Education Commons^™

Teaching For Social Justice In Middle Grades Mathematics: Lessons From A Field Instructor/Preservice Teacher Partnership, Kelsey L. Benson, Ashley Conlon

Middle Grades Review

This paper discusses the implementation of social justice lessons in middle grades mathematics by a preservice teacher enrolled in a social justice-oriented teacher education program during her practicum placements in 7^th and 8^th grade classrooms in a rural county in the southeastern United States. We begin with an overview of relevant literature on the importance of teaching for social justice in mathematics, particularly with/for young adolescents. Next we describe the social justice Math lessons Ashley designed and taught. We conclude with implications for both teachers and teacher education programs undertaking justice-oriented work in divisive and hostile political contexts.

Developing Proportional Reasoning Via Lego Robotics: Experiences Of A 7th Grade Mathematics Class, Shelli L. Casler-Failing, Leah C. Swann

Middle Grades Review

A qualitatively oriented mixed methods case study was conducted to investigate the effects of incorporating LEGO robotics into a seventh-grade mathematics curriculum. Using the lenses of Social Constructivist Theory and the Five Stages of Technology Integration, this research focused on the development of proportional reasoning skills. The data show students experienced success in developing their proportional reasoning skills as they completed tasks using the robotics. The quantitative data shows evidence of growth in understanding and development of proportional reasoning. The qualitative analysis provides evidence that students developed their understanding through collaborative discussions as they worked through the different technology stages. …

Engaged Pedagogies In The Middle Grades: A Case Study Of Justice-Oriented Teachers In Covid Times, Hilary E. Hughes, Rachel Ranschaert, Kelsey L. Benson

Middle Grades Review

Much of the extant literature regarding middle grades teachers centers on interventions to improve the quality or effectiveness of their teaching: studies that identify a particular instructional strategy, curricular support, or disposition, and conclude with recommendations that teachers improve their practice by adopting said thing. In contrast, the qualitative case study we present here contributes to the rising tide of research illustrating the powerful, transformative work that middle grades teachers oriented toward justice and equity are already doing in the classroom. Specifically, we draw on eight months of data to illuminate how teachers in a Title I middle school located …

A Shared Vision? Exploring The Perceptions Of Principals And Teachers Regarding The Middle School Concept, Shawn A. Faulkner, Chris Cook, Ryan Alverson, Mike Dicicco

Middle Grades Review

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 …

A Distributed Leadership Perspective For Critical Consciousness In Middle Grades, Kenneth M. Bond, Daniel P. Tulino

Middle Grades Review

In middle-grades settings, students are cultivating critical consciousness to apply general knowledge of equity to their local context(s) (Nojan, 2020). As educators work to foster environments that allow middle-grade students to cultivate critical consciousness, expectations have shifted in the area of leading for equity. We have outlined a leadership framework we believe will advance the collective critical consciousness with examples for middle-grade contexts. Our focus is working toward equitable outcomes through one’s sociopolitical development and creating ways to further the collective critical consciousness of the entire school community through a distributed leadership perspective. Through this lens, our hope is to …

“Always A Place To Start” In Middle Grades Education: Editorial Remarks, Penny A. Bishop, James F. Nagle

Middle Grades Review

No abstract provided.

Considering Middle School Organizational Structures Through A Lens Of Equity And Justice, Kristie Smith

Middle Grades Review

No abstract provided.

Growing Culturally Responsive Advisory In Your Context., Matt Moulton

Middle Grades Review

No abstract provided.

Students Deserve More Than Equity Conversations: Middle Level Structures That Promote Equity, Dave Brown

Middle Grades Review

No abstract provided.

Re-Examining School Structures Of People, Place, And Time To Promote Equity At The Middle Level, Katherine M. Main, Dana Pomykal Franz, Kristina N. Falbe, Cheryl Ellerbrock

Middle Grades Review

In 2018 we published a chapter entitled “Middle Grades Schools and Structures” (Ellerbrock et al., 2018a) in Literature Reviews in Support of the Middle Level Education Research Agenda (Mertens et al., 2013). Building on the earlier work of Ellerbrock et al. (2018a), this chapter reviewed literature between 2000 and 2018 that reported on the organizational structures of middle level education settings in the United States of America and Australia. Though the findings highlighted the dearth of research specifically examining the organizational structures of middle level education, the literature examined supported the original three key interconnected themes of people, place …

Equity & Middle Grades Organizational Structures: Echoes Of The Past, Influences On The Present, Hopes For The Future, Gayle Andrews

Middle Grades Review

Fostering a sense of belonging is fundamental to recommended organizational structures in middle grades schools including interdisciplinary teams, advisory relationships, flexible instructional schedules, and heterogeneous grouping. Middle grades educators must ensure that organizational structures support a sense of belonging and also problematize the very idea of “belonging,” actively countering and disrupting white supremacy culture and colonizing forces that can make “belonging” conditional and available only for those who accept systemic oppressive forces without question or complaint. This essay contends that key organizational structures in middle grades schools can be designed and enacted to infuse equity orientations and culturally sustaining approaches …

Organizing For Equity In The Middle Grades: Editorial Remarks, James F. Nagle, Penny A. Bishop

Middle Grades Review

No abstract provided.

