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2025

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Articles 91 - 120 of 134

Full-Text Articles in Junior High, Intermediate, Middle School Education and Teaching

Power Of Partnerships, Joni Meade Mar 2025

Power Of Partnerships, Joni Meade

Kentucky Teacher Education Journal: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children

No abstract provided.


Taking Notice: Using Video Analysis To Develop Teacher Candidates, Michael Dicicco, Shawn A. Faulkner Mar 2025

Taking Notice: Using Video Analysis To Develop Teacher Candidates, Michael Dicicco, Shawn A. Faulkner

Kentucky Teacher Education Journal: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children

Analyzing videos can help teacher candidates develop their skills through learning to identify professional practices including pedagogy implementation, responses to students, and classroom climate (Gaudin & Chjaliès, 2016). Being able to identify key instructional elements in their teaching can help teacher candidates develop as professionals. Using video recordings can help improve professional noticing (Jacobs & Spangler, 2018) as well as content knowledge (Roth et al, 2011) and motivation (Sherin, 2007). In this article the authors discuss their experiences implementing video analysis in their university’s middle grades education program over the last seven years. They share what they have learned, advice …


Learning Lessons From Hard Truths: School Shootings, Devin Watson Mar 2025

Learning Lessons From Hard Truths: School Shootings, Devin Watson

South Carolina Association for Middle Level Education Journal

The American school system is plagued by violent attacks such as school shootings. Unfortunately, these events are incredibly difficult to predict. The security used for these schools is often found lacking and students aren’t getting the help needed. Part of the issue is the internal struggle of students in tough situations and teachers not being trained properly to help them. School security is more than just something at the gate. It’s about creating a safe environment that students can find sanctuary in. The solution is to provide better training for teachers and updating the physical security of the school.


Original Student Artwork, Carmen Holley Mar 2025

Original Student Artwork, Carmen Holley

South Carolina Association for Middle Level Education Journal

No abstract provided.


Continuous Improvement: Resources To Support Teachers’ Professional Growth, Victoria Oglan, Lauren Gehr Mar 2025

Continuous Improvement: Resources To Support Teachers’ Professional Growth, Victoria Oglan, Lauren Gehr

South Carolina Association for Middle Level Education Journal

Being an effective teacher requires attention to a wide variety of factors. In addition to knowing the content, teachers need to address the following: planning and implementing curriculum, building a welcoming classroom where every student feels safe, developing healthy relationships with students, mastering the many forms of assessment strategies, understanding how to actively engage and motivate students in their learning, growing a repertoire of best practice instructional methods, and being a reflective practitioner to address next steps in their methodology. The books reviewed here will assist in professional development for teachers.


A Review Of Three Verse Novels To Promote Engagement And Critical Thinking, Isaiah Gillian, Michelle Rasheed Mar 2025

A Review Of Three Verse Novels To Promote Engagement And Critical Thinking, Isaiah Gillian, Michelle Rasheed

South Carolina Association for Middle Level Education Journal

Verse literature is a valuable genre to incorporate into today’s classroom. Verse literature provides various benefits for students and teachers alike, while sparking readers’ interests and aligning with educational standards. The verse style requires writing to be concise, with relatively short lines, condensed thoughts, and depth of emotions. Verse literature delves into underrepresented topics and perspectives, beneficial for student growth and new learning experiences. This article reviews three verse novels—All the Fighting Parts (2023), Good Different (2023), and I Am Kavi (2023)— highlighting their potential to engage diverse student populations. Additionally, the article provides practical recommendations for integrating verse into …


Attendance And Absenteeism: Can We Fix It?, Stephanie J. Bell Mar 2025

Attendance And Absenteeism: Can We Fix It?, Stephanie J. Bell

South Carolina Association for Middle Level Education Journal

This research project shows how consistent communication with parents of special education students regarding daily and weekly attendance can make a difference in decreasing absenteeism and increasing attendance in the virtual resource classroom. This study supports promoting access to special education services with parents as partners in the virtual environment. This approach can be adapted to fit various classroom environments.


