Making Physics Fun: Key Concepts, Classroom Activities, and Everyday Examples, Grades K-8

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prigo, Robert

2007-01-01

Teaching physical science in the elementary and middle grades can be challenging for busy teachers faced with growing science demands and limited classroom resources. Robert Prigo provides fun and engaging activities using safe, available materials that educators can easily incorporate into lesson plans. Extensive examples, sample inquiry…

Promoting Teacher Adoption of Physical Activity Breaks in the Classroom: Findings of the Central Texas Catch Middle School Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Delk, Joanne; Springer, Andrew E.; Kelder, Steven H.; Grayless, Megan

2014-01-01

Background: Research suggests that physical activity breaks (ABs) during class increase students' physical activity levels and provide an academic benefit. This study evaluates a 3-year intervention aimed at encouraging teacher AB use. Methods: Thirty central Texas middle schools were assigned to 1 of 3 conditions: training-only…

Using the RE-AIM framework to evaluate the statewide dissemination of a school-based physical activity and nutrition curriculum: "Exercise Your Options".

PubMed

Dunton, Genevieve F; Lagloire, Renee; Robertson, Trina

2009-01-01

Examine the reach, efficacy, adoption, implementation, and maintenance of a physical activity and nutrition curriculum for middle-school students. Nonexperimental pilot evaluation of a statewide dissemination trial. California middle schools during the 2006 to 2007 school year. Sixteen classes (N = 668 students and 16 teachers) sampled from the statewide pool who used the program. An eight-lesson nutrition and physical activity curriculum, "Exercise Your Options" (EYO), including a teacher guide, video clips, a student activity booklet, and ancillary materials was made available to teachers. Program records, classroom observations, teacher surveys, and student presurveys and postsurveys (assessing physical activity, sedentary behaviors, and dietary intake). Descriptive statistics and multilevel random-coefficient modeling. The EYO program reached 234,442 middle-school students in California. During the program, total physical activity increased (p < .001), whereas watching TV/DVDs and playing electronic games/computer use decreased (p < .05). Intake of dairy products increased (p < .05), whereas consumption of sugars/sweets decreased (p < .001). Forty-two percent of eligible middle-school classrooms ordered the program materials. Eighty-six percent of sampled teachers implemented all of the lessons. Over the past 5 years, 51% of all middle-school students in California were exposed to the program. The EYO program showed its potential for moderate to high public health impact among California middle-school students.

A Classroom Teacher's Guide to Reading Improvement in Middle School Science. Resource Monograph No. 19.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brock, Lucy, Ed.

The reading improvement activities in this handbook are intended for use by middle school science teachers. Focusing on study skills, vocabulary development, and comprehension development, the activities include (1) surveying science texts and science content area reading materials, (2) outlining, (3) spelling, (4) syllabication, (5) word…

Exploration of instruction, assessment, and equity in the middle school science classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szpyrka, Donna A.

2001-07-01

In order to determine equitable practices of middle school science teachers questionnaire responses, classroom observations, teacher interviews, and assessment artifacts were examined to discover relationships between classroom instruction, assessment practices, and equity. Teachers in middle school science classrooms in six different schools completed a National Center for Education Statistics questionnaire, offered assessment artifacts, and participated in interviews. Observers using a classroom observation protocol and an equity profile rated 22 lessons. The study found that a distinction could be made between teachers who were more equitable and those who were less equitable. Careful planning and organization; the incorporation of tasks, roles, and interactions consistent with investigative science; a collaborative approach to learning; and instruction that takes into account what transpired in previous lessons---appear to be characteristics of lesson design of the more equitable teachers. In addition, instructional strategies and activities that addressed access, equity, and diversity as well as, a classroom climate that was respectful of students' contributions were found to a greater extent in the more equitable teachers' classrooms. While all teachers used multiple methods of assessment, the more equitable teachers used assessment differently. They also provided written feedback to students, relied on more than one aspect of student performance for determining grades, and explicated clear and specific assessment practices.

Teacher Perceptions of One-to-One Mobile Devices in Middle School Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Still, Maridale

2017-01-01

Middle school reading teachers in a south Texas school district were surveyed to obtain a clearer understanding of one-to-one mobile device usage in the middle school reading classroom specifically regarding collaborative and active learning environments. The theoretical framework reviewed emerging learning theories that have steered effective…

An exploratory study of the influence of national and state standards on middle school science teachers' classroom assessment practices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McWaters, Kathy Jean

2001-07-01

Classroom assessment practices of middle school science teachers were identified and the influence of national and state science standards on these practices was examined. In Phase I of this study a mail questionnaire was sent to 450 middle school (grades 5,6,7 and 8) science teachers in 17 parishes in Louisiana to obtain information about their classroom assessment practices. In Phase II, nine middle school teachers in eight departmentalized classrooms, two classes at each grade, participated in a qualitative study. Data were collected through questionnaires, classroom observations, interviews and document analysis. Data analysis revealed three major categories of classroom assessment targets: (a) student achievement, (b) student attitudes and, (c) student products. Results indicated that most teachers are using different assessment methods when assessing different achievement targets, as recommended by science reform documents. It was also determined that many teachers are using appropriate methods to assess student learning. While teachers reported that students spend an inordinate amount of time engaged in assessment activities, classroom observations suggested that the activities were not always written tests or graded activities. Another key finding is that there is a disconnect between the quality of teaching and the quality of assessment. Teachers who teach the material recommended by science reform documents and use recommended instructional strategies were observed to stop teaching and engage students in a "test rehearsal" geared towards rote memorization of factual information. Data suggest that the national and state science content standards are influencing the content and the format of teacher-made tests. Teachers' reported using the standards during assessment construction or selection in a wide variety of ways. The most direct use of the standards reported was to select content, format and cognitive level for test items. A more circumspect approach used by teachers was to use the standards to write lesson plans and objectives and then to plan assessments based on these teacher-constructed objectives. Questionnaire data indicated that the three factors having the most influence on teachers' selection or construction of a particular type of assessment were: (a) how students learn, (b) alignment with state/district standards, and (c) purpose for assessment.

Environmental Resource Guide: Air Quality. A Series of Classroom Activities for Grades 6-8.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reed, Elizabeth W., Ed.

Many different types of air quality can be studied in middle school science classes using available supplies. This grade 6-8 activity guide was developed to provide opportunities for children to learn about the issue of air quality. Sixteen hands-on activities integrate the issue into middle school science classes. A chart categorizes the…

Correlates of Children's Patterns of Activity in "Garden Variety" Open Classrooms.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stodolsky, Susan Silverman

Thirty children, 7.5 to 8.5 years, in two classrooms in a Catholic school trying to implement an informal curriculum were studied. The classrooms were not "exemplary"; The children had lower-middle-class origins. Each child was observed under free-choice conditions for approximately 80-90 minutes over a 3-month period. Two-minute narrative records…

Interactions between Classroom Discourse, Teacher Questioning, and Student Cognitive Engagement in Middle School Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smart, Julie B.; Marshall, Jeff C.

2013-01-01

Classroom discourse can affect various aspects of student learning in science. The present study examines interactions between classroom discourse, specifically teacher questioning, and related student cognitive engagement in middle school science. Observations were conducted throughout the school year in 10 middle school science classrooms using…

A Classroom Teacher's Guide to Reading Improvement in Middle School Social Studies. Revised Edition. Resource Monograph No. 17.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guttinger, Hellen I., Ed.

The reading improvement activities in this handbook are intended for use by middle school social studies teachers. Focusing on study skills, vocabulary development, and comprehension development, the activities include (1) surveying social studies texts and content area reading materials, (2) outlining, (3) spelling, (4) syllabication, (5) word…

A Classroom Teacher's Guide to Reading Improvement in Middle School Language Arts. Revised Edition. Resource Monograph No. 18.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guttinger, Hellen I., Ed.

The reading improvement activities in this handbook are intended for use by middle school language arts teachers. Focusing on study skills, vocabulary development, and comprehension development, the activities include (1) surveying literary materials, (2) outlining, (3) spelling, (4) syllabication, (5) word recognition, (6) using synonyms, (7)…

Making the Invisible More Visible: Home Literacy Practices of Middle-Class and Working-Class Families.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCarthey, Sarah J.

1997-01-01

Interviews with eight families showed that literacy materials and goals for using literacy differed between middle and working class families, with middle class families drawing on more resources to learn about the child's classroom. However, all families expressed value for literacy activities, challenging the myth that working-class families do…

Beginnings: Beginning Musical Strategies with Social Implications for Level V Middle School Students in Baltimore County, Maryland.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Teske, Patricia W.

This document presents strategies developed for teaching learning disabled, emotionally disturbed, or intellectually limited middle school students in the music classroom. The proposed strategies are designed to meet the following criteria: (1) the musical activities are to be musically appropriate for middle school adolescents; (2) each activity…

Video in the Middle: Purposeful Design of Video-Based Mathematics Professional Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seago, Nanette; Koellner, Karen; Jacobs, Jennifer

2018-01-01

In this article the authors described their exploration of a particular design element they labeled "video in the middle." As part of the video in the middle design, the viewing of carefully selected video clips from teachers' classrooms is sandwiched between pre- and postviewing activities that are expected to support teachers'…

Science Careers in the Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Walter S.

1983-01-01

Suggests systematically exposing early adolescents/middle school students to community people who use science in their work to demonstrate the value of science/mathematics study. Discusses activities related to classroom visits of resource personnel, sources of resource people, and Career Oriented Modules to Explore Topics in Science for grades…

Do you have any material that I could use in the classroom (elementary school/middle school/high school/college level)?

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2015-10-28

Please visit the Science Directorate Educational Resources page for information on videos, classroom projects, and activities that are available for all grade levels. Trading cards, bookmarks, and lesson plans can also be downloaded from...

History Repeats Itself at Yorktown Middle.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haskin, Teresa T.

1999-01-01

Describes two interdisciplinary units that can be used in most middle school classrooms, one on the sinking of the "Titanic" and one on Pickett's charge at Gettysburg during the Civil War. Describes how each unit involves English, math, social studies, and science classes and activities. (SR)

Global Classroom Resource Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruelius, Andrea

This sourcebook for teachers contains resources and learning activities to help middle and high school age students learn about Boston as an international and multicultural city. The materials can easily be adapted by teachers for use with elementary students. Staff of the Global Classroom Project developed the sourcebooks. For the past two years…

Decreasing Anxiety and Frustration in the Spanish Language Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haskin, Joanna; Smith, Maria de Lourdes Hernandez; Racine, Margaret

This report describes instructional strategies to decrease anxiety and frustration in the Spanish classroom. Participants were five 7th grade Spanish classes in two suburban middle schools. Student interventions included a study skills guide; partner and group presentations, skits, and activities; and group oral reading. Teacher interventions…

CNN Newsroom Classroom Guides, October 1-31, 1996.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cable News Network, Atlanta, GA.

These classroom guides, designed to accompany the daily CNN (Cable News Network) Newsroom broadcasts for the month of October, provide program rundowns, suggestions for class activities and discussion, student handouts, and a list of related news terms. Topics include: the Middle East peace summit in Washington, DC, Israel's Netanyahu and…

Learning by Doing: The Objectification of Knowledge across Semiotic Modalities in Middle School Chemistry Lab Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wright, Laura J.

2008-01-01

This analysis follows students' action and interaction with a single scientific phenomenon (bubbling/gas) over the course of a curriculum unit in a middle school science classroom to examine how and what they learn when doing laboratory activities. Taking a situated approach to interaction, I place the process of objectification in its multimodal…

Renovating Literacy Centers for Middle Grades: Differentiating, Reteaching, and Motivating

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hodges, Tracey S.; McTigue, Erin M.

2014-01-01

Remixing traditional and new teaching techniques via literacy centers can restructure middle grades language arts classrooms to promote student movement, autonomy, and creativity. Literacy centers provide a set of individual, developmentally appropriate learning activities that can be updated daily to match current objectives, but do not need to…

Exploring Pedagogical Reasoning: Reading Strategy Instruction from Two Teachers' Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Hua; Wilhelm, Kim Hughes

2008-01-01

This study compares reading lessons given by two teachers in senior middle school classrooms on China's mainland. Classroom observation focused on lesson stages and activities as well as student responses. Follow-up interviews with the teachers aimed to discover the decision-making processes and choices made when teaching the lessons. Most notable…

CNN Newsroom Classroom Guides. April 1-29, 1994.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cable News Network, Atlanta, GA.

