Junior High, Intermediate, Middle School Education and Teaching Commons^™

From The Editors, Michele H. Koomen, Thomastine A. Sarchet-Maher, Jessica Williams

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

JSESD remains a venue for the dissemination of research and practice related to the education of students with disabilities in the science classroom and laboratory since 1998. Volumes #1 through 11 were published in a print format. Starting with Volume #12, the journal has been published online and Open Access. Having JSESD in the Open Access format maximizes access for readers and authors and allows the journal to remain economically sustainable. JSESD is proud to now be publishing articles in both PDF and HTML formats (the HTML versions can be accessed through a link from the main articles’ web-page).

Leading Horses To Water During A Pandemic: Assuring Communication Learning For "Quants", Thomas Hall

International Journal for Business Education

Students who are attracted to quantitative disciplines of study can be reluctant to devote much attention to the important task of communicating, and previous research (Hostager, 2018) has identified statistically significant differences in learning approaches by major among undergraduate business students. This paper presents results of learning assurance for writing skills (direct measures) even when the content of the course relates to the highly quantitative topics of data analytics and finance. The approach combines various pedagogical methods in an undergraduate, writing-intensive setting: traditional testing but in an iterative framework, “flipped classroom” intensive work using spreadsheet software, repeated submission of brief …

Digital Inclusivity Matters: Media Selection Among Arab English Teachers, Nur Masarwa

Graduate Student Research Symposium

This qualitative, phenomenological study investigates the impact of culture on media choices in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms within an Arab region in Israel. In addition to traditional grammar-focused instruction, EFL instructors in Israel integrate technology and media to expose students to authentic English pronunciation and cultural communication. However, this technological integration not only facilitates global material transfer but also triggers shifts in different life dynamics. The EFL curriculum, shaped by Western and Jewish ideologies and overseen by the Ministry of Education, faces a critical gap: the lack of representation of Palestinian Arabs. This absence results in conflicts …

Engaging Teacher-Student Relationships With All Students, Jess Teal

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

Positive teacher-student relationships are essential for a safe classroom that promotes academic achievement and social/emotional development for all children. Teachers need specific practices and resources to support them in establishing positive teacher-student relationships with all their students. All students deserve a consistent adult connection and to call school a safe place to learn and grow.

Humor And School Culture In Special Education Schools, Saied Hussein Bishara

An-Najah University Journal for Research - B (Humanities)

Recently there have been discussions about the importance of incorporating humor, particularly in subjects such as mathematics, languages and more. The aim of integrating humor into the educational context stems from the need to mitigate the learning atmosphere that is seen as serious and boring, especially in special education schools. Therefore, the aim of the current research is to study the relationship between the integration of humor in teaching and learning and school culture in special education schools. Humor can have a positive impact on the school, as it stimulates students' interest and memory, and leads to interaction based on …

Advocating For Adolescent Sexual Minorities, Madeline Hawkins

South Carolina Association for Middle Level Education Journal

Sexual minority (gay, lesbian, and bisexual) adolescents experience bullying and mental health issues at higher rates than their heterosexual counterparts. It is important that teachers find ways to protect, support, and advocate for these students to prevent them from struggling academically and socially. Through the use of inclusive curricula, gay-straight alliances, and informal mentoring, educators can foster an environment of inclusion and respect for sexual minority students.

Uniting Students With Literacy Connections In Mathematics, Bridget K. Coleman, Michelle Rasheed, Nancy B. Ruppert, Toni M. Williams

South Carolina Association for Middle Level Education Journal

Literature provides opportunities for students to connect to mathematics, as well as each other. Reflecting on personal identities, storytelling, and place-based connections are avenues to enhancing the relevancy of content across the curriculum. Literature can bridge the divide for students reluctant to see the beauty in mathematics. It can also be the impetus in helping unite students as they gain a better understanding of cultures and places beyond their own. Stories, along with interactive tasks, give context for collaborative experiences. This article shares resources and strategies for building understanding and collaboration among students using cross-curricular connections between mathematics and literacy.