Don’T Flip Out, Flip Your Class!, Jessica Scott Mar 2025

Don’T Flip Out, Flip Your Class!, Jessica Scott

South Carolina Association for Middle Level Education Journal

There are many benefits to using a flipped learning method in a middle school classroom. Students are able to take control of their learning in their own time. This alleviates any time constraints on note taking as well as giving them the opportunity to review information. This is especially true in Social Studies classrooms where educators are teaching complex topics using multiple cross curricular standards. Teachers may be hesitant to try this method due to the workload that is required before the lesson begins and uncertainty of whether it is a good instructional model for their particular class. Flipping the …


Villain Or Victor: Advocating For Middle Level Students In The Face Of Systemic Challenges, Dywanna Smith, Kenesha Johnson, Jada Williams, Myles-Anthony Johnson Mar 2025

Villain Or Victor: Advocating For Middle Level Students In The Face Of Systemic Challenges, Dywanna Smith, Kenesha Johnson, Jada Williams, Myles-Anthony Johnson

South Carolina Association for Middle Level Education Journal

Middle level students often face significant systemic challenges that can hinder their academic and personal development, positioning them in narratives where they are perceived as “villains” instead of “victors.” This paper explores the role of educators as advocates for these students, drawing parallels between the concept of superhero villains— figures who, like many students, are misunderstood or marginalized by society. Preservice educators will examine historical examples of heroes, who were initially viewed as villains for challenging the status quo but later celebrated for their transformative impact. Grounded in the principles of This We Believe (2020) by the Association for Middle …


The Gendering Of Literature In Middle School, Patrick D. Adkins Mar 2025

The Gendering Of Literature In Middle School, Patrick D. Adkins

South Carolina Association for Middle Level Education Journal

The classification and promotion of books based on gender significantly affect middle education, where reading behaviors and external influences notably shape identity development. This paper examines the impact of gendered literature in middle schools on students’ academic engagement, social development, and self-concept. The article illustrates the repercussions of maintaining gender binaries in educational literature using examples from classroom practices and library systems, while advocating for a more inclusive methodology in book selection and curriculum development.


Beyond The Four Walls: Understanding The Impact Of Inter-Industrial Learning Experiences, Walter Lee, Olivia Bobo, Shaekwon Heard, Nicole Patton, Lauren Thrasher Mar 2025

Beyond The Four Walls: Understanding The Impact Of Inter-Industrial Learning Experiences, Walter Lee, Olivia Bobo, Shaekwon Heard, Nicole Patton, Lauren Thrasher

South Carolina Association for Middle Level Education Journal

The traditional learning environment for pre-service teachers most commonly reflects the banking concept, coined by Paulo Freire. The instructor teaches in the classroom and students are expected to learn, applying concepts during lesson planning and certification exams as proof of their learning (Freire, 1996). If authentic learning is occurring and skills are transferable, students should be able to identify educational concepts in other industries as validation that these practices are relevant. In this article, we propose a fresh, engaging approach to teaching pre-service teachers: inter-industrial learning experiences. Learn about our experience with Clayton Construction Company and how middle level pre-service …


Helping Future Teachers Do History Through Digitized Primary Sources, Jeremy Rinder Mar 2025

Helping Future Teachers Do History Through Digitized Primary Sources, Jeremy Rinder

South Carolina Association for Middle Level Education Journal

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of using the National Archives DocsTeach program on preservice teachers enrolled in a social studies methods course. Candidates completed a document-based question and a perception survey about history before completing one activity within the DocsTeach program for four classes. Anecdotal observations focusing on collaboration and engagement were collected during the unit. At the conclusion, participants completed another document-based question, a perception survey about history, and an exit interview. It was determined that the DocsTeach program had a positive impact on the participants’ historical thinking and perceptions of history.