These classroom guides for the daily CNN (Cable News Network) Newsroom broadcasts for the month of April provide program rundowns, suggestions for class activities and discussion, student handouts, and a list of related news terms. Topics covered by the guides include: (1) peace in the Middle East, Tom Bradley, and minority superheroes (April 1);…

The Story of California. Teacher's Guide = Guia del Maestro de La Historia de California.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gray (Naomi) Associates, Inc., San Francisco, CA.

The teacher's guide is designed to accompany "The Story of California," a Spanish-English bilingual history and geography of the state intended for classroom use by limited-English-proficient, native Spanish-speaking students in California's urban middle schools. The guide describes classroom activities coordinated with the student's…

Doing History: Investigating with Children in Elementary and Middle Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levstik, Linda S.; Barton, Keith C.

This book draws on classroom experience to provide models of instructionally sound, thoughtful, and thought-provoking history teaching for students from a wide variety of backgrounds. Most chapters begin with a classroom vignette showing a community of inquiry as students are actively engaged in their history education. Each vignette offers a…

Examining Dilemmas of Practice Associated with the Integration of Technology into Mathematics Classrooms Serving Urban Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anthony, Anika B.; Clark, Lawrence M.

2011-01-01

This article contributes to research on contextual influences on technology integration in urban mathematics classrooms through an investigation of five middle-grade teachers' participation in a laptop program. Drawing on activity theory, findings illuminate teachers' dilemmas and coping strategies in their efforts to integrate technology.…

Local and Long Distance Computer Networking for Science Classrooms. Technical Report No. 43.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Newman, Denis

This report describes Earth Lab, a project which is demonstrating new ways of using computers for upper-elementary and middle-school science instruction, and finding ways to integrate local-area and telecommunications networks. The discussion covers software, classroom activities, formative research on communications networks, and integration of…

Will Being Involved in Calculating Their Own Participation Points Make Middle School Learners Better Class Participants in My Spanish Class?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cunningham, Lisa

2008-01-01

Middle schoolers are developing skills for learning. Part of those skills is learning how to be an active participant in class and take control over their classroom behavior. Students who are not actively listening or participating are not internally motivated to learn the material. It was my hope that by reflecting upon their participation each…

Earth-Shaking Seismology Activities for Middle School Classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Braile, S. J.; Braile, L. W.

2004-12-01

A sequence of related earthquake and seismology activities provides an effective curriculum unit for inquiry-based science for the middle school level. The activities allow hands-on and in-depth study, progress from relatively simple "low-tech" approaches to more advanced activities emphasizing problem-solving and use of technology, and involve significant practice with science process skills. The unit begins with an earthquake plotting activity in which student teams find recent earthquake information from the Internet and plot epicenters on a classroom map. The activity continues throughout the year and provides opportunities for discovery, connections to other seismology activities, developing map skills, and cooperative learning. Subsequent activities include investigations of plate tectonics, plate boundaries, Earth's interior structure, seismic wave propagation, plotting earthquakes and volcanic eruptions on the computer using Alan Jones' Seismic/Eruption software, earthquake hazards, magnitude and intensity scales, and use of an educational seismograph in the classroom. The near real time monitoring of earthquakes provided by the mapping exercises and the educational seismograph, and the relevance of earthquake studies, generate student excitement and long term impact. We have shared this approach and the activities with K-12 teachers in many professional development settings. Many of the activities are available online at: www.eas.purdue.edu/~braile.

Learning in Linguistically Diverse Middle School Classrooms: The Role of the Classroom Peer Network

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elreda, Lauren Molloy; Kibler, Amanda; Futch Ehrlich, Valerie A.; Johnson, Haley

2016-01-01

The literature suggests there is much to be gained from exploring the role of the peer network in linguistically diverse "mainstream" middle school classrooms (i.e., classrooms that include English language learners alongside fluent English-speakers). The present study uses social network analysis to examine whether between-classroom and…

Earth Knowledge Acquired by Middle School Students

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ride, Sally

2008-01-01

Earth Knowledge Acquired by Middle School Students (EarthKAM), an education activity, allows middle school students to program a digital camera on board the International Space Station to photograph a variety of geographical targets for study in the classroom. Photos are made available on the web for viewing and study by participating schools around the world. Educators use the images for projects involving Earth Science, geography, physics, and social science.

The Use of Cartoons as a Teaching Tool in Middle School Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cho, Hoyun

2012-01-01

This dissertation focuses on examining the use of mathematical cartoons as a teaching tool in middle school mathematics classroom. A mixed methods research design was used to answer how the use of cartoon activities affects teacher and student perceptions of teaching and learning and student intrinsic motivation, interest, and mathematics anxiety…

What is a Community? Taking Documentary Photographs of Urban Americans into the Middle School Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Faires, Nora; Harkness, Bruce

1996-01-01

Describes a Michigan social studies curriculum enrichment project that combines historical analysis with documentary photographs of urban residents. The project utilizes photographs, public history, and oral histories to introduce middle school students to the concept of community. Includes photographs of urban activities and discussion questions.…

Agriscience Education for the Middle School. Instructional Units. Grade 7: Agriscience Exploration.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Henrico County Public Schools, Glen Allen, VA. Virginia Vocational Curriculum and Resource Center.

Designed to supplement the Agriscience Education for the Middle School curriculum guide, this instructional packet provides lessons to enable agriscience teachers to bring basic science concepts into the classroom through practical, hands-on activities and experiments. The course is designed to assist seventh-grade students in exploring science as…

Agriscience Education for the Middle School. Instructional Units. Grade 6: Introduction to Agriscience.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Henrico County Public Schools, Glen Allen, VA. Virginia Vocational Curriculum and Resource Center.

Designed to supplement the Agriscience Education for the Middle School curriculum guide, this instructional packet provides lessons to enable agriscience teachers to bring basic science concepts into the classroom through practical, hands-on activities and experiments. The course is designed to develop in sixth-grade students an awareness of the…

Barriers to Reducing the Digital-Use Divide as Perceived by Middle School Principals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Presby, Bob

2017-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore and describe the barriers to the integration of information and communication technology (ICT) to support active learning in the classroom as perceived by middle school site principals. Methodology: This was a qualitative phenomenological study using data collected from…

Reflective Activities: Helping Students Connect with Texts. Classroom Practices in Teaching English, Volume 30.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reid, Louann, Ed.; Golub, Jeffrey N., Ed.

This book offers successful classroom practices that encourage students to learn purposefully and constructively by reflecting on their own learning processes and by making connections between what they read (whether verbal or visual texts) and the lives they lead. Extending from middle and high school through college composition and English…

Wordplaygrounds: Reading, Writing, and Performing Poetry in the English Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Connor, John S.

2004-01-01

John S. O'Connor offers exciting new approaches to teaching poetry in middle school and high school classrooms with more than 25 high-interest activities designed to sharpen students' writing and self-understanding and heighten their awareness of the world around them. In the process, he demystifies poetry for teachers and students by using…

An Evaluation of Educational Technology Integration in Middle School Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Redditt, Lorry Miller

2007-01-01

To meet the challenge of addressing the educational needs of students enrolled in the 21st century classroom and to meet the vitally important national goal of raising the level of digital inclusion, it is imperative for educators to develop methods of integrating technology into the everyday activities of the classroom. This applied dissertation…

Examination of Classroom Observations and Educator Perceptions of Classroom Interventions of Middle School Gifted Students Exhibiting Unhealthy Perfectionist Tendencies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drawdy, LaTease

2013-01-01

Unhealthy perfectionist tendencies plague many gifted middle school students, and this type of perfectionism can lead to a lack of classroom success. Identifying effective interventions that educators can utilize is important in assisting middle school gifted students who demonstrate these maladaptive tendencies in their achievement in the…

Capturing Urban Middle School Students' Voices on the Use of Science Inquiry in Their Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Osisioma, Irene U.; Onyia, Chidiebere R.

2009-01-01

The present study seeks to explore middle school students' perception of the kind of science instruction going on in their classrooms and its relevance to their daily lives outside the classroom. Data were collected using a five point Likert type survey instrument that was administered to 262 middle school (Grades 6, 7 & 8) students in six…

Helping English Language Learners Succeed in Middle and High Schools. Collaborative Partnerships between ESL and Classroom Teachers Series

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pawan, Faridah, Ed.; Sietman, Ginger, Ed.

2007-01-01

This volume of Collaborative Partnerships between ESL and Classroom Teachers gives emphasis to collaborative partnerships in the middle and high school levels. Editors Faridah Pawan and Ginger Sietman gather expert authors who present us with models of classroom-based and school-based collaborative partnerships from middle and high schools across…

DASL-Data and Activities for Solar Learning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, Harrison P.; Henney, Carl; Hill, Frank; Gearen, Michael; Pompca, Stephen; Stagg, Travis; Stefaniak, Linda; Walker, Connie

2004-01-01

DASL-Data and Activities for Solar Learning Data and Activities for Solar Learning (DASL) provides a classroom learning environment based on a twenty-five year record of solar magnetograms from the National Solar Observatory (NSO) at Kitt Peak, AZ. The data, together with image processing software for Macs or PCs, can be used to learn basic facts about the Sun and astronomy at the middle school level. At the high school level, students can study properties of the Sun's magnetic cycle with classroom exercises emphasizing data and error analysis and can participate in a new scientific study, Research in Active Solar Longitudes (RASL), in collaboration with classrooms throughout the country and scientists at NSO and NASA. We present a half-day course to train teachers in the scientific content of the project and its classroom use. We will provide a compact disc with the data and software and will demonstrate software installation and use, classroom exercises, and participation in RASL with computer projection.

Enough about You, Let's Talk about Me: Student Voice in the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mee, Molly

2007-01-01

Many middle school students claim that their voices are ignored in the classroom, where the attitude is too often that the teacher holds the one right answer. Instead of this approach, teachers may wish to use the Socratic Seminar, which prompts students to examine issues and ideas through dialogue and actively involves and motivates them, giving…

The Collaborative Learning Behaviours of Middle Primary School Students in a Classroom Music Creation Activity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baker, William J.; Harvey, Georgina

2014-01-01

Located in a northern Tasmanian government primary school, this study presents the findings of an investigation into the learning behaviours of middle primary (Grade 3/4) students in a collaborative music soundscape task. Recent literature regarding music education and social development are presented and the design of the research described.…

Classroom Management and the Middle School Philosophy. Fastback 500.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dougherty, John W.

This document explores how teachers can connect the instructional and interpersonal approaches embedded in middle-school philosophy to effective classroom management. It describes the current mismatch between middle-school philosophy and practice and how the creation of middle-school grades introduced a volatile mismatch between a school's…

Symbiosis in the Soil: Citizen Microbiology in Middle and High School Classrooms †

PubMed Central

McKenney, Erin; Flythe, Taylar; Millis, Courtney; Stalls, Jennifer; Urban, Julie M.; Dunn, Robert R.; Stevens, Julia L.

2016-01-01

Microorganisms are vital to environmental health, yet their association with disease often overshadows these benefits. Building citizen-science activities around the positive role of microorganisms and an understanding of their ubiquity can begin to dispel misconceptions while simultaneously engaging the public in research. Here, we describe a citizen-science microbiology project geared toward implementation in middle and high school classrooms. Students culture environmental microorganisms and document microbial diversity of plant root systems compared with adjacent bulk soil. Results contribute data toward research on microbiome recruitment of weeds and other successful plants while addressing core topics in science education. PMID:27047592

Early-Adolescents' Reading Comprehension and the Stability of the Middle School Classroom-Language Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gámez, Perla B.; Lesaux, Nonie K.

2015-01-01

This study examined teachers' language use across the school year in 6th grade urban middle-school classrooms (n = 24) and investigated the influence of this classroom-based linguistic input on the reading comprehension skills of the students (n = 851; 599 language minority learners and 252 English-only) in the participating classrooms. Analysis…

Extending Literacy across the Disciplines: Reading & Writing Poetry in Middle School Classrooms.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bullion-Mears, Ann; McWhorter, J. YeVette; Haag, Claudia; Cox, Maggie; Hickey, Shelly

Suggesting that poetry can be inserted into any classroom in any curricular area, this paper discusses reading and writing poetry in middle school classrooms. The paper begins with advice on reading poetry in content classrooms, and then presents a 31-item bibliography of poetry sources "for browsing." The paper then presents tips for writing…

Astronomy Activities for the Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cain, Peggy W.; Welch, Daniel W.

Presented are middle school level, activity-oriented astronomy activities developed as a result of an earth science workshop for teachers. Topics include: (1) sun and moon position and measurement; (2) daily, yearly, and seasonal changes in the sun's position; (3) shapes and positions of planetary orbits; (4) eclipses; (5) properties of light; (6)…

Keeping Recess in Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zavacky, Francesca; Michael, Shannon L.