A Field Trip That’S Not About The Destination But The Journey, Vanessa Scanfeld, Eric James, Vincent Dotoli

Middle Grades Review

This Practitioner Perspective presents a middle school unit focused on designing a day-long field trip as an effective project-based initiative for advancing social and emotional learning (SEL). It considers the social and emotional competencies students develop as they navigate the complexities of this project: researching options, planning an itinerary that meets various parameters, and ultimately taking the trip. It also offers practical guidance to schools for successfully adopting this program.

Who Will They Turn To? The Perspectives Of Middle School Girls Regarding Trustworthy Traits In Adults, Burcu Ozturk, Christina R. Miller, David A. Mcleod, David Dickerson

Middle Grades Review

Early adolescence is a time marked by upheaval and change. Youth are navigating increased social pressures from constant connection with peers. Youth have access to 24 hours of social connection via technology, but they increasingly report feelings of isolation, anxiety, and depression (Keles et al., 2020). They are also entering a world with increased political division, climate disasters, and decreases in public safety from events like mass shootings (Coronese et al., 2019; Follman et al., 2022). As youth navigate these new challenges, adults are seeking ways to understand better how to build meaningful connections with youth that may help mitigate …

Detecting A Possible Correlation Between Hands-On Experimentation And Scientific Data Analysis In 8th Grade Students, Breana Dobesh, Phu Vu

Middle Grades Review

This Practitioner Perspective reports on action research that examined the impact of integrating hands-on experimentation on eighth- grade students skills of scientific data analysis and interpretation in a science middle school class. The intervention given to the treatment group was tasking students with completing scientific experiments during their daily lessons, along with collecting and analyzing data from those experiments. Collected data through both control and treatment groups indicated that there was no significant difference in mean test scores between the two groups. Discussions and suggestions for future studies were included.

Observing Enables Deeper Learning For Disaffected Learners, Fiona J. Mcdonnell, Eric Crivac

Middle Grades Review

Post-Covid, upon returning to the classroom, many students, but most especially those from among our more vulnerable populations, have difficulty collaborating and communicating with each other and reconnecting with their learning. We describe how a learning exploration that positioned struggling rising sixth-graders as cricket explorers, who would become cricket experts by observing the habits and behaviors of crickets in their care, nurtured their capacities for collaboration and communication and created a community of deeper learning, for both the students and teacher. That all students have opportunities for deeper learning is a matter of social justice. The exploration took place as …

Three Rs For Middle Level Education: The 2022 Ncpomle John Vanhoose Lecture, David C. Virtue

Middle Grades Review

The author contends the most prominent challenges and conditions facing middle level education now and in the near future point to three imperatives for the field: middle level education must be relevant, resilient, and robust. After conceptualizing the field of middle level education as an interdisciplinary, applied field of study concerned with the formal education of young adolescent learners in school settings, the author discusses each of the three imperatives and provides recommendations for scholars to move forward alongside professionals in middle level schools and classrooms to achieve a bright educational future for young adolescents.

Making Middle Grades Education Relevant, Resilient, And Robust: Editorial Remarks, James F. Nagle, Penny A. Bishop

Middle Grades Review

No abstract provided.

Acknowledgments, Tvc 44 Executive Board

The Vermont Connection

No abstract provided.

The Song Of A Community: A Reflection On Hope Personified, Tatiana Havens

The Vermont Connection

No abstract provided.

“Just Breathe”: Black Women Faculty Negotiating Joy And Hope In Academia, Brittany M. Williams, Laila Mccloud

The Vermont Connection

Using Angela Davis’ (2016) conversational interview style writing approach, we discuss how we, as two Black women early career scholars, experience, facilitate, and find joy, hope, and optimism in the face of hostility in academe. In tandem with songs of promise and perseverance by Black women creatives, we reveal how music connects to and helps to provide color for our professional and personal journeys, often contextualizing how we understand, negotiate, and persist within our chosen profession. With some consideration to the soundtracks of our lives, three major questions guided our writing: (1) Where within your teaching and research do you …

An Abolitionist Approach To Creating Communities Of Care: Decolonizing Theory, Acknowledging Disequilibrium, And Questioning Systems, Chelsea Whitaker, Cierra Russell

The Vermont Connection

May 25, 2020, exponentially reinvigorated a global reckoning around the uniquely American way of murdering Black people through policing and imprisonment. Calls for anti-racism, police reforms, and abolition permeated nearly every industry with statements, commitments, and trendy Instagram graphics. Once an idea reserved for the most radical, abolition entered the popular culture lexicon not only for its dedication to destroying oppressive systems but also for building communities of care. As student affairs professionals dedicated to community development at institutions built upon white supremacy and bound by federal policies, approaching community development through an abolitionist framework requires an imaginative playfulness to …