Fostering Motivation For Reading Primary Documents In History, Derek Rhodes Mar 2025

Fostering Motivation For Reading Primary Documents In History, Derek Rhodes

South Carolina Association for Middle Level Education Journal

One issue that many middle-level social studies teachers face is motivating their students to read primary documents. Primary documents are great tools that allow teachers to show their students differing perspectives on a topic that they are teaching and can come in the form of speeches, newspapers, letters, books, academic works, and legal documents. Social studies teachers must figure out how to effectively inspire both extrinsic and intrinsic motivation to read in their students to most effectively use primary sources in the classroom. In order to foster motivation to read primary documents, social studies teachers can use strategies like Concept …


Soldiers All The Same, Jennifer L. Altieri Mar 2025

Soldiers All The Same, Jennifer L. Altieri

South Carolina Association for Middle Level Education Journal

No abstract provided.


An Exploration Of The Disproportionate Representation Of Youth With Learning Disabilities In The Juvenile Justice System, Kayla S. Cox Mar 2025

An Exploration Of The Disproportionate Representation Of Youth With Learning Disabilities In The Juvenile Justice System, Kayla S. Cox

South Carolina Association for Middle Level Education Journal

This article examines the factors and potential remedial approaches to the longstanding overrepresentation of adolescents with learning disabilities in the juvenile justice system. As schools look to harden themselves and reduce their appeal as possible targets of violence, this group of students becomes more vulnerable to policies and decisions that can increase the risk of engagement with the juvenile justice system and prolonged criminality versus normal developmental adjustment into adulthood. This requires considering the unique challenges that this group faces, the impacts of the main hypotheses explicating the phenomenon, and considering ways that classroom educators can help to meaningfully divert …


Empowering The Future: Cultivating Resilience In Adolescents, Jocelynn Mccarthy Mar 2025

Empowering The Future: Cultivating Resilience In Adolescents, Jocelynn Mccarthy

South Carolina Association for Middle Level Education Journal

The concept of resilience has been explored in relation to various factors, including individual traits such as self-regulation, self-efficacy, and intrinsic motivation. External factors can also affect a student ability to be resilient such as support from family, peers, and school environments. A resilient student is one who can effectively cope with and adapt to challenges and setbacks during their academic journey. These students often share characteristics such as persistence, adaptability, critical thinking skills, and self- efficacy. These traits can collectively help students navigate educational difficulties and emerge stronger from their experiences.


Realizing The Potential Of Middle School Students With Autism, Zachary Evans Mar 2025

Realizing The Potential Of Middle School Students With Autism, Zachary Evans

South Carolina Association for Middle Level Education Journal

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a relatively common yet widely misunderstood condition among middle school students. The cognitive differences of students with autism can lead to academic and socioemotional difficulties. By using specific, evidence-based interventions, however, teachers can ameliorate these challenges and bring out the unique potential of this population.


2025 Front Matter Mar 2025

2025 Front Matter

South Carolina Association for Middle Level Education Journal

No abstract provided.


2025 Scamle Full Volume Mar 2025

2025 Scamle Full Volume

South Carolina Association for Middle Level Education Journal

No abstract provided.


Teaching And Normalizing Digital Accessibility For Students In The Chemical Sciences, Stefano C G Biagini Feb 2025

Teaching And Normalizing Digital Accessibility For Students In The Chemical Sciences, Stefano C G Biagini

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

Digital accessibility is the inclusive practice of ensuring that all people can equally access digital information. However, this good practice has yet to be fully embraced by practitioners and educators in the chemical sciences. This article will describe and explain the key requirements of digital accessibility and how they apply to educators in the chemical sciences, with the emphasis on supporting visually impaired students; it will illustrate a case study of training students in adopting digital accessibility good practices in order to enable a culture change of greater inclusivity for the next generation; and finally illustrate low cost laboratory adaptations …


Innovative Instruction To Cultivate Young Adolescents’ Creativity In A Virtual Environment, Stacie K. Pettit, Christi L. Pace, Dawn Jeffers, Emily Harrison Feb 2025

Innovative Instruction To Cultivate Young Adolescents’ Creativity In A Virtual Environment, Stacie K. Pettit, Christi L. Pace, Dawn Jeffers, Emily Harrison

Current Issues in Middle Level Education

The unique needs of high-ability young adolescents should be met just as those students with other diverse needs even when instruction becomes virtual. This paper highlights the work of two teachers who overcame the challenges of remote and hybrid learning to provide quality lessons on creativity, logic, and problem solving. They are accomplishing this for 4th and 5th grade students in their gifted program through project-based learning and other lessons situated around creativity. The strategies presented that encourage students to exercise creativity would be beneficial for all students.