2017-01-01

Recess is an important part of a comprehensive school physical activity program by providing physical activity to students during the school day, in addition to physical education and classroom physical activity. Unfortunately, recess in the United States is not an expected part of the school day, especially in middle and high schools. High-stakes…

Discovering Geography: Teacher Created Activities for High School and Middle School.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Petersen, James F., Ed.

This guide contains 20 classroom activities designed by teachers to study topics in geography with the eventual goal of aiding in the development of geographic literacy in students. The various activities involve map reading skills, climatology, current events, urban development, and community planning. Each activity presentation includes an event…

Exploring Work: Fun Activities for Girls.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Education Development Center, Inc., Newton, MA. Women's Educational Equity Act Dissemination Center.

This document contains learning activities to help middle school girls begin the career planning process and resist gender-role stereotyping. The activities are designed for individuals and/or groups of girls either in classroom settings or in organizations such as Girl Scouts and 4-H Clubs. A total of 30 activities are organized into 4 sections…

Teaching the Brain to Read: Strategies for Improving Fluency, Vocabulary, and Comprehension

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Willis, Judy

2008-01-01

Neurologist and middle school teacher Judy Willis connects what you do in the classroom to what happens in the brain when students learn how to read, including: (1) Why a classroom has to be safe and supportive in order to overcome barriers to reading fluency; (2) How to jumpstart students who are not well prepared for reading with activities that…

Planetary Science and Spacecraft Analogs in the Classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edberg, S. J.; McConnell, S. L.

2000-12-01

The Cassini Program Outreach Team has developed a number of classroom demonstrations and activities that present science investigation techniques and spacecraft flight operations. These activities and demonstrations include analogs to planetary magnetic field orientations, ring particle and atmospheric scattering, thermal inertia studies, body-mounted vs. scan platform-mounted instrument operations on spacecraft, gravity assist, and many others. These curriculum supplements utilize inexpensive, commonly available materials that can be found in household kitchens, backyards, and hardware and variety stores. While designed for middle school classrooms, these activities are easily modified for use in both elementary and high school classes. We will demonstrate several of our activities and present information on others. This research was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Planetary Science and Spacecraft Analogs in the Classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edberg, S. J.; McConnell, S. L.

2000-10-01

The Cassini Program Outreach Team has developed a number of classroom demonstrations and activities that present science investigation techniques and spacecraft flight operations. These activities and demonstrations include analogs to planetary magnetic field orientations, ring particle and atmospheric scattering, thermal inertia studies, body-mounted vs. scan platform-mounted instrument operations on spacecraft, gravity assist, and many others. These curriculum supplements utilize inexpensive, commonly available materials that can be found in household kitchens, backyards, and hardware and variety stores. While designed for middle school classrooms, these activities are easily modified for use in both elementary and high school classes. We will demonstrate several of our activities and present information on others. This research was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Metrics for Elementary and Middle Schools: The Curriculum Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kurtz, V. Ray

This book is designed for teachers in elementary and middle schools who need explanations of problems and questions concerning the metric system and a source of classroom activities to aid in teaching the metric system. The book is divided into three parts. The first part is a primer of information designed to help a teacher in answering the many…

Learning Environment, Attitudes and Achievement among Middle-School Science Students Using Inquiry-Based Laboratory Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wolf, Stephen J.; Fraser, Barry J.

2008-01-01

This study compared inquiry and non-inquiry laboratory teaching in terms of students' perceptions of the classroom learning environment, attitudes toward science, and achievement among middle-school physical science students. Learning environment and attitude scales were found to be valid and related to each other for a sample of 1,434 students in…

Communicating Prevention: The Effects of the "Keepin' it REAL" Classroom Videotapes and Televised PSAs on Middle-School Students' Substance Use

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Warren, Jennifer R.; Hecht, Michael L.; Wagstaff, David A.; Elek, Elvira; Ndiaye, Khadidiatou; Dustman, Patricia; Marsiglia, Flavio F.

2006-01-01

This study sought to determine if exposure to two communication-oriented activities, videotapes and public service announcements, accounts for changes in substance use among adolescents participating in the Drug Resistance Strategies Project's keepin it REAL adolescent substance use prevention curriculum. Middle-school students (4,734, 72% Latino)…

The Role of ICT Infrastructure in Its Application to Classrooms: A Large Scale Survey for Middle and Primary Schools in China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lu, Chun; Tsai, Chin-Chung; Wu, Di

2015-01-01

With the ever-deepening economic reform and international trend of ICT application in education, the Chinese government is strengthening its basic education curriculum reform and actively facilitating the application of ICT in education. Given the achievement gap of ICT infrastructure and its application in middle and primary schools between urban…

Creative Thinking in Music: Developing a Model for Meaningful Learning in Middle School General Music

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Menard, Elizabeth

2013-01-01

Creativity can be experienced in many roles of musicianship: performing, improvising, and composing. Yet, activities that encourage creative thought in our music classrooms can be a challenge to implement. A strong music education curriculum for middle school general music is important; as this may be the last time we reach students who do not…

Promoting Academic Achievement in the Middle School Classroom: Integrating Effective Study Skills Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thorpe, Christin

2010-01-01

This study aimed to discover what study skills are most useful for middle school students, as well as strategies for integrating study skills instruction into the four main content area classrooms (English, math, science, and social studies) at the middle school level. Twenty-nine in-service middle school teachers participated in the study by…

Centering on Sea Life in the Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gruendike, Janis L.

1982-01-01

Describes an oceanography learning center for elementary/middle school students, focusing on use of games (review jeopardy), instructional tapes, flash cards, activity felt boards, picture puzzles, reading materials, science displays, and experiment stations. (JN)

Classroom Archaeology: An Archaeology Activity Guide for Teachers. Third Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hawkins, Nancy W.

This guide describes archaeology activities appropriate for middle school students, but some activities can be used in intermediate and primary grades or high school and college classes. The activities range in length from less than one hour to 15 hours. A sequence of activities may be used together as a unit on archaeology, or individual…

Knights of the Round-Table.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Teagarden, Jim; Koppes, Peggy

This document describes a classroom learning activity that brings together role playing, learning about the Middle Ages, and working for rewards. In the course of the activity, entitled "Knights of the Round Table," students advance by completing assignments and amassing points. Players move upwards through the beginning or…

Ready, Aim, Fire Your Cannons!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Enderson, Mary C.

2015-01-01

This article presents a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) activity, building an air cannon, in a mathematics classroom. It describes an investigation grounded in STEM concepts that elementary and middle school teachers carried out to think about ways of implementing STEM activities into their instruction. This particular…

RTI in Middle School Classrooms: Proven Tools and Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Esteves, Kelli J.; Whitten, Elizabeth

2014-01-01

"RTI in Middle School Classrooms" provides practical, research-based instructional techniques and interventions--geared especially to middle school teachers and administrators--that target and address specific needs of individual students. Response to intervention allows educators to assess and meet the needs of struggling students…

A Middle School Dilemma: Dealing with "I Don't Care"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walsh, Foster

2006-01-01

This article addresses the difficulty of engaging middle school students who don't seem to care about learning. Several classroom vignettes illustrate practical, classroom-based dilemmas generated from a university classroom management course. Three positive engagement principles are proposed to address the challenge of the reluctant learner: get…

Classroom Management and Students' Self-Esteem: Creating Positive Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Demirdag, Seyithan

2015-01-01

Middle school students experience substantial changes in their emotion and cognition while they grow. They have mixed feelings, which may negatively affect their motivation, self-esteem, and academic success due to different classroom management strategies of their teachers. There is available research about motivation of middle school students…

Guided Reading in Inclusive Middle Years Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lyons, Wanda; Thompson, Scott Anthony

2012-01-01

Teachers in inclusive classrooms are challenged to provide reading instruction for students with a wide range of instructional levels. This article reports on the implementation of guided reading in four middle years inclusive classrooms, the impact on student engagement and reading progress, and teacher perspectives on the guided reading…

The Effect of Classroom Walkthroughs on Middle School Teacher Motivation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dickenson, Karen Nadean

2016-01-01

The purpose of this pretest-posttest control group experimental study was to see the effect of classroom walkthroughs on middle school teacher motivation. The independent variable was; classroom walkthroughs and the four dependent variables were teachers' self-concept of the ability to affect student achievement, teachers' attitude toward the…

Engineering Design Activities and Conceptual Change in Middle School Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schnittka, Christine G.

2009-01-01

The purpose of this research was to investigate the impact of engineering design classroom activities on conceptual change in science, and on attitudes toward and knowledge about engineering. Students were given a situated learning context and a rationale for learning science in an active, inquiry-based method, and worked in small collaborative…

Sandburg Environmental Education Teacher Handbook.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Freeport School District 145, IL.

Learning activities, teaching materials, and lesson plans are contained in this guide, developed by six teachers at the Carl Sandburg Middle School in Freeport, Illinois; it suggests ways to integrate environmental study into the existing curriculum for art, science, English, mathematics, and social studies. Activities for classroom learning and…

AI in the Elementary, Middle, and Secondary Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kirkpatrick, Susan N.; Biglan, Barbara

1990-01-01

Describes activities that present concepts and applications of artificial intelligence (AI) for elementary and secondary school students. The use of Logo with elementary students is discussed; appropriate software is described; programing activities using Logo, BASIC, and Prolog are examined; and the field of robotics is discussed. (four…

Are middle schools harmful? The role of transition timing, classroom quality and school characteristics.

PubMed

Holas, Igor; Huston, Aletha C

2012-03-01

Are middle schools ill-suited for early adolescents, or can school characteristics account for any differences in student functioning? Achievement, school engagement, and perceived competence of children starting middle schools in 5th and 6th grades were compared to those of their same-grade peers in elementary schools in a national, longitudinal sample (NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development, n = 855; 52% Female, 82% White). Classroom quality (observed and teacher-reported) and school characteristics (composition and size) were considered as explanations for any relationships between school-level and student functioning. Fifth grade middle school students did not differ from those in elementary school, but students entering middle school in 6th grade, compared to those in elementary school, experienced lower classroom quality, which in turn predicted slightly lower achievement. They also had lower school engagement, explained by larger school size. Classroom quality and school characteristics predicted youth functioning regardless of school type. We suggest reshaping the research and policy debate with renewed focus on classroom quality and school size instead of grade organization.

Global Issues in the Middle School Grades 5-8. Third Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Jacquelyn; And Others

This activity book contains 27 activities designed to help teachers address the goal of including global education in their classrooms. The activities, organized into five sections, are presented in a standard format of: (1) a brief introduction; (2) a list of objectives; (3) an estimate of required time for the activity; (4) list of needed…

More than Meets the Eye: Patterns and Shifts in Middle School Mathematics Teachers' Descriptions of Models

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilkerson, Michelle H.; Bautista, Alfredo; Tobin, Roger G.; Brizuela, Bárbara M.; Cao, Ying

2018-01-01

Modeling is a major topic of interest in mathematics education. However, the field's definition of models is diverse. Less is known about what teachers identify as mathematical models, even though it is teachers who ultimately enact modeling activities in the classroom. In this study, we asked nine middle school teachers with a variety of academic…

Good Intentions: AN Experiment in Middle School Single-Sex Science and Mathematics Classrooms with High Minority Enrollment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baker, Dale

This study examined the effects of single-sex middle school science and mathematics classrooms with high minority enrollment on achievement, affect, peer, and teacher-student interactions. All students earned higher grades in mathematics than in science. Girls earned higher grades than boys. The higher grades of girls were not clearly attributable to the singlesex environment, and aspects of the single-sex environment interfered with boys' achievement. The single-sex environment contributed to girls', but not boys', feelings of empowerment, peer support, and positive self-concept. The curriculum and pedagogy were better suited to girls than to boys, leading to discipline problems and hostile interactions. However, boys were more engaged in technology-based activities than girls. Overall, all-boy classes were less supportive learning environments than all-girl classes. Although the results replicate findings elsewhere, this is the only study to look at minority students in middle school.

Middle School Girls: Perceptions and Experiences with Robotics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hyun, Tricia

2014-01-01

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate the impact a robotics curriculum might have on the experiences and perceptions of middle school girls in two California classrooms. The research found that middle school girls in two different California classrooms felt that their experiences with robotics were personalized experiences…

Supporting Diverse Young Adolescents: Cooperative Grouping in Inclusive Middle-Level Settings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Nicole C.; McKissick, Bethany R.; Ivy, Jessica T.; Moser, Kelly

2017-01-01

The middle level classroom presents unique challenges to educators who strive to provide opportunities that acknowledge learner diversity in terms of social, cognitive, physical, and emotional development. This is confounded even further within inclusive middle-school classrooms where the responsibility to differentiate instruction is even more…

Classroom Goal Structures, Social Achievement Goals, and Adjustment in Middle School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shim, Sungok Serena; Cho, YoonJung; Wang, Cen

2013-01-01

The current study investigated the mediating role of social achievement goals in the relation between classroom goal structures and academic engagement and social adjustment among 373 middle school students (52.8% female). Students' perceptions of classroom goal structures were measured in Fall; social achievement goals and academic and social…

Teachers' Perceptions of Effective Classroom Management within an Inner-City Middle School.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Turner, Catana L.

