand how those interactions work, but also so students feel comfortable. Students, especially between the ages of 10 and 15 need to feel safe in their learning environment. I really liked that this book mentions that students going from the middle school to high school should go through a moving up program. I think this is important because the experience between middle and high school is very different. Middle schools are a lot more supportive than high schools and this can be a difficult transition to get used to.

Of course, as teachers, we need to know how to create a curriculum that students will want to be involved in. In order for us to do this, the book gives us certain tips to use. We should make the units interesting and prevalent to the students. They need to feel like what we teach them means something to them and there is some point to it. We should also make the units challenging for the students. Though the students are young adolescents, they are very smart and will not benefit from a really easy unit. The book continues on, including having a classroom of the 21st century.

As we continue to read This We Believe, we start to understand the curriculum we teach needs to feel relevant to the students we are teaching. I think this is especially critical in middle level education because this is the period in our students lives when they are still trying to discover themselves and their interests. However, I think it is harder to make the content we teach more relatable in certain subjects like math. In my personal experience, I only had one math teacher who tried to relate algebra and geomotry to the real world. When I could relate a subject I hated to the real world, I succeeded a lot more than the classes where I sat and filled out worksheets. The students are going to be like this when we teach; if we just allow them to sit and do papers, they will not be motivated to do the work. However, if we allow students to be interested and have experiences relevent to them, they are more likely to succeed.

The last section of This We Believe is a setion that involves all of the different departments and hierarchy of the education system. In order to accomplish the great things we intend to in the classroom, we have to make connections with the many different people associated with our school. I used to think that there wer two very distinct people who worked for the education system; the teachers and the people who delt with the business side of the school. However, I was wrong. Everyone who works in the education system has contact with the students in some way, and effect their education.

A Design For Improving Middle School Education: Synthesis

Abstract The second chapter in Turning Points 2000 is clear about the students recommendations the authors suggest in order to create a student that is well-rounded, a good student and a good citizen. We also read about the 7 points we need to consider when trying to teach students and are told that there were originally 8 points. We also learn that the 7 points are not just a list, but are a web that is interconnected showing that the web is not complete without one or more of the points. Turning Points 2000 clearly has very distinct rules that the authors feel teachers should review in order to improve middle school education.

Reflection As a class, we seemed to really enjoy the second chapter of Turning Points 2000. We are all impressed with the web of points and how they are all interconnected, but we do have doubts that this would actually work in practice. We also really liked that the chapter clarified the changes between Turning Points and Turning Points 2000. We like to know about the recent research and why the second edition made the changes that it did. Lastly, we really liked the goals that the author’s made for the students. None of us thought they were impossible to reach and the goals made sense.

The Truth About Middle School Students

Abstract This chapter was showed us that middle school teens are not exactly what most people expect the to be. They can be crazy and immature, but they are portrayed in the media as a lot worse than they actually are. The author of this book also gave us direct quotes from board he lets his students write anything they want on. The quotes were really interesting, profound and funny. The quotes alone showed me that young teens are not as simple as people try make them out to be.

Reflection I agree with this chapter so much! I agree that young teens are portrayed as brats and troublemakers. Yes, there are statistics we should not ignore, but the students are not just statistics. Before my practicum I was positive that I did not want to teach in a middle school because I thought the students would be horrible to work with. However, after working with seventh and eighth graders, it is hard for me t o imagine teaching anywhere else.

Motivating Young Adolescents

Abstract Chapter two focused on the questions we should ask ourselves when creating lesson plans and teaching in the classroom. The questions all had to do with the needs of the students and basing what and we teach on the students. Though we have standards that we have to complete in the classroom, we need to know the best ways for students to meet those standards. Some of those ways of learning may be through games, stories, or just showing excitement for the topics we teach.

Reflection Probably the most useful thing I found in this chapter was using the PQRST reading method. In this method students get a preview of the reading, they develop questions they might have when reading, the read the text, they summarize the text and then test themselves on text by answering the questions. I think this method would be extremely helpful, especially in a Language Arts class. It would make the understanding of the reading begin before the students even start reading the text.

Stoking the Fires Within

Abstract Chapter one is about how we should act as teachers. We should learn how to inspire the students. The chapter focused a lot on how teachers can do there jobs better and lift students up, instead of lifting ourselves up. The chapter ended on a note about listening to students. Teachers often cut off students when they make the points teachers are looking for but we are told that we need to listen to the students fully to better understand their thinking.

Reflection The point I liked the most about this chapter is that it said that we should try to act optimistic and happy with our students, even if we are having a bad day. I truly believe that a good mood is contagious and that everyone can sense when someone is in a bad mood. If a teacher is in a bad mood, then the students are not only going to shut down for the day, but they are going to be less likely to come to the teacher if they are having problems in or outside of the classroom.

Improving Middle Schools

Abstract Chapter two in the book Turning Points 2000 expresses the ideas needed to make a middle school suitable to create the ideal 15-year-old student. This student should be a good citizen, work hard and want to learn. This chapter also says that parents need to be involved with their child’s academic life in order for the student to be successful. This chapter also suggests that we use a diverse curriculum and teach in a variety of ways. This is very similar to differentiation. Basically, this chapter gave us a lot of suggestions in order to make our students as successful as possible.

Reflection I think this chapter bothered me a bit because it focused on getting the ideal teenager when I feel this is nearly impossible. However, there were a couple things I really liked about this chapter. I loved that this chapter suggested that parents should be involved with their child’s academic life. I feel that if parents are involved, students will be ten times more committed and excited to do school work. I also loved that this chapter mentioned that the classroom has be a safe environment. As a student now, I know that I have to feel comfortable in order for me to express my opinions. My ability to participate in class is all based on how safe I feel. Therefore, if I feel this way now, I am positive almost every single student in the middle school feels the same way.

A Decade Later

Abstract In the first chapter of Turning Points 2000, we are presented with facts about adolescents in America compared to teens around the world. We are also given statistics comparing students who have been in schools styled similar to the style the authors of Turning Points suggests, to other schools not similar to the style the book suggests. We not only learn that the scores in reading, writing and math changes with the style of the middle schools, but the life style of the teenagers change too. The rates of teen pregnancy, sexual activity and drug and alcohol abuse have all changed with the times. The chapter explains that not only do we have to focus on what we are teaching students, but the lives they live outside the classroom and how school affects that.

Reflection I completely agree that as teachers, we need to pay attention to the environments our students are in when they come into school, and when they leave school. It makes complete sense why a school that is extremely crowded and with a higher poverty rate would be less academically successful than a school a smaller student-teacher ratio and more privileged students. I was actually very surprised that the sexual activity and pregnancy rate in teens has gone down. It completely shocked me. I remember hearing some of my students talk about their sex lives while I was in Practicum, and I was teaching eighth graders. I was not shocked when I read that illicit drug use and alcohol use has gone up. That does not shock me at all. I thought that the facts in this chapter were very helpful in giving me a little more insight in teens today because even though I was only in high school a few years ago, it feels like everything has changed so much.