Teacher Retention And The Future Of Learning: Alarming Concerns About Preparing The Next Generation Of Citizens, Dejuanna M. Parker, Barbara D. Holmes Feb 2025

Teacher Retention And The Future Of Learning: Alarming Concerns About Preparing The Next Generation Of Citizens, Dejuanna M. Parker, Barbara D. Holmes

Journal of Research Initiatives

Research is robust in detailing the various reasons teachers leave the profession. There is scant literature on why teachers stay and what should be done to improve teacher retention. Teacher retention is a primary concern nationally and internationally. The inability to retain teachers has resulted in a teacher shortage and significantly affects student learning. Sorenson and Ladd (2020) This study yielded three emergent themes related to integral factors of teacher retention: changing attitudes on administrative support, workplace collegiality, and persistence of passion and purpose. Recommendations offered include encouraging administrators to leverage the passion and commitment of the educators to create …


An Investigation Of Ninth Grade Students’ Perceptions Of Equitable Grading Practices, Sarah Ruth Morris, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Jonathan Wai, Robert Anthony Maranto Feb 2025

An Investigation Of Ninth Grade Students’ Perceptions Of Equitable Grading Practices, Sarah Ruth Morris, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Jonathan Wai, Robert Anthony Maranto

Journal of Research Initiatives

This study investigated students’ perceptions of grading equity practices, focusing on preferences and the influence of student characteristics on support for grading equity. Through surveys and open-ended questions involving 256 ninth-grade students, the research highlighted a general preference for fair and supportive grading systems that consider individual circumstances and offer retake opportunities. Multivariate OLS regression analysis reveals that while Pre-AP students show resistance, students experiencing high-stress levels favor equitable grading practices. The findings suggest the need for educational reforms prioritizing transparency and fairness, including student voices in policy development, and emphasizing grading systems that support holistic student development.


Near-Peer Student-Run Virtual Stem Summer Camp: Lessons Learned, Andrew Lee, Jeremy Reynolds, Margaret Reynolds, Freda Li, Lubjana Beshaj Jan 2025

Near-Peer Student-Run Virtual Stem Summer Camp: Lessons Learned, Andrew Lee, Jeremy Reynolds, Margaret Reynolds, Freda Li, Lubjana Beshaj

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

The United States Military Academy is uniquely positioned to contribute to our nation’s Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) outreach initiatives. As one of the country’s most highly regarded undergraduate engineering schools, the institution receives a steady influx of Cadet near-peer mentors who volunteer to lead STEM modules. When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down in-person STEM workshops for the better part of 2020-2021, the Center for Leadership and Diversity in STEM adeptly transitioned to a virtual platform. Informed by research on STEM education and delivery, the Center successfully executed its signature summer camp event in a virtual format for two …


Math Is _______: A Study On Prospective Teachers' Perceptions Of Math And Teaching Math, Kayla Mead, Katherine Baker Jan 2025

Math Is _______: A Study On Prospective Teachers' Perceptions Of Math And Teaching Math, Kayla Mead, Katherine Baker

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

In this project, we examined one cohort of twenty-eight college students and their perceptions of mathematics at the beginning and end of a semester-long mathematics content course for K-8 prospective teachers (PTs). More specifically, our study explored PTs’ perceptions of what mathematics is and what mathematics teaching is, and how and why those perceptions might change over the semester-long mathematics course. PTs’ perceptions were captured through open-ended surveys and follow-up interviews. Our intention was to better understand the reasonings for changes in perceptions during the course to support teacher educators in their work of preparing prospective teachers.