This study was undertaken to obtain descriptive information about teachers' perceptions of effective classroom management within an inner-city middle school. Thirteen teachers in one such school in Tennessee were interviewed about their classroom management behaviors. Teachers appeared to have an elaborate system of beliefs related to the themes…

Investigating the Association between Home-School Dissonance and Disruptive Classroom Behaviors for Urban Middle School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tyler, Kenneth M.; Burris, Jennifer L.; Coleman, Sean T.

2018-01-01

Disruptive classroom behaviors are a major schooling dilemma in urban schools. While several contextual and motivational factors have been statistically associated with disruptive classroom behaviors, one overlooked factor has been home-school dissonance. The current study examined the relationship between 260 middle school students' reports of…

Attending to Precision: Vocabulary Support in Middle School Mathematics Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Livers, Stefanie D.; Elmore, Patricia

2018-01-01

Mastery of language is critical to the mastery of content in middle school content area classrooms. In order to comprehend the disciplinary-specific texts that they encounter in their social studies, language arts, science, and mathematics classrooms, students must be literate in the content area vocabulary that is specific to those disciplines.…

Research Ideas for the Classroom: Middle Grades Mathematics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Owens, Douglas T., Ed.

Research Ideas for the Classroom is a three-volume series of research interpretations for early childhood, middle grades, and high school mathematics classrooms. Each volume looks at research from the perspective of the learner, the content, and the teacher, and chapters are co-authored by a researcher and a teacher. Chapter titles in the middle…

A Comparison of Actual and Preferred Classroom Environments as Perceived by Middle School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lai, Hsiang-Ru; Chou, Wei-Lun; Miao, Nae-Fang; Wu, Yu-Ping; Lee, Pi-Hsia; Jwo, Jiunn-Chern

2015-01-01

Background: A good classroom environment can promote students' learning motivation and affect their academic efficacy and adaptation. This study compares the perceptions of Taiwanese middle school students regarding actual and preferred classroom environments and explores the association with sex and grade level. Methods: Data were collected using…

Fostering 21st Century Learning with Geospatial Technologies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hagevik, Rita A.

2011-01-01

Global positioning systems (GPS) receivers and other geospatial tools can help teachers create engaging, hands-on activities in all content areas. This article provides a rationale for using geospatial technologies in the middle grades and describes classroom-tested activities in English language arts, science, mathematics, and social studies.…

Simulated Real-Life Experiences Using Classified Ads in the Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hechler, Ellen

This guide contains activities to help teachers give middle school students experience in practical life skills. Techniques include role playing and using classified advertisements from newspapers. The five lessons include teacher tips on conducting the activities. Lessons contain objectives, materials needed, discussion, and suggested dialogue.…

Thermal Paper Exposed: The Secret of "Smart Paper"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Diener, Lynn; McCall, Brian; Gimm, J. A.

2010-01-01

This article discusses how, as part of a National Science Foundation-funded internship program, the authors translated smart papers into an exciting and informative activity for the middle school classroom. This activity opens students' eyes to an everyday technology and inspires them to ask questions about other hidden technologies that they…

Celebrate Missouri Day in Your Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Missouri State Dept. of Elementary and Secondary Education, Jefferson City.

This booklet provides suggested activities that can be used to enrich the observance of Missouri Day, a day commemorative of Missouri history. The document includes a chart specifying the date of Missouri day from 1990 through 1995, always the third Wednesday of October. Activities are recommended for primary, elementary, middle, and secondary…

The Power of Picturebooks: Resources that Support Language and Learning in Middle Grade Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roser, Nancy; Martinez, Miriam; Fowler-Amato, Michelle

2011-01-01

This piece explores the instructional possibilities of picturebooks in middle grade classrooms, illustrating the central tenets of how to effectively introduce these resources to middle grade students. Through today's multiplicity of illustrated texts, students can discover the finest uses of language, as well as encounter images that inform,…

Classroom Learning Environment Differences between Resilient, Average, and Nonresilient Middle School Students in Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Padrón, Yolanda N.; Waxman, Hersh C.; Lee, Yuan-Hsuan

2014-01-01

The lack of achievement of students from high-risk and high-poverty environments necessitates changes in today's middle school environments to create a caring, supportive environment where all middle school students can succeed. This study investigated the classroom learning environments of resilient, average, and nonresilient minority students in…

Middle-Level Preservice Mathematics Teachers' Mental Representations of Classroom Floor Plans

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matteson, Shirley M.; Ganesh, Bibi S.; Coward, Fanni L.; Patrick, Patricia

2012-01-01

This study reports the results of an innovative assignment in which preservice teachers' mental representations were examined through drawing floor plans of an "ideal middle-level mathematics classroom." The 41 middle-level mathematics preservice teachers created two floor plans, one at the beginning of the semester and the other for the…

Considering the Virtual Classroom: A Call to Middle Level Education Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eisenbach, Brooke B.

2016-01-01

Today's classrooms are changing and moving beyond the walls of a traditional school environment. With each passing year, a growing population of middle level learners are logging into full-time or blended learning virtual courses. However, teachers often lack the training and experience necessary to address the developmental needs of middle level…

Teachers' Study Guide: Stereotypes in English Literature: Shylock and Fagin; The Jew in the Middle Ages. The Image of the Jew in Literature.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mersand, Joseph; And Others

The position of the Jew in the Middle Ages and the Jewish stereotype as it appears in "The Merchant of Venice" and "Oliver Twist" are the subjects of this publication. An introductory essay analyzes the characters of Shylock and Fagin, and a study guide continues this discussion and presents suggested classroom activities,…

Worms Eat Our Garbage: Classroom Activities for a Better Environment. First Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Appelhof, Mary; And Others

This curriculum guide and activity book is designed as an aid for teaching elementary and middle school grades about recycling and composting with earthworms but can be adapted to a variety of situations. The book is organized into three sections that teach the following concepts: (1) introduces earthworms through a series of activities; (2)…

Active Learning in the Middle Grades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edwards, Susan

2015-01-01

What is active learning and what does it look like in the classroom? If students are participating in active learning, they are playing a more engaged role in the learning process and are not overly reliant on the teacher (Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 2003; Petress, 2008). The purpose of this article is to propose a framework to describe and…

Place-Based Science Teaching and Learning: 40 Activities for K-8 Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buxton, Cory A.; Provenzo, Eugene F., Jr.

2011-01-01

Grounded in theory and best-practices research, this practical text provides elementary and middle school teachers with 40 place-based activities that will help them to make science learning relevant to their students. This text provides teachers with both a rationale and a set of strategies and activities for teaching science in a local context…

Small Bodies, Big Concepts: Bringing Visual Analysis into the Middle School Classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cobb, W. H.; Lebofsky, L. A.; Ristvey, J. D.; Buxner, S.; Weeks, S.; Zolensky, M. E.

2012-03-01

Multi-disciplinary PD model digs into high-end planetary science backed by a pedagogical framework, Designing Effective Science Instruction. NASA activities are sequenced to promote visual analysis of emerging data from Discovery Program missions.

The PRIME Partnership: 9th Graders, Graduate Students and Integrated, Inquiry-Based Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaffney, A. M.; Miguelez, S.

2001-12-01

The PRIME program (Partnership for Research in Inquiry-based Math, science and engineering Education) is a collaboration between the UW Colleges of Education and Engineering and several Seattle-area school districts. This project, funded by the NSF GK-12 program, pairs UW graduate students from math, science and engineering disciplines with local middle school teachers. The graduate student spends a year working with the teacher, on projects designed to meet the needs and interests of the specific partnership and classroom. In the partnership, the graduate student spends 15 hours per week in the classroom, interacting with the students, as well as additional planning time outside of the classroom. Goals of the PRIME program are enriched learning by middle school students, professional development for middle school teachers, improved communication and teaching skills for the graduate students, and strengthened partnerships between the University of Washington and local school districts. The goal of our partnership was to develop an inquiry-based, 9th grade unit that integrates the pre-existing Earth Science and Chemistry units, and to assess the effectiveness of teaching Chemistry in the context of Earth Science. We have observed that students often become engaged and excited when they do hands-on activities that utilize the intrinsic understanding that they have of concepts that draw upon experiences in their daily lives. When science is taught and learned in one such context - in the context of the natural world - the students may gain a more solid fundamental understanding of the science that they learn. The day-to-day activities for this unit vary widely. We started each topic with a question designed to get the students thinking independently and to identify the preconceptions that the students brought into the classroom. Discussions of students' preconceptions served as a justification and springboard for the subsequent activities and experiments. Examples of questions used to spark student thought are: "What do you think the inside of the Earth looks like?," "What makes a volcano erupt?," and "Do mountains last forever?." We evaluated the effectiveness of this approach through a combination of classroom observations, formal and informal interviews, and surveys

Elementary and middle school science improvement project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcguire, Saundra Y.

1989-01-01

The Alabama A and M University Elementary and Middle School Science Improvement Project (Project SIP) was instituted to improve the science knowledge of elementary and middle school teachers using the experimental or hands-on approach. Summer workshops were conducted during the summers of 1986, 1987, and 1988 in the areas of biology, chemistry, physics, and electricity, and magnetism. Additionally, a manual containing 43 lessons which included background information, experiments and activities for classroom and home use was provided to each teacher. During the course of the project activities, the teachers interacted with various university faculty members, scientists, and NASA staff. The administrative aspects of the program, the delivery of the services to participating teachers, and the project outcome are addressed.

Middle School Girls: Experiences in a Place-Based Education Science Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shea, Charlene K.

2016-01-01

The middle school years are a crucial time when girls' science interest and participation decrease (Barton, Tan, O'Neill, Bautista-Guerra, & Brecklin, 2013). The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of middle school girls and their teacher in an eighth grade place-based education (PBE) science classroom. PBE strives to increase…

Classroom Management Strategies of Highly Effective Teachers in Diverse Middle Schools: Be Strict and Calm, Not Mean

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGregor, Katheryne L.

2012-01-01

This qualitative research study investigated and identified the classroom management strategies of 12 highly effective middle school teachers who served diverse student populations at two different school sites. In addition, this research explored the beliefs and experiences of 305 diverse middle school students regarding their experiences with…

Videos for Teachers: Successful Teaching Strategies in Middle and High School Classrooms. [CD-ROM].

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Teachers Network, New York, NY.

This CD-ROM presents six videos that feature veteran middle and high school teachers in action in their classrooms. Each video offers links to supplemental education resources, including innovative lesson plans. The six videos are: "Monsters and Myths" (a humanities unit for middle school students); "The Bleeding Edge" (a thematic…

Examining the Relationship between Classroom Climate and Student Achievement of Middle School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barksdale, Christopher J.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this sequential mixed method study was to examine the relationship between classroom climate and student achievement of middle school students. This study included a review of data collected from the Learning Environment Inventory from a purposeful sample of middle school students from a large suburban school district. A purposeful…

Using Graphic Organizers to Improve Reading Comprehension Skills for the Middle School ESL Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Praveen, Sam D.; Rajan, Premalatha

2013-01-01

"A picture is worth a thousand words." In a modern-day classroom, students are surrounded by visual imagery through textbooks, notice boards, television, videos, or computers. Many middle school classrooms are filled with colorful pictures and photographs. However, it is unclear how--or if --these images impact the middle school ESL…

Social Constructivism and Education Identity beyond Assimilation Vestiges: A Teacher's Latina Identity in a Middle School English as a Second Language Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Úbeda, Edwin R.

2017-01-01

This case study highlights the social-cultural relevant pedagogical impact a bilingual teacher has on the middle school ESL classroom through her Latina identity and lived experiences. Data gathering occurred over six months through the principal participant's in-depth interviews, classrooms observations, and document analysis of classroom…

Integrating iPad Technology into the Classroom: A Study Investigating the Experiences Educators Encounter

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Byno, Kristin Jacobson

2014-01-01

This phenomenological case study was designed to investigate the experiences educators encounter when implementing iPad technology into middle school math classrooms at a middle school in Northeast Texas. The growing popularity of the iPad mobile device has made the technology an attractive tool that can be implemented into K-12 classrooms,…

Students, Mobile Devices and Classrooms: A Comparison of US and Arab Undergraduate Students in A Middle Eastern University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mohammad Abu Taleb, Bibi Rahima; Coughlin, Chris; Romanowski, Michael H.; Semmar, Yassir; Hosny, Khaled

2017-01-01

The use of mobile devices in the university classroom is not limited to Western cultures. Rather universities in the Middle East, particularly in the Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC) face similar problems regarding smartphone usage in classrooms. This study utilizes Tindell and Bohlander's (2012) survey to compare results regarding cell phones and…

Reading Apprenticeship Classrooms: Effectiveness of Teacher Think-Alouds to Increase the Metacognition of 7th Grade Social Studies Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matz, Debbie S.

