Education Commons^™

Leveraging Collaboration And Challenging Dominant Discourses: Editorial Remarks, Penny A. Bishop, James F. Nagle

Middle Grades Review

No abstract provided.

Teaching In A Global Era: Editorial Remarks, James F. Nagle, Penny A. Bishop

Middle Grades Review

No abstract provided.

Enacting A Mission For Change: A University Partnership For Young Adolescents, Penny B. Howell, Abigail Deweese, Alice Gnau, Laura Peavley, Caroline Sheffield

Middle Grades Review

Abstract

As practicing teachers, school personnel, and teacher educators engaged in a school-university partnership, we have worked to co-create a mutually beneficial relationship centered around the learning needs of young adolescents. In this article, we will describe our diverse perspectives on and perceptions of how the partnership enhances the learning experiences of the young adolescents with whom we learn and work. We come to this work with two interrelated goals of preparing a cadre of effective middle grades teachers while improving the educational experiences for 10-14-year-old students at Westport Middle School (WMS)--whether it is through classroom instruction, teacher education, or …

Balancing Freedom And Limitations: A Case Study Of Choice Provision In A Personalized Learning Class, Steven Netcoh

Tarrant Institute for Innovative Education Publications

This qualitative case study explored how middle school teachers and students experienced and perceived choice within a newly implemented personalized learning class. It found that teachers and students had different values, expectations, and interests related to student choice, which contributed to struggles for power and control within the personalized learning class. Findings suggest teachers may benefit from foregrounding personalized learning as a partnership in which students and teachers bring their voices into conversation while framing choice as a means toward collaboratively developed learning targets as opposed to an end in and of itself.

Professional Learning With Action Research In Innovative Middle Schools, Steven Netcoh, Mark William Olofson, John Matthew Downes, Penny Bishop

Tarrant Institute for Innovative Education Publications

This article illustrates how action research can be used as a model for professional development with middle grades educators in rapidly changing and technology-intensive schools. Drawing upon ten years of using this model, the authors present three examples of educator action research to highlight five characteristics of effective projects: (1) appropriate scope, (2) a collaborative approach, (3) accountability, (4) various data sources, and (5) a clear link to practice. Action research with these characteristics can help middle grades educators address emergent problems in 21st-century class- rooms and respond to the evolving needs of young adolescents.