Adolescents With Eating Disorders Due To Bullying, Avery Page

South Carolina Association for Middle Level Education Journal

Bullying is a strong predictor of eating disorders. Adolescent girls are more susceptible to developing eating disorders due to social media, developmental changes, and societal pressure for unattainable perfection. Adolescent advocates have an important role in addressing this issue and providing support for students.

Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Adolescents: How To Support Them In Life And Education, Emma Chambers

South Carolina Association for Middle Level Education Journal

Research has shown that a socioeconomic divide is occurring and only getting larger in classrooms, and it is especially affecting the young adolescent age group. While there are many different problems that these students must face in their personal and public lives, the education system should be doing all it can to prevent this divide from growing larger with different strategies and prevention tools. This article will promote the use of several classroom management strategies, suggestions, and private organizations that offer help to make classrooms a more welcome place for all students no matter their home life.

Front Matter

South Carolina Association for Middle Level Education Journal

No abstract provided.

The “System” Was Never For Us: Redefining Middle School Discipline To Empower Black Girls, Kenesha Johnson, Dywanna Smith, Kamryn Griffin, Jada Williams

South Carolina Association for Middle Level Education Journal

This manuscript addresses the need for a transformative redefinition of school discipline, focused on empowering Black girls. It highlights the heightened likelihood of suspension and expulsion faced by Black girls, exposing flaws in traditional practices. Advocating for a paradigm shift, the manuscript emphasizes adopting restorative practices, centered on healing and collaboration to address behavioral issues at their core. It explores the impact of implicit biases and systemic racism on Black girls’ experiences, proposing a comprehensive, inclusive approach. Through transformative measures, schools create environments that actively empowers and supports the academic journey of Black girls, fostering a more equitable educational experience.

And Then The Black Birthed Me: Celebrating Black Girlhood In Middle Level Ela Classrooms Through Afrofuturism, Dywanna Smith, Kenesha Johnson, Kiana Eaddy

South Carolina Association for Middle Level Education Journal

The manuscript delves into the dynamic interplay between Afrofuturism and young adult literature and Middle Level English pedagogical inspiration to offer fresh perspectives on intersectionality, agency, and empowerment among marginalized youth. The authors explore how Afrofuturistic young adult literature authors are employing characters who navigate a multitude of identities, challenging traditional power dynamics, and dismantling oppressive structures. Through its incorporation of technological innovation, speculative visions, and the reclaiming of historical narratives, Afrofuturistic young adult literature creates new paradigms of empowerment and self-realization for all students, but especially Black girls. Works such as Kalynn Bayron’s The Poison Heart (2021), Namina Fornas’ …

Advocating For Teens In Single-Parent Households, Bailey Davis

South Carolina Association for Middle Level Education Journal

This article examines the issue of young adolescents living in a single-parent household. Challenges include reduced income, limited resources, family stress, and less parental involvement. Academic achievement and social- emotional development may be adversely affected. Teachers can help by becoming advocates for these students.

An Argument For Interdisciplinary Learning In Middle School, Isaiah Gillian

South Carolina Association for Middle Level Education Journal

Interdisciplinary education is a pedagogical approach that is beneficial for adolescent learners. Using this approach, students can integrate knowledge from one subject into another and form a holistic understanding of the real world we live in.

Avoiding Burnout: Resources To Help The Overworked Teacher, Victoria Oglan, Janie R. Goodman

South Carolina Association for Middle Level Education Journal

Everyone knows that teaching has always been a demanding job; however, in the last decade the demands on teachers have increased. Today, teachers have to answer to parents, administrators, legislators, and the general public when it comes to their classroom practice and educational beliefs. In addition, long hours, classroom management issues, lack of support, low pay, poor working conditions, and the demands of high-stakes testing have all contributed to widespread teacher stress.

This collection of resources will make your teaching life so much easier. Bringing these authors into your classroom can give teachers a broader understanding of how to configure …

Scamle Journal 2024

South Carolina Association for Middle Level Education Journal

No abstract provided.

