Monday, January 2, 2012
Chapter 1
Chapter 1 of Teaching Young Adolesents introduced the middle school concept to the reader. It briefly described the types of schools and their functions.The chapter also introduced the idea that middle school students come with a myriad of backgrounds and learning abilities. This is key to understanding the middle school student. Finally, the chapter discussed briefly the qualities of a "fantastic" teacher and reflective decision making. Reflective decision making is key to meeting the needs of all students and improving on your own methods of teaching.
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Kris: Rena, I thought the diversity of students was a major focus of the chapter too. Diversity is increasing all the time, and as teachers we are going to have to be prepared to handle it. If we can reflect and self-evaluate after lessons to decide how to get more students interested and try to improve all the time we can be successful. A teacher has to be able to see things from many perspectives and be able to adjust often.
ReplyDeleteAs a middle school teacher for 6 years, (don't ask me how I got the job without endorsement????) I couldn't tell you in one post how diverse middle school really is. Let's just say that in the past I have had 6th-8th graders who like the Disney channel and Justin Bieber to 6-8th graders who are pregnant. They come from traditional family to all types of mixed family or foster home situations. They may have come from 1 elementary school or may have transferred schools and/or school districts several times during their career. The academic levels in one reading/lang arts class can vary from 3rd grade all the way to highschool or college reading levels. The middle school teacher needs to handle change easily, be flexible, get to know their students, and understand how to meet the educational needs of all types of students.
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