2012-01-01

This study examined how the use of teacher think-alouds influenced and transferred to the reading comprehension and metacognition of seventh grade middle school social studies students in two Reading Apprenticeship classrooms. The researcher conducted classroom observations at a middle school in a mid-size suburban and rural school district in…

Like a Chameleon: A Beginning Teacher's Journey to Implement Active Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edwards, Susan

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to follow the learning trajectory of a beginning teacher attempting to implement active learning instructional methods in a middle grades classroom. The study utilized a qualitative case study methodological approach with the researcher in the role of participant observer. Three research questions were explored: the…

Threatened and Endangered Species: Tour Packet.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coats, Victoria; Samia, Cory

This resource unit contains a teacher information packet and a middle school student activity packet to be used in creating a threatened and endangered species unit. The packet of student activities is designed to help maximize a field trip to the zoo and build on students' zoo experience in the classroom. The teacher information packet covers the…

Ocean Planet. Interdisciplinary Marine Science Activities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Branca, Barbara

The Ocean Planet is a traveling exhibition from the Smithsonian Institution designed to share with the public what recent research has revealed about the oceans and to encourage ocean conservation. This booklet of lessons and activities adapts several themes from the exhibition for use in middle and high school classrooms. Lesson plans include:…

Teaching Descriptive/Narrative Writing: Strategies for Middle and Secondary Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johannessen, Larry R.

Practical classroom activities for teaching narrative/descriptive writing exist which are based on approaches to teaching writing that research indicates improve the quality of student writing. Teachers need to do less lecturing to students about what they should be doing in their writing and more actively involve their students in the learning of…

How Can Teachers Increase Classroom Use of Academic Vocabulary?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Larson, Lisa; Dixon, Temoca; Townsend, Dianna

2013-01-01

The purpose for this action research study was to answer the question: "How can we enhance students' active engagement with academic vocabulary in social studies classes?" In this article, the authors share the strategies they developed through their research that proved most effective in engaging middle school students with active academic…

Pollution. Environmental Education Instructional Unit. Final Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

North Carolina State Dept. of Public Instruction, Raleigh. Div. of Science Education.

This unit on pollution is one in a series of three prepared for use in the classroom. An interdisciplinary approach encompassing mathematics, science, and social studies is utilized in these environmental units. The material is designed for middle grades and above. Many activities are open-ended with each activity in this unit emphasizing the…

One-to-one iPad technology in the middle school mathematics and science classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bixler, Sharon G.

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education has become an emphasized component of PreK-12 education in the United States. The US is struggling to produce enough science, mathematics, and technology experts to meet its national and global needs, and the mean scores of science and mathematics students are not meeting the expected levels desired by our leaders (Hossain & Robinson, 2011). In an effort to improve achievement scores in mathematics and science, school districts must consider many components that can contribute to the development of a classroom where students are engaged and growing academically. Computer technology (CT) for student use is a popular avenue for school districts to pursue in their goal to attain higher achievement. The purpose of this study is to examine the use of iPads in a one-to-one setting, where every student has his own device 24/7, to determine the effects, if any, on academic achievement in the areas of mathematics and science. This comparison study used hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) to examine three middle schools in a private school district. Two of the schools have implemented a one-to-one iPad program with their sixth through eighth grades and the third school uses computers on limited occasions in the classroom and in a computer lab setting. The questions addressed were what effect, if any, do the implementation of a one-to-one iPad program and a teacher's perception of his use of constructivist teaching strategies have on student academic achievement in the mathematics and science middle school classrooms. The research showed that although the program helped promote the use of constructivist activities through the use of technology, the one-to-one iPad initiative had no effect on academic achievement in the middle school mathematics and science classrooms.

City Street: An Outdoor Classroom. A Student Workbook, Project KARE Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stranix, Edward L.; Fleishman, Michael

Forty-one activities are suggested for middle or junior high school students to perform while visiting a city street. The activities make use of skills in mathematics, language arts, social studies, and environmental studies. A pencil and a copy of this workbook are essential; other materials required by some of the activities are a tape measure,…

Teachers and Students Perceptions of the Active Science Curriculum: Incorporating Physical Activity into Middle School Science Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Finn, Kevin E.; McInnis, Kyle J.

2014-01-01

Many children get little to no regular physical education during the school day. National recommendations call for schools to offer physical activity as part of planned academic lessons that teach math, language arts, science, and other subjects through movement. The purpose of this study was to analyze the student and teacher perceptions of the…

A Defense of Using Pop Media in the Middle-School Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Witkin, Mitzi

1994-01-01

Discusses the ways that middle school English teachers can use popular teen culture within the context of general English instruction. Suggests bringing television, film, comics, advice columns, and teen magazines into the English classroom. (HB)

Mapping Our City: Learning To Use Spatial Data in the Middle School Science Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McWilliams, Harold; Rooney, Paul

Mapping Our City is a two-year project in which middle school teachers and students in Boston explore the uses of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in project-based science, environmental education, and geography. The project is funded by the National Science Foundation and is being field tested in three Boston middle school science classrooms.…

Classroom Debates in Middle School Social Studies: Moving from Personal Attacks to Evidence and Reasoning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duhaylongsod, Leslie

2017-01-01

Using transcripts of 6 classroom debates that took place in 4 urban schools, the present study takes a closer look at what middle school students do during classroom debates in the context of a social studies curriculum designed to support student argumentation in debate. Two coding schemes were used to analyze student comments in the transcripts:…

Exploring Middle School Teachers' Perceptions and Applications of a Site-Based, Technology-Related Professional Development Program Focused on Interactive Whiteboards and Classroom Response Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Desai, Shreya J.

2012-01-01

This qualitative study examined five middle school teachers' perceptions of a site-based, technology-related professional development (TRPD) program focused on the interactive whiteboard (IWB) and the classroom response system (CRS) and the practices implemented in the teachers' classrooms as a result of participation in the TRPD…

Exploring the boundaries: A study of multiple classroom learning environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ritchie, Stephen M.; Tobin, Kenneth; Hook, Karl S.

1995-09-01

The study of learning environments has developed into a productive field of research in science education. Initially, the design and application of classroom perceptual measures of particular dimensions of science classrooms attracted much attention. More recently, such instruments have been used alongside of qualitative techniques to provide a richer understanding of sub-environments. We continue this trend in the present interpretive study by exploring the nature of multiple environments within a middle school classroom from the different perspectives of teacher, student and participant observer. In particular, we examine the activity settings of lectures and group work, as well as the issues of learning and assessment. We conclude by arguing that teachers need to adopt procedures that enable them to identify and plan for multiple environments.

Echoes of China.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chang, Pei-lan Li; Chao, Johanna T.; Chao, Yenshew Lynn; Chin, Ai-li S.; Hsieh, Charlotte Sheau-mann; Sun, Paul P.; Swartz, Leslie M.; Wang, Theresa; Wu, Fa Y.

This curriculum guide is developed to accompany 7 Chinese Cultural Heritage kits for use in intermediate and middle school classrooms. The units in this guide may be used with or without the accompanying kits. When appropriate, units include: objectives, introductory information, suggested presentation sequence, activity instruction, evaluation…

Three frameworks to predict physical activity behavior in middle school inclusive physical education: a multilevel analysis.

PubMed

Jin, Jooyeon; Yun, Joonkoo

2013-07-01

The purpose of this study was to examine three frameworks, (a) process-product, (b) student mediation, and (c) classroom ecology, to understand physical activity (PA) behavior of adolescents with and without disabilities in middle school inclusive physical education (PE). A total of 13 physical educators teaching inclusive PE and their 503 students, including 22 students with different disabilities, participated in this study. A series of multilevel regression analyses indicated that physical educators' teaching behavior and students' implementation intentions play important roles in promoting the students' PA in middle school inclusive PE settings when gender, disability, lesson content, instructional model, and class location are considered simultaneously. The findings suggest that the ecological framework should be considered to effectively promote PA of adolescents with and without disabilities in middle school PE classes.

Using Argumentative Discussions to Enhance the Written Arguments of Middle School Students in Social Studies Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wissinger, Daniel R.

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of Walton, Reed, and Macagno's (2008) dialectical framework on middle school students' historical discussions and written arguments. To do this,151 middle school students from six classrooms were randomly assigned to one of two conditions and asked to participate in a three-week…

Avoiding the Digital Abyss: Getting Started in the Classroom with YouTube, Digital Stories, and Blogs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mullen, Rebecca; Wedwick, Linda

2008-01-01

In this article, the authors discuss a rural middle school teacher's use of YouTube, digital stories, and blogs in a language arts curriculum. The authors also share the voices of middle school students as they learn through this technology in the classroom. Although a wide variety of technology integration exists in this middle school language…

Do You Know Our Marine Fish? A Marine Education Infusion Unit.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Butzow, John W.; Kane, Philip

Designed to provide teaching materials for middle school and junior high school teachers in northern New England, this marine education unit presents teacher-tested ideas and activities for use in the classroom and in field trips to the ocean. Each unit includes ideas and activities drawn from a variety of content areas so teachers of many…

The World's Best Places: Classroom Explorations in Geography & Environmental Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Graf, Mike

This book offers an alternative to traditional upper elementary and middle school lesson plans, using 32 of the world's national parks as a springboard for activities. The activities in the book are divided into chapters that deal with particular topics of study: wildlife, plant life, geography, and geology. Includes step-by-step instructions that…

"True to Me": Case Studies of Five Middle School Students' Experiences with Official and Unofficial Versions of History in a Social Studies Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knapp, Kathryn Anderson

2013-01-01

This qualitative study addressed the problem of students' lack of trust of and interest in U.S. history and focused on students' experiences with official and unofficial versions of history in the middle school social studies classroom. A collective case study of five African American students was conducted in an eighth grade classroom at Carroll…

What Do the Teachers Have to Say? A Phenomenological Study of the Use of Stationary Movement Devices in Elementary and Middle School Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allen, Amanda Hudson

2015-01-01

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore and describe the experiences of elementary and middle schoolteachers who have used stationary movement devices (SMDs) in their classrooms. A phenomenological approach was as a foundational exploration of SMD use in the classroom setting because there was a lack of directly related research.…

The Interactive Computer: Authors and Readers Online.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saccardi, Marianne

1991-01-01

Describes a computer-literature project for middle school and high school students that was developed through the Fairfield-Westchester Children's Reading Project (CT) to promote online discussions between students and authors. Classroom activities are described, project financing is discussed, and teacher responses that indicate positive effects…

Impact of an Ecohydrology Classroom Activity on Middle School Students' Understanding of Evapotranspiration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Villegas, Juan Camilo; Morrison, Clayton T.; Gerst, Katharine L.; Beal, Carole R.; Espeleta, Javier E.; Adamson, Matt

2010-01-01

Current trends in ecological research emphasize interdisciplinary approaches for assessing effects of present and predicted environmental changes. One such emerging interdisciplinary field is the discipline of ecohydrology, which studies the feedbacks and interactions between ecological and hydrological processes. However, interdisciplinary…

Middle School Mathematics Instruction in Instructionally Focused Urban Districts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boston, Melissa D.; Wilhelm, Anne Garrison

2017-01-01

Direct assessments of instructional practice (e.g., classroom observations) are necessary to identify and eliminate opportunity gaps in students' learning of mathematics. This study examined 114 middle school mathematics classrooms in four instructionally focused urban districts. Results from the Instructional Quality Assessment identified high…

Utilization of hands-on and simulation activities for teaching middle school lunar concepts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roseman, Reni B.; Jones, Dyan L.

2013-01-01

A great deal of literature exists surrounding the misconceptions that students have regarding the moon, specifically how the moon phases and eclipses occur. These studies provide teachers with information regarding what misconceptions their students may come to the classroom with as well as some ideas as to how to approach and correct them. However, these methods are not always validated with classroom-based research, and much of the research that has been done is in the high school and college setting. As such, we have undertaken a study to investigate what a group of middle school students know about the moon pre-instruction, and how hands-on activities and computer simulations affect student learning and understanding of these topics. The results of this project show that neither supplementation was distinguishably more effective in improving student test scores, as measured by normalized gains; this may be an artifact of high pre-test scores, as described herein.