Looking Back: Stories From The Premier Class Of Craft Academy, Kimberly Nettleton, Michael Kessinger, Lesia Lennex

Department of Middle Grades and Secondary Education Research & Publication Archives

PowerPoint presentation given at the Annual Conference of the Kentucky Association for Gifted Education (KAGE) in Lexington, Kentucky on February 27, 2024.

Self- Determination And Student- Led Ieps, Elizabeth R. Clarke

Empowering Educators Conference

In this session, Dr. Clarke and her student, a high school senior, will analyze and instruct educational professionals about self-determination. She will explain how to give students a voice in their IEP and their educational plans, as well as the subsequent effects: boosting motivation, independence and academic success.

Your Story, Your Life, Your Learning: Autobiography Reveals Basis For Supporting Personalized, Holistic Pedagogy, Michael Maser

Journal of Contemplative and Holistic Education

Each person ongoingly experiences the world uniquely through vital processes shaping their subjectivity, personhood and sense of self. Learning, an innate characteristic or modality of each human life, of living, likewise arises subjectively or idiosyncratically. In this paper, a phenomenological lens is applied to auto/biographical excerpts concerned with various learning experiences to help reveal essential, subjective characteristics of emergent learning. The insights help establish a basis for challenging the primacy of objectivist learning evaluations. The insights also confirm the importance of personalizing learning as a pedagogical gesture nurturing and enfranchising student learning in significant ways beyond conventional educational approaches …

Culturally And Socially Responsive Teacher Professional Learning At The American Museum Of Natural History, Jessica Correa

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This capstone project consists of a series of professional learning sessions to support teachers in their implementation of Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education (CR-SE) using the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) as a resource and case study. Through the lens of Historically Responsive Literacy, the series also seeks to reestablish social science as a critical element of natural history for teachers. This series can help teachers see the museum as not only a place to explore life and physical science, but also a place to explore identity, social/emotional development, cultural studies and American History. The project includes resources and directions for …

Literacy Across The Disciplines: A Way To Re-Engage Secondary Students, Jenelle Williams

Michigan Reading Journal

In this article, the author describes the opportunities present with leveraging disciplinary literacy approaches, in terms of re-engaging teens with learning. The author also provides several cautions for literacy leaders to keep in mind.

Integral Or Vestigial? Kentucky P-12 Teacher Websites, Lesia Lennex

Department of Middle Grades and Secondary Education Research & Publication Archives

In what way does a P-12 classroom teacher communicate at-large with their parents or students? There are many forms of communication. A more effective means of communication is either an access-key based Google Classroom or open-access teacher website linked to the school web site. An available, published teacher website allows any person with internet access to view teacher proffered information. This study sought to determine to what extent Kentucky P-12 teachers in its 171 school districts were 1) publishing teacher websites connected to the school web page, 2) including essential elements for clear communication, and 3) Americans with Disability Act …

Content Area Language And Literacy, Saadia Ali, Margaret A. Berg

Open Textbooks & Reviews

Content Area Literacy courses have long been a requirement in teacher education programs for pre-service teachers for the secondary level and, sometimes, for the elementary level. The 2020 World-class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA) Framework takes a genre approach that aligns well with the traditional Content Area Literacy courses in teacher preparation programs. WIDA argues for an educational approach that fosters (a) equity of opportunity and access, (b) integration of content and language, (c) collaboration among stakeholders, and (d) a functional approach to language development. This textbook examines the elements that make up the Simple View of Reading with adjustments …

Flannery O'Connor And Storytelling Unit Of Study, Caroline Lacksen, Natalie Puckett, Keith Pruett, Erin Smith, Nathan Pearson, Lashonda Hurst, Jessica Mcquain, Timothy Connors

Writing for Success

The Writing for Success grant sponsored by the federal Department of Education pioneered the creation of a standards-based fifth grade unit of study focused on Flannery O’Connor and the theme of local storytelling. This project utilizes an author study, digital humanities, and intensive writing instruction to engage students with an important Georgia writer and boost their interest and engagement with various forms of written and oral expression.