Developing Adolescent Word-Level Knowledge: Challenges And Opportunities In Professional Learning With Secondary Educators, Jenelle Williams Jan 2025

Developing Adolescent Word-Level Knowledge: Challenges And Opportunities In Professional Learning With Secondary Educators, Jenelle Williams

Michigan Reading Journal

This article aims to highlight the research base for disciplinary literacy approaches, emphasize foundational literacy components that apply to the majority of adolescent learners, and propose tangible approaches to attend to morphological development in multiple academic disciplines. The article will conclude with a call for additional research into the role of morphological awareness in strengthening adolescent reading comprehension, as well as further study of the implications for systemic approaches across all disciplines in secondary educational settings.


Imagining Better: Requiring Trust And Imagination In Formal Engineering Education, Sneha Rathi, Jacqueline Handley Jan 2025

Imagining Better: Requiring Trust And Imagination In Formal Engineering Education, Sneha Rathi, Jacqueline Handley

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

Teachers and students bear the brunt of enacting K–12 engineering while having little input into engineering practices or values. In this reflective essay, a high school engineering teacher and an engineering education researcher reflect on a class bridging engineering and social justice. We describe the development of politicized trust with each other and students while partnering around shared commitments at a predominately Black school (e.g., Vakil et al., 2016). We also explore challenges in decentering conceptions of engineering derived from depoliticized, exclusionary practice. We demonstrate an urgent need to center educators and students from marginalized identities in formal engineering education.


Understanding Middle School Teachers’ Content Knowledge And Pedagogical Content Knowledge For Effective Teaching Of The Nature Of Science, Austin C. Wilson Jan 2025

Understanding Middle School Teachers’ Content Knowledge And Pedagogical Content Knowledge For Effective Teaching Of The Nature Of Science, Austin C. Wilson

Curriculum and Instruction (Ed.D.) Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine middle school science teachers’ knowledge of the nature of science (NOS) and their pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) for teaching NOS. Developing students’ scientific literacy requires teachers who not only understand NOS but also know how to effectively integrate it into classroom instruction. This explanatory sequential mixed-methods study investigated in-service middle school science teachers’ NOS content knowledge (NOS-CK), their NOS-PCK, the relationship between these two constructs, and the extent to which demographic variables predicted teacher knowledge. NOS-CK and NOS-PCK data were collected from 61 teachers in a large suburban district through the Views …


An Examination Of The Current Status Of Middle School Agricultural Education And Perceptions Amongst State Ffa Leaders, Alex Holman, Timothy Alexander Holman Jr. Jan 2025

An Examination Of The Current Status Of Middle School Agricultural Education And Perceptions Amongst State Ffa Leaders, Alex Holman, Timothy Alexander Holman Jr.

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Middle school agricultural education programs were first officially recognized within the National FFA Organization in 1988 when 7th and 8th grade students were granted FFA membership. This study was conducted to examine the current status of middle school agricultural education programs and the perceptions of state FFA leaders across the United States, especially with the recent addition of 5th and 6th grade students being granted membership. Using a mixed-methods survey distributed to 52 state FFA leaders in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the study gathered enrollment data, participation opportunities, and perceived advantages and disadvantages associated …


Walking On The Gray: An Existentialist Exploration Of The Possibility Of The Self In The System Of The School, Craig Pope Jan 2025

Walking On The Gray: An Existentialist Exploration Of The Possibility Of The Self In The System Of The School, Craig Pope

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation explores the system of the modern public school, particularly at the middle school level, and its deleterious effect on the process of being and becoming a person for students and teachers. The discussion of the self being and becoming an individual is grounded in the religious existentialist philosophy of Soren Kierkegaard and Paul Tillich. For both thinkers, being and becoming an individual involves finding equilibrium between various poles – finitude versus infinitude, and necessity versus possiblity. Michel Foucault’s exploration of the prison system is put in conversation with the discipline practices of middle schools to delineate how power …