Building the pipeline: programs to introduce middle school, high school, medical, and veterinary students to careers in epidemiology and public health.

PubMed

Cordell, Ralph L; Cordeira, Kelly L; Cohen, Laurence P; Bensyl, Diana M

2017-11-01

This report describes Centers for Disease Control and Prevention programs that expose students to epidemiology and public health sciences (EPHS). The Science Ambassador workshop targets middle and high school teachers and promotes teaching EPHS in the classroom. The National Science Olympiad Disease Detectives event is an extracurricular science competition for middle and high school students based on investigations of outbreaks and other public health problems. The Epidemiology Elective Program provides experiential learning activities for veterinary and medical students. As of 2016, 234 teachers from 37 states and territories and three other countries participated in SA workshops. Several are teaching units or entire courses in EPHS. The National Science Olympiad Disease Detectives event exposed approximately 15,000 middle and high school students to EPHS during the 2015-2016 school year. The Epidemiology Elective Program has exposed 1,795 veterinary and medical students to EPHS. Students can master fundamental concepts of EPHS as early as middle school and educators are finding ways to introduce this material into their classrooms. Programs to introduce veterinary and medical students to EPHS can help fill the gap in exposing older students to the field. Professional organizations can assist by making their members aware of these programs. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Rethinking Process-Based Writing Approaches in the ESOL Middle School Classroom: Developing Linguistic Fluency via Hybrid Pedagogies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pandey, Anjali

2012-01-01

This article calls for a rethinking of pure process-based approaches in the teaching of second language writers in the middle school classroom. The author provides evidence from a detailed case study of the writing of a Korean middle school student in a U.S. school setting to make a case for rethinking the efficacy of classic process-based…

Physical Science Connected Classrooms: Case Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Irving, Karen; Sanalan, Vehbi; Shirley, Melissa

2009-01-01

Case-study descriptions of secondary and middle school classrooms in diverse contexts provide examples of how teachers implement connected classroom technology to facilitate formative assessment in science instruction. Connected classroom technology refers to a networked system of handheld devices designed for classroom use. Teachers were…

Incorporating Experimental Technologies in the Middle Level Technology Education Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shields, C. J.; Rogers, George E.

2005-01-01

This paper offers some concrete ideas and suggestions for incorporating discussions of experimental technologies in the middle level technology education classroom. Technology education students should be aware of experimental technologies. They should understand the ramifications of items such as hybrid vehicles, photovoltaic solar panels,…

Classroom Management in Diverse Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Milner, H. Richard, IV; Tenore, F. Blake

2010-01-01

Classroom management continues to be a serious concern for teachers and especially in urban and diverse learning environments. The authors present the culturally responsive classroom management practices of two teachers from an urban and diverse middle school to extend the construct, culturally responsive classroom management. The principles that…

Actively Engaging Middle Level Students with Photo Journals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shankar-Brown, Rajni

2011-01-01

The author describes the implementation of a photo journal project and explains how it positively impacted diverse young adolescents, specifically three reluctant learners. In addition to increasing motivation and engagement in learning, the photo journal project built community in the classroom. This article shares practical ideas for…

Student-Created Digital Media and Engagement in Middle School History

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alexander, Curby

2014-01-01

In this study, student engagement during classroom activities was investigated where sixth graders created digital media projects using historical images. The study employed a qualitative design involving observations, student artifacts, and interviews while students were creating digital storyboards using a Web-based application developed for…

Collaboration in teacher workshops and citizen science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gibbs, M. G.; Buxner, S.; Gay, P.; Crown, D. A.; Bracey, G.; Gugliucci, N.; Costello, K.; Reilly, E.

2013-12-01

The Moon and Earth system is an important topic for elementary and middle school science classrooms. Elementary and middle school teachers are challenged to keep current in science. The Planetary Science Institute created a program titled Workshops in Science Education and Resources (WISER): Planetary Perspectives to assist in-service K-12 teachers with their knowledge in earth and space science, using up-to-date science and inquiry activities to assist them in engaging their students. To augment the science and add a new aspect for teacher professional development, PSI is working in a new partnership collaborating with the Cosmoquest project in engaging teachers in authentic inquiry of the Moon. Teachers now learn about the Moon from PSI scientists and education staff and then engage in inquiry of the Moon using CosmoQuest's online citizen science project MoonMappers and its accompanying classroom curriculum TerraLuna. Through MoonMappers, teachers and students explore the lunar surface by viewing high-resolution pictures from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and marking craters and other interesting features. In addition, TerraLuna provides a unit of inquiry-based activities that bring MoonMappers and its science content into the classroom. This program addresses standards teachers need to teach and helps them not only teach about the Moon but also engage their students in authentic inquiry of the lunar surface.

Do You Know Our Marine Algae? A Marine Education Infusion Unit.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Butzow, John W.; Gregory, Charles J.

Designed to provide teaching materials for middle school and junior high school teachers in northern New England, this marine education unit presents teacher-tested ideas and activities for use in the classroom and in field trips to the shore. Each unit includes ideas and activities drawn from a variety of content areas so that teachers of many…

Sink or Swim: Learning by Doing in a Supply Chain Integration Activity*

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harnowo, Akhadian S.; Calhoun, Mikelle A.; Monteiro, Heather

2016-01-01

Studies show that supply chain integration (SCI) is important to organizations. This article describes an activity that places students in the middle of an SCI scenario. The highly interactive hands-on simulation requires only 50 to 60 minutes of classroom time, may be used with 18 to about 36 students, and involves minimal instructor preparation.…

Crossing Cultures--Third World Women. A Book of Materials, Activities, and Ideas for the Classroom Teacher.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Valiant, Sharon

This resource bibliography includes and briefly discusses activities and instructional materials on the lives of women in the non-European/non-white world, suitable for use in elementary and secondary school rooms. The books, films, and other materials give a sampling of ideas and contributions often overlooked in middle-class America (for…

Digital Storytelling in the Middle Childhood Special Education Classroom: A Teacher's Story of Adaptations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Michalski, Paige; Hodges, Dodi; Banister, Savilla

2005-01-01

This article chronicles one special educator's process of implementing adaptive instructional strategies in her middle school language arts classroom. Paige Michalski crafted adaptations for her students with disabilities in the curricular area of digital storytelling (Banaszewski, 2002; Dunn, 2000). Digital storytelling involves telling stories…

Teaching Disaffected Middle School Students: How Classroom Dynamics Shape Students' Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kennedy, Brianna L.

2011-01-01

This article examines instruction at a school in California for expelled middle school students and illustrates the practices of its most and least effective teachers. Findings show that teachers' implementation of instructional practices, classroom management, and rapport building mutually reinforced each other to either facilitate or hinder…

Your Science Classroom: Becoming an Elementary/Middle School Science Teacher

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldston, M. Jenice; Downey, Laura

2012-01-01

Designed around a practical "practice-what-you-teach" approach to methods instruction, "Your Science Classroom: Becoming an Elementary/Middle School Science Teacher" is based on current constructivist philosophy, organized around 5E inquiry, and guided by the National Science Education Teaching Standards. Written in a reader-friendly style, the…

Five Approaches to Avoid When Managing the Middle School Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Englehart, Joshua M.

2013-01-01

Too often, teachers encountering difficulties with classroom management focus only on the students rather than critically examining the influence of their own approaches on student behavior. Given the particular challenges that middle school students present, certain practices and expectations exacerbate management issues, and a lack of awareness…

Promoting Creativity in the Middle Grades Language Arts Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Batchelor, Katherine E.; Bintz, William P.

2013-01-01

Middle level educators around the country aim to create a classroom environment and a way of teaching that is developmentally responsive, challenging, empowering, and equitable for every student. One way to ensure this is to include instruction that promotes creativity. This article offers guiding principles and shares instructional lessons that…

Creating Lifelong Learners: Fostering Facilitation, Modeling, & Choice in the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, Angela Falter

2015-01-01

This article discusses alternatives to the lecture-style teaching that remains a fundamental practice for many middle school classrooms. Information was accumulated by pre-service middle school language arts teachers, who interviewed their mentor for their student teaching experience, focusing on how each teacher attempts to foster lifelong…

Is pre-K classroom quality associated with kindergarten and middle-school academic skills?

PubMed

Anderson, Sara; Phillips, Deborah

2017-06-01

We employed data from a longitudinal investigation of over 1,000 children who participated in Tulsa's universal school-based pre-K program in 2005, and path modeling techniques, to examine the contribution of pre-K classroom quality to both kindergarten- and middle-school academic skills. We also examined gender and income-related differences in quality-outcome associations. Both Instructional and Emotional Support in pre-K classrooms, but not Classroom Management, assessed with the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS), were associated with kindergarten academic skills and, modestly indirectly associated through these immediate impacts, to middle-school test scores. Linear associations were found for Instructional Support whereas nonlinear patterns of association were evident for Emotional Support. Gender and income differences characterized Instructional Support-outcome associations. Results are discussed in terms of implications for improving pre-K quality as one avenue for supporting the ongoing development of academic skills. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

The influence of relational formative discourse on students' positional identities in a middle school science classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trauth-Nare, Amy

Formative assessment is the process of eliciting students' understanding during instruction in order to make sensitive instructional decisions and provide feedback to enhance students' learning. Research indicates that when used properly, formative assessment can lead to significant learning gains and enhance students' self-efficacy. Drawing on previous research and a framework of relational pedagogy, I studied the positional identities claimed, assigned and negotiated by a middle school science teacher and her students during formative assessment interactions. Critical discourse analysis was used to analyze classroom interactions, teacher debriefings and student interviews. Findings from this study indicated that the teacher normatively positioned herself as authority during formative assessment interactions, yet students were not completely powerless. Through assertions of content knowledge and re-directions of topical focus, students positioned themselves actively and had the capacity to influence the direction and focus of formative assessment. Outside of classroom instruction, the teacher simultaneously positioned herself as both hindered by institutional structures yet actively subverted those structures in both covert and overt ways in the service of meaningful science learning. As indicated from interviews and SPAQ questionnaire responses, many students in this classroom positioned themselves positively in relation to science, the teacher and her methods of assessment, while some felt marginalized. This research has implications for the ways in which formative assessment is used to support teaching and learning in science classrooms. Findings from this study indicate that formative assessment is not simply an instrumental act carried out by teachers, but rather is a relational process that necessarily involves students. As a result, formative assessment should balance authoritative and dialogic discourse as a means for supporting and engaging students as they develop rich conceptions of science while connecting those conceptions to their own experiences.

Performance and Motivation in a Middle School Flipped Learning Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Winter, Joshua W.

2018-01-01

Flipped learning is a teaching approach that promotes collaboration by using technology to 'flip' traditional instruction. Content is delivered outside of class in the individual space (online) and the group space (classroom) is used to engage in collaborative activities. Flipped learning shifts the teacher's role toward facilitation. Research on…

Perspectives on the Use of Internet in Art Classrooms.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heise, Donalyn; Grandgenett, Neal F.

1996-01-01

Maintains that access to full internet capabilities can benefit students in their art instruction and allow for life-long art-based learning. Describes the activities of a Nebraska middle-school art class that used the Internet in their research and study of cultural images and societal heroes. (MJP)

TEACHER'S GUIDE FOR MICROGARDENING.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

CHANDLER, MARION N.

THIS TEACHING GUIDE IS DESIGNED FOR USE WITH AN ELEMENTARY SCIENCE STUDY UNIT "MICROGARDENING" IN WHICH SIMPLER AND LOWER FORMS OF PLANT LIFE ARE STUDIED THROUGH STUDENT ACTIVITIES INVOLVING MOLDS. THE MATERIALS HAVE BEEN CLASSROOM TESTED AND ARE SUGGESTED FOR MIDDLE AND UPPER ELEMENTARY GRADES. THE WORK HAS BEEN ORGANIZED IN FIVE AREAS…

Reasoning with Atomic-Scale Molecular Dynamic Models

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pallant, Amy; Tinker, Robert F.

2004-01-01

The studies reported in this paper are an initial effort to explore the applicability of computational models in introductory science learning. Two instructional interventions are described that use a molecular dynamics model embedded in a set of online learning activities with middle and high school students in 10 classrooms. The studies indicate…

Prescriptions for Success in Heterogeneous Classrooms.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schurr, Sandra L.