Through exposure to a variety of communication forms, including narrative, informational, and opinion writing in addition to oral history, poetry, song, and podcasting, students gain confidence in evaluating the context and audience of …

Select The Right Tools: Composition In A Restricted Environment, Harrison T. L. Stone, Lesia Lennex

Department of Middle Grades and Secondary Education Research & Publication Archives

Alphasmart devices are keyboards with some word processing ability such as spell check (Simpkins, 2023). The bare bones device thwarts students’ ability to browse for games or mismanage the default settings in Word. Alphasmart products can be used to assist with typing skills for the GED or ever-increasing technology-conversant jobs. The Alphasmart can either store information or via USB so an instructor can review student writings. Importantly, student work, such as a resume, may be printed from the device. Where it can only display a few lines of text at a time it would work well with students who get …

Home Of The Brave Book Study Assignment Description, David Wolff

Open Educational Resources - Teaching and Learning

Individuals lead storied lives, and everyone has a story to tell. Our stories can be shared orally and documented in print. Often, learners are exposed to stories through novels and other trade books. Teacher educators may benefit from using the stories in novels and trade books as case studies in preservice teacher preparation course. This assignment description outlines how to use the novel, Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate, as a case study to contextualize and understand the lived story of an individual learning a second language and living in a new country. Through the novel, preservice teachers experience …

Intentional Planning To Differentiate, David Wolff

Open Educational Resources - Teaching and Learning

The proficiency model expects all students to meet the same standards, regardless of their readiness nor ability. The essay discusses how Gentry’s (2014) 2 P’s, 2 C’s, and 2 F’s of Differentiation framework may help teachers plan lessons to meet the array of learning needs in their classroom.

An Analysis Of Traditional Pedagogical Practices With Innovative Strategies For Beginning Band Students With A Focus On Assessment, Higher-Order Thinking Skills And Differentiation, Cole Woods

Music Theses - Archive

Instrumental education is a field rich in tradition, with a strong foundation of methodology being codified in method books used by band directors around the country. Equally rich is the vibrant research community found within music education, and innovative techniques for teaching band are being presented yearly in both journals and conventions. These new strategies and additions to curriculum supported by recent research could potentially deepen the learning taking place in the instrumental music classroom. Nowhere is this more visible than in the wealth of new research, curricula, and literature that has been published regarding beginner instrumental music instruction in …

Building Rural Resilience: A Rural And Farm Youth Safety And Well-Being Curriculum, Kelly Mcfarland

Theses and Dissertations--Community & Leadership Development

Mental health is a growing concern in today’s youth (CDC, 2023). The suicide rates in youth have been on a rise, increasing the need for mental health literacy (CDC, 2023). Mental health is often neglected in people’s lives, especially in rural areas (Boyd et al., 2008). This study answers four research questions: 1) Has the Building Rural Resilience: A Rural and Farm Youth Safety and Well-being Curriculum increased students' knowledge to recognize stress factors among rural communities and farmers? 2) Has the Building Rural Resilience: A Rural and Farm Youth Safety and Well-being Curriculum increased students' knowledge to recognize stress …

Pk-12 Faculty And Staff Capacity To Support Student Mental Health, Chin-Chih Chen, David B. Naff, Xun Liu, Jennifer Murphy, Margaret Wallace, Sunny Shin, Kade Goldin, Shenita Williams, Caleb Armwood, Riley Jenkins, Marlene Gooding

MERC Publications

This report from the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium (MERC) depicts findings from a regional survey of PK-12 faculty and staff exploring their professional capacity to meet the mental health needs of their students. Based on responses from approximately 1,000 educators in the MERC region, there were six dimensions of capacity: mental health knowledge, mental health training and confidence, multi-tiered systems of support, positive mental health culture, supportive policies and practices, and responsibility and impact. Findings in the report include position comparisons along these six dimensions as well as an exploration of how capacity varies by school size and demographic composition. …