Los Nava: Testimonios Of Three First-Generation Siblings And Their College Going Decisions, Maria Del S. Nava, Lucero Del-Rayo Nava, Arturo Nava

The Vermont Connection

Abstract

La familia Nava originates with two hard working immigrant parents that came to the United States seeking educational opportunities for their children. This is the testimony of the three eldest siblings, Arturo, Maria, and Lucero, and their college search and application process. We follow them and the challenges they face as first-generation college students from low-income backgrounds. Using Yosso’s theory of Community Cultural Wealth and Iloh’s Model of College-Going Decisions and Trajectories as the frameworks, one can investigate the ways in which first-generation college students navigate this process and expose real barriers on their paths towards higher education.

Resumen …

Reclaiming Our Time: We Do It For The Culture, Angela E. Fillingim, Nini Hayes

The Vermont Connection

Using narrative methodology with a lens of critical race feminism, in self-reflexive ways we draw on our experiences as a Latina and Black-Pinay tenure-track faculty who have dealt with spirit murdering and labored in community to resist. We used feminist theories to understand the roots of our friendship and commitment to resistance. Our persistent encounters with spirit murdering were tied to, what we call, “time-theft.” Time-theft describes an embodied consequence of spirit murdering which deeply affects our emotional, mental, and physical well-being. We offer insights into how we resisted “time-theft conquistadors” and other means the institution tried to steal from …

Decentering Pain & Centering Joy: Adding Transgender Stories To The Academy, Logan H. Melo

The Vermont Connection

As it stands, transgender stories are often framed through the cisgender gaze and by the pain transgender people experience from societal expectations. Being Transgender is not about and should not be equated to the pain and dysphoria that one may experience. Being transgender is about the joy of discovering yourself and beginning to feel comfortable within your own body. This paper reviews Queer theory and its gaps when it comes to transgender identity; as well as transgender studies and the reframing of transgender identity. This paper also reviews literature that focus on transgender joy and reframing transgender identity within a …

Going To A Psychiatric Hospital Saved My Life And My Student Affairs Career, Jo Wilson

The Vermont Connection

The ongoing mental health crisis for college students has been a notable topic in recent years and while a necessary conversation, this often overlooks an underlying mental health crisis for higher education staff and the connection between both crises. As a former mentally ill graduate student and now (still) mentally ill student affairs practitioner, the connection is clear and a conversation now is critical. Using my personal narrative as a current practitioner, self authorship, and disability theory intersections, I am using this piece as a counternarrative and interruption to traditional student and staff development. Lastly, I seek to encourage a …

Where To Start? Asset-Based Approaches For Practitioners In Higher Education., Robert Drago, Michelle Setnikar

The Vermont Connection

Deficit thinking centers an individual's background or identities as the reason a student struggles or faces challenges in college. Higher education practitioners have a drive to shift policy, programs, and perspectives away from the harmful influence of deficit thinking. Asset-based approaches, such as psychologically attuned communication and growth mindset messaging, instead focus on student experiences and backgrounds as an opportunity rather than a burden. The question before practitioners is: where to start? We present options to consider.

White Student Affairs Practitioner's Role In Actualizing An Antiracist Environment, Patrick Lovelace

The Vermont Connection

This article is meant to serve as a resource for white student affairs practitioners to continue to consider their role in engaging in anti-racism work by learning about both theoretical and practical tools. Through the lens of Critical Race Theory, this piece examines the way racism is used as a tool by those with power to marginalize and harm Black individuals and communities people specifically through a higher education and student affairs context. Using existing research and practice that requires the self-examination of whiteness by white people, this piece will hopefully engage practitioners in considering ways to leverage whiteness as …

Searching For Authenticity In Disability Identity Development, Kaia B. Palm-Leis

The Vermont Connection

This article explores the nuances and pathways of disability identity development as well as what may constitute authentic disability identity in various theories and models. Authentic disability identity is influenced by how individuals interact with different power structures and systems and ultimately how they are related to normativity produced by ableism. Because each individual will have unique interactions with these systems, identity development and thus authenticity varies. Practitioners in higher education, with an understanding of how systems influence such nuanced identity, can create more open and flexible pathways to accommodations, improve outreach, and expand support outside of academic contexts.

Affordability In College Access: Improving Equitable Value For Low-Income, First-Generation, And Students Of Color, Joy N. Emmanuel

The Vermont Connection

Pursuing post-secondary education is often thought of as a pathway to tremendous economic success, yet many students, such as low-income, first-generation students, and students of color, are still underrepresented in higher education. Despite receiving more attention than in the past, the socioeconomic gap in higher education has remained the same. The ever-rising cost of higher education, declining government financial aid, and widening income disparities have put college out of reach to underrepresented, underserved students. It is vital to identify strategies to close the equity gap and improve college access for underrepresented underserved students. In this article, I explored the issue …