This handbook details 28 specific learning strategies for diverse groups of middle school students, each cast as a prescription applicable for students whose diagnosis reveals certain "conditions" such as particular learning styles or high or low reading skills. Reproducible pages accompany most of the strategies. Following are the activities: (1)…

Business as Usual? Not for These Middle-Grades Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crawford, Heather; Wiest, Lynda

2011-01-01

A perpetual dilemma of schooling is how to help students develop skills needed for everyday life, including the work world. Quantitative literacy, also called numeracy, involves an ability to apply essential mathematics skills to authentic or near-authentic tasks. Carefully planned classroom activities can help students develop these important…

Learn Better by Doing Study: Fourth-Year Results

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moye, Johnny J.; Dugger, William E., Jr.; Starkweather, Kendall N.

2017-01-01

The purpose of the "Learn Better by Doing Study" was to determine the extent to which U.S. public elementary, middle, and high school students were doing hands-on activities in their science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) classrooms. The International Technology and Engineering Educators Association's (ITEEA's)…

Evaluation of the Family/School Partnership Project, Year III, 1996-97.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kester, Donald L.; Plakos, John; Santos, Will

The report details the third-year evaluation of a transitional bilingual education project at Chester W. Nimitz Middle School in Huntington Park, California. The Family/School Partnership Project is designed to assist limited English proficient students in mastering English skills to transition to regular classroom activities by integrating…

Enhancing Students' Thinking Skills: Exploring Model Technology-Integration Sites.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moersch, Christopher

1998-01-01

Examines ways to integrate technology into social studies, science, mathematics, and language arts. Describes model elementary and middle-school classrooms in which technology is used to investigate the concept of property, study soil porosity and the water cycle, run a student store, and promote environmental activism. (PEN)

Isomo Loruko: The Yoruba Naming Ceremony. Middle Level Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kafi, Patricia; Singer, Alan

1998-01-01

Presents the Yoruba Naming Ceremony as an activity for a global-studies class that provides an introduction to Nigerian culture. Explains that the ceremony is the time that the family and community welcomes a new child. Gives a list of Yoruba names and discussion questions for classroom use. (CMK)

Valuing Informal Arguments and Empirical Investigations during Collective Argumentation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yopp, David A.

2012-01-01

Considerable literature has documented both the pros and cons of students' use of empirical evidence during proving activities. This article presents an analysis of a classroom episode involving in-service middle school, high school, and college teachers that demonstrates that learners need not be steered away from empirical investigations during…

Hidden student voice: A curriculum of a middle school science class heard through currere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crooks, Kathleen Schwartz

Students have their own lenses through which they view school science and the students' views are often left out of educational conversations which directly affect the students themselves. Pinar's (2004) definition of curriculum as a 'complicated conversation' implies that the class' voice is important, as important as the teacher's voice, to the classroom conversation. If the class' voice is vital to classroom conversations, then the class, consisting of all its students, must be allowed to both speak and be heard. Through a qualitative case study, whereby the case is defined as a particular middle school science class, this research attempts to hear the 'complicated conversation' of this middle school science class, using currere as a framework. Currere suggests that one's personal relationship to the world, including one's memories, hopes, and dreams, should be the crux of education, rather than education being primarily the study of facts, concepts, and needs determined by an 'other'. Focus group interviews were used to access the class' currere: the class' lived experiences of science, future dreams of science, and present experiences of science, which was synthesized into a new understanding of the present which offered the class the opportunity to be fully educated. The interview data was enriched through long-term observation in this middle school science classroom. Analysis of the data collected suggests that a middle school science class has rich science stories which may provide insights into ways to engage more students in science. Also, listening to the voice of a science class may provide insight into discussions about science education and understandings into the decline in student interest in science during secondary school. Implications from this research suggest that school science may be more engaging for this middle school class if it offers inquiry-based activities and allows opportunities for student-led research. In addition, specialized academic and career advice in early middle school may be able to capitalize on this class' positive perspective toward science. Further research may include using currere to hear the voices of middle school science classes with more diverse demographic qualities.

Anxiety in the Classroom: Implications for Middle School Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moran, Kristen

2016-01-01

Anxiety is a prevalent mental health concern in children and adolescents that can have a negative effect on their personal relationships as well as their academics. Teachers are in a position to assist in recognizing the signs of anxiety and supporting students in the classroom. Practical suggestions on how teachers can support middle school…

Middle School Teachers' Perceptions of the Impact of Transitioning to Personalized Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hurtienne, Laura E.

2017-01-01

This study focused on the lived experiences of a team of four rural middle school teachers as they made the transformation from traditional classrooms to personalized learning classrooms. The teachers were beginning their third year of personalized learning implementation as the study took place. The researcher investigated participants'…

Examining the Effect of Teacher Guidance on Collaborative Argumentation in Middle Level Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hsu, Pi-Sui; Van Dyke, Margot; Chen, Yan

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of teacher guidance on the quality of collaborative argumentation in middle level classrooms. Each of six science classes was randomly assigned to either the intervention (teacher guidance) or control condition (minimal teacher guidance). The verbal collaborative argumentation that occurred…

An Experimental Examination of Quick Writing in the Middle School Science Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Benedek-Wood, Elizabeth; Mason, Linda H.; Wood, Philip H.; Hoffman, Katie E.; McGuire, Ashley

2014-01-01

A staggered A-B design study was used to evaluate the effects of Self- Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) instruction for quick writing in middle school science across four classrooms. A sixth-grade science teacher delivered all students' writing assessment and SRSD instruction for informative quick writing. Results indicated that performance…

Problem Solving Strategies of Girls and Boys in Single-Sex Mathematics Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Che, Megan; Wiegert, Elaine; Threlkeld, Karen

2012-01-01

This study examines patterns in middle-grade boys' and girls' written problem solving strategies for a mathematical task involving proportional reasoning. The students participating in this study attend a coeducational charter middle school with single-sex classrooms. One hundred nineteen sixth-grade students' responses are analyzed by gender…

Classroom Literacy Practices in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: An Interpretative Synthesis of Ethnographic Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nag, Sonali; Snowling, Margaret J.; Asfaha, Yonas Mesfun

2016-01-01

Surveys in low- and middle-income (LMI countries) reveal persistently low levels of learning among children in disadvantaged communities. Against this background, our synthesis of ethnographies aims at a fresh interpretation of classroom practices to clarify instruction-related barriers to literacy attainments. The review focuses on the period…

Food-Related Beliefs, Eating Behavior, and Classroom Food Practices of Middle School Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kubik, Martha Y.; Lytle, Leslie A.; Hannan, Peter J.; Story, Mary; Perry, Cheryl L.

2002-01-01

Surveyed middle school teachers regarding their classroom food and eating behaviors. Using food (particularly candy) as student incentives was common. Most foods used did not support development of healthy eating habits. Many teachers did not role model healthy eating at school. Prevalent use of vending machines was reported. Correlates of…

Does Biliteracy + Mathematical Discourse = Binumerate Development? Language Use in a Middle School Dual-Language Mathematics Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rubinstein-Ávila, Eliane; Sox, Amanda A.; Kaplan, Suzanne; McGraw, Rebecca

2015-01-01

Few studies on the role of bilingualism in mathematics classrooms explore the intersection of biliteracy, language use, mathematical discourse, and numeracy--especially at the middle school level. Drawing from biliteracy development theory and reform mathematics education literature, this qualitative case study of a dual-language mathematics…

Promoting Student Achievement through Educational Practices in Middle School Math Transitioning Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jackson, Viola Towels

2016-01-01

There is a plethora of research pertaining to Response to Intervention (RTI) implementation at the elementary school setting. However, research studies on teachers' perceptions relative to implementing RTI in a middle school tier-based classroom had not been conducted. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine teachers' perception…

COMMUNICATION OF INFORMATION IN THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CLASSROOM.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DEUTSCH, MARTIN; AND OTHERS

IT IS NOT YET KNOWN HOW THE EXTENT OF LANGUAGE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN LOWER CLASS CHILDREN AND TEACHERS WITH MIDDLE CLASS TRAINING AND, FOR THE MOST PART, WITH MIDDLE CLASS BACKGROUNDS, INFLUENCES CLASSROOM COMMUNICATION. AN EVALUATION WAS MADE OF THE EXPRESSIVE LINGUISTIC SKILLS AND SPEECH CONTENT OF CHILDREN OF DIFFERENT AGES, RACES, AND SOCIAL…

Learning Environment, Attitudes and Conceptual Development Associated with Innovative Strategies in Middle-School Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ogbuehi, Philip I.; Fraser, Barry J.

2007-01-01

This study of middle-school students in California focused on the effectiveness of using innovative teaching strategies for enhancing the classroom environment, students' attitudes and conceptual development. A sample of 661 students from 22 classrooms in four inner city schools completed modified forms of the Constructivist Learning Environment…

Videos for Teachers: Successful Teaching Strategies in Elementary and Middle School Classrooms. [CD-ROM].

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Teachers Network, New York, NY.

This CD-ROM provides information on successful teaching strategies for elementary and middle school teachers. One section offers links to curriculum and lesson planning strategies in the areas of English as a Second Language, library, arts, classroom management, English/language arts, foreign languages, global education, health/physical education,…

Inclusive Education in the United States: Middle School General Education Teachers' Approaches to Inclusion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mackey, Megan

2014-01-01

Research examined how three middle school teachers included students with disabilities in their general education classrooms. Purposive sampling was used to select a sixth grade science teacher, seventh grade social studies teacher, and eighth grade math teacher whose classrooms were identified as exemplifying the characteristics of inclusive…

Differentiating Instruction for Advanced Learners in the Mixed-Ability Middle School Classroom. ERIC Digest E536.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tomlinson, Carol Ann

This brief paper summarizes guidelines for adapting instruction for advanced learners in inclusive, mixed-ability middle school classrooms. A rationale for differentiating instruction is followed by consideration of what differentiation is and is not. Characteristics of a differentiated class are enumerated, including: instruction is concept…

Literacy Learning in Networked Classrooms: Using the Internet with Middle-Level Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McNabb, Mary L.; Thurber, Bonnie B.; Dibuz, Balazs; McDermott, Pamela A.; Lee, Carol Ann

2006-01-01

Middle-level teachers, librarians, and media specialists can use this book to meet current English language arts and technology standards and to prepare students to be literate citizens in the 21st century. Additional teaching tools include timelines of classroom events, reproducible rubrics for assessing curriculum units, suggested Web resources,…

Effectiveness of 1:1 technology in the science classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weiss, Courtney Tara

The purposes of this study were: (a) to determine if using e-text technology in a middle school resource science classroom increases student academic performance, (b) to determine if using e-text technology in a middle school science resource classroom increases student engagement/on-task behavior, and (c) to evaluate student comfort and satisfaction in using an electronic textbook or print textbook in a middle school resource science classroom. Ten middle school students, four in grade 7 and six in grade 8 participated in the study using the Discovery Education Science Techbook and the AGS General Science series. A single subject design with ABABA phases was used with the printed textbook from AGS as the baseline and the e-text as the intervention. During the baseline and intervention, students completed vocabulary and guided notes on science content. Their performance was evaluated through homework completion, quiz and test scores. Their on task behaviors were observed and recorded in five-minute time intervals daily. Results showed that even though the students preferred the e-text over the printed textbook, their academic scores and engagement were lower when using the e-text.

Human sexuality education in the middle grades classroom: A review of curricula in a sample of Florida school districts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Myrick, Melinda D.

2007-12-01

This study examined the extent to which human sexuality topics are covered in Florida middle school science classrooms and the process by which curricular decisions are made regarding human sexuality education on a county-wide basis. Primary data included interviews with county-level administrators who oversee curricular decisions related to the middle-grades science curriculum or health curriculum in twelve school districts within the state. These districts represented four geographic locations and districts of various sizes. Administrators from four of the twelve studies in the sample chose to provide information regarding their human sexuality education curriculum. In two cases, teacher leads were identified and were interviewed to understand the implementation of the curriculum within the classroom. Additional data were collected from the district curriculum guides for human sexuality education and the adopted middle-grades science textbook for each county. The interview and documentary data were analyzed by comparison to established criteria for a comprehensive human sexuality education curriculum. The analysis revealed that the scope of human sexuality education varied considerably within the sample and that much of the curricula in place failed to include topics and activities that have been identified as important in a successful human sexuality education program. These findings are limited because few counties chose to fully participate. Additional research is clearly needed to examine the effectiveness of existing human sexuality education curricula in Florida. In addition, research is needed to understand the characteristics, values, and beliefs of successful human sexuality education instructors across the state.

How "struggling" readers engage in literacy events in middle school science An analysis of interactions in literacy events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palmer, Kristin Cartwright

This study examined opportunities for participation and learning for "struggling" readers in a sixth grade science classroom. Literacy practices, language differences, activity structures, and the social and cultural identities and associated practices and everyday funds of knowledge of both "struggling" and nonstruggling readers in one sixth grade science classroom were documented and analyzed using a qualitative research design. Over sixteen hours of audio and video recordings as well as numerous student work samples were transcribed and analyzed. Analyses of the classroom interactions and artifacts documented in this study revealed several important affordances available in the context of this classroom related to opportunities for speaking and listening, some uses of print texts, and student agency in interactions. Student learning was found to be constrained by macrocontextual factors, text difficulty, and student history.

The Effect of the Video Game Quizlet on the Acquisiton of Science Vocabulary for Children With Learning Disabilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Donovan, Kelsey Claire

The purposes of this study were (a) to determine if using the video learning game Quizlet in a middle school resource classroom increases science vocabulary acquisition of students with learning disabilities, (b) to determine if using the video learning game Quizlet in a middle school resource classroom increases the student engagement/on-task behavior of students with learning disabilities, and (c) to evaluate student comfort and satisfaction in using the video learning game Quizlet in a middle school resource classroom. Six middle school students, three female and three male participated in the study. A single subject design with ABAB phases was utilized over eight weeks. Results show that all students increased their science vocabulary acquisition and increased their on-task behaviors. A follow-up student satisfaction survey determined that the intervention was acceptable to all students. Further research to assess the effects of Quizlet is recommended.

Mixing Formal and Informal Pedagogies in a Middle School Guitar Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rescsanszky, Matthew J.

2017-01-01

Many music educators feel unprepared or are unsure of how to use popular music in their classrooms. This article details the author's experience designing, implementing, and revising a student-centered guitar curriculum in an urban middle school. Reflecting on this experience, the author defends the place of popular music and informal pedagogy in…

Video Games in the Middle School Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simpson, Elizabeth; Clem, Frances A.

2008-01-01

During the fall 2005 semester, an eighth grade teacher in a Laramie, Wyoming, middle school made an urgent plea for more progressive tools for a beginning computers course. Janet Johnson, a veteran teacher returning to the classroom after a hiatus of 10 years, was frustrated with the apparent lack of motivation and engagement by the students. She…

An Action Research Study: Using Classroom Guidance Lessons to Teach Middle School Students about Sexual Harassment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bates, Rebecca C.

2006-01-01

This article describes a three-part classroom guidance lesson that teaches middle school students the definition of sexual harassment, the difference between flirting and sexual harassment, and the harmful effects of sexual harassment. An action research study evaluated the effectiveness of the lessons in decreasing referrals for sexual harassment…

Literacy and Text Reading in Middle and High School Social Studies and English Language Arts Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swanson, Elizabeth; Wanzek, Jeanne; McCulley, Lisa; Stillman-Spisak, Stephanie; Vaughn, Sharon; Simmons, Deborah; Fogarty, Melissa; Hairrell, Angela

2016-01-01

This study reports vocabulary and reading comprehension instructional practices implemented in middle and high school social studies and language arts classrooms. It also describes text reading practices. We conducted 137 observations of 11 social studies and 9 language arts teachers over the course of 1 academic year. We observed instructional…

Teaching Reading Comprehension to Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders in Social Studies Classrooms: Middle School Teacher Perceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burke, Lisa; Hsieh, Wu-Ying; Lopez-Reyna, Norma; Servilio, Kathryn

2016-01-01

The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe the perceptions of general education middle school social studies teachers related to their teaching practices and the inclusion of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in their classrooms. More specifically, an in-depth exploration of general education social studies teachers'…

Reading Like a Historian: Teaching Literacy in Middle and High School History Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wineburg, Sam; Martin, Daisy; Monte-Sano, Chauncey

2011-01-01

Reaching beyond textbooks, this is a guide to teaching "historical reading" with middle and high school students. This practical resource shows you how to apply Sam Wineburg's highly acclaimed approach to teaching, "Reading Like a Historian", in your classroom to increase academic literacy and spark students' curiosity. Each chapter begins with an…

A Delphi Study: Identifying Strategies That Promote Student Self-Efficacy in the Middle Level Mathematics Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kieschnick, Lauren E.

2013-01-01

This dissertation examines the strategies that promote mathematical self-efficacy in the middle level mathematics classroom. The need for more self-efficacious students to pursue mathematics is prevalent in the United States due to the need of workers in the STEM fields. Finding strategies to promote mathematical self-efficacy will provide…

A New Approach to Using Photographs and Classroom Response Systems in Middle School Astronomy Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Hyun Ju

2012-01-01

This study reports middle school astronomy classes that implemented photographs and classroom response systems (CRSs) in a discussion-oriented pedagogy with a curriculum unit for the topics of "day-night" and "cause of seasons." In the new pedagogy, a teacher presented conceptual questions with photographs, her 6th grade…

Co-Teaching in Middle School Classrooms: Quantitative Comparative Study of Special Education Student Assessment Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reese, De'borah Reese

2017-01-01

The purpose of this quantitative comparative study was to determine the existence or nonexistence of performance pass rate differences of special education middle school students on standardized assessments between pre and post co-teaching eras disaggregated by subject area and school. Co-teaching has altered classroom environments in many ways.…

Facilitating Conceptual Change through Modeling in the Middle School Science Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carrejo, David J.; Reinhartz, Judy

2014-01-01

Engaging students in both hands-on and minds-on experiences is needed for education that is relevant and complete. Many middle school students enter science classrooms with pre-conceived ideas about their world. Some of these ideas are misconceptions that hinder students from developing accepted concepts in science, such as those related to…

Teaching Mathematical Problem Solving to Middle School Students in Math, Technology Education, and Special Education Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bottge, Brian A.; Heinrichs, Mary; Mehta, Zara Dee; Rueda, Enrique; Hung, Ya-Hui; Danneker, Jeanne

2004-01-01

This study compared two approaches for teaching sixth-grade middle school students to solve math problems in math, technology education, and special education classrooms. A total of 17 students with disabilities and 76 students without disabilities were taught using either enhanced anchored instruction (EAI) or text-based instruction coupled with…

Is Pre-K Classroom Quality Associated with Kindergarten and Middle-School Academic Skills?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Sara; Phillips, Deborah

2017-01-01

We employed data from a longitudinal investigation of over 1,000 children who participated in Tulsa's universal school-based pre-K program in 2005, and path modeling techniques, to examine the contribution of pre-K classroom quality to both kindergarten- and middle-school academic skills. We also examined gender and income-related differences in…

Advancing the Math Skills of Middle School Students in Technology Education Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bottge, Brian A.; Grant, Timothy S.; Stephens, Ana C.; Rueda, Enrique

2010-01-01

While curriculum specialists and committees often decide how mathematics is taught, it is ultimately principals who influence the extent to which these initiatives are carried out. The overall goal of this article is to provide school leaders with classroom-based research that describes one way of improving the math skills of middle school…

Hallways Paved with Good Intentions: Analyzing Rules and Procedures in Non-Classroom Middle School Spaces

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wellenreiter, Benjamin R.

2018-01-01

Non-classroom school spaces such as cafeterias, hallways, and locker rooms have complex structures that require analysis to maintain or improve school climate. Middle level educators are encouraged to observe, question, and evaluate rules and procedures to ensure these spaces are safe and socially just. Educators should work to view these spaces…

Teaching for Ownership in the Middle School Science Classroom: Towards Practical Inquiry in an Age of Accountability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clayton, Christine D.; Ardito, Gerald

2009-01-01

The authors of this study document one middle school classroom in an attempt to understand how inquiry learning, supported with technological tools, can provide students with opportunities to develop ownership of science content knowledge. Case study and collaborative teacher researcher methods were utilized to document the implementation of a…

Navigating Climate Science in the Classroom: Teacher Preparation, Perceptions and Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sullivan, Susan M. Buhr; Ledley, Tamara Shapiro; Lynds, Susan E.; Gold, Anne U.

2014-01-01

Results from a series of surveys describe dimensions of middle and high school science teachers' preparation for and practices around climate science instruction in the classroom. Descriptions are drawn from 877 respondents to four surveys of US middle and high school science teachers from 2009-2011. Most respondents had engaged in self-directed…

"It's a Lot of Hectic in Middle School": Student-Teaching in an Urban Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meyer, Jim

1999-01-01

Relates the experience of a college professor who spent two months as a student teacher in an eighth-grade language arts classroom in an urban public school. Discusses middle school teaching verses college teaching, coming to know the students, discipline, student testing, accountability, teaching writing, the failure of teacher-training programs,…

LGBTQ Literature in Middle School Classrooms: Possibilities for Challenging Heteronormative Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dinkins, Elizabeth G.; Englert, Patrick

2015-01-01

This paper uses a case study approach to examine how the heteronormative nature of one middle school setting and classroom environment shapes the climate of safety, support and learning for LGBTQ students when they are engaged in studying a novel with a gay character. Heteronormative environments inform and shape positioning of and by students and…

Supporting the Development of Intrinsic Motivation in the Middle School Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oginsky, Terri

This study took place in a sixth grade math class at Webber Middle School in Saginaw, Michigan. A literature review indicated that a classroom that students perceive as safe, supportive of their autonomy, and of their learning increases intrinsic motivation. With this in mind, the author created a study, which would look for connections between…

Using Fluid Power in the Middle School Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rogers, Stephen

2013-01-01

In a middle school classroom, the science of fluidics was introduced using the rig. Afterwards the students were able to make informed choices about using air or water as the medium inside their syringes. The three kits available through the NFPA were explored, reverse-engineered, discussed, and analyzed as a lead-in to the in-house culminating…

Technology in Teaching English Language Learners: The Case of Three Middle School Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andrei, Elena

2017-01-01

This study looks at how three middle school teachers of English as a second language (ESL) use technology in the classroom. Technology use in the ESL classroom has the potential of supporting the English and content learning of English language learners, but the availability of technology does not necessarily lead to technology integration that…

Does Perceived Teacher Affective Support Matter for Middle School Students in Mathematics Classrooms?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sakiz, Gonul; Pape, Stephen J.; Hoy, Anita Woolfolk

2012-01-01

The purpose of the present study was to explore the importance of perceived teacher affective support in relation to sense of belonging, academic enjoyment, academic hopelessness, academic self-efficacy, and academic effort in middle school mathematics classrooms. A self-report survey was administered to 317 seventh- and eighth-grade students in 5…

Examine Middle School Students' Constructivist Environment Perceptions in Turkey: School Location and Class Size

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yigit, Nevzat; Alpaslan, Muhammet Mustafa; Cinemre, Yasin; Balcin, Bilal

2017-01-01

This study aims to examine the middle school students' perceptions of the classroom learning environment in the science course in Turkey in terms of school location and class size. In the study the Assessing of Constructivist Learning Environment (ACLE) questionnaire was utilized to map students' perceptions of the classroom learning environment.…

Integrating Elements of Inquiry into the Flow of Middle Level Teaching.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flick, Lawrence B.

This paper is a part of a research program whose purpose it is to design instruction for scaffolding classroom inquiry in middle school classrooms. Scaffolding is a dynamic process, reflecting teacher adjustments based on student responses. Even though a computer, textbook, or laboratory materials may serve as proxy for a "teacher", arguably the…

Sample classroom activities based on climate science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miler, T.

2009-09-01

We present several activities developed for the middle school education based on a climate science. The first activity was designed to teach about the ocean acidification. A simple experiment can prove that absorption of CO2 in water increases its acidity. A liquid pH indicator is suitable for the demonstration in a classroom. The second activity uses data containing coordinates of a hurricane position. Pupils draw a path of a hurricane eye in a tracking chart (map of the Atlantic ocean). They calculate an average speed of the hurricane, investigate its direction and intensity development. The third activity uses pictures of the Arctic ocean on September when ice extend is usually the lowest. Students measure the ice extend for several years using a square grid printed on a plastic foil. Then they plot a graph and discuss the results. All these activities can be used to improve the natural science education and increase the climate change literacy.

Managing Inquiry-Based Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wolfgang, Christie Nicole

2009-01-01

Though it may seem that classroom management comes naturally to some teachers, upon closer examination you'll probably discover that preparation and adaptation are more important than any innate ability when it comes to successful classroom management. Any experienced middle school science teacher can tell you that successful classroom management…

Investigating Plants: Hands-On, Low-Cost Laboratory Exercises in Plant Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sinclair, Thomas R.; Johnson, Marty

This manual describes 14 hands-on exercises for middle school introductory biology courses that are designed to allow all students to be involved in self-discoveries about life and plant life in particular. The exercises were developed to supplement normal classroom activities by allowing students to initiate ongoing projects to investigate the…

"Doing Math" in Austin

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raymond, Allen

2004-01-01

Since 1990, the January issue of "Teaching Pre K-8" has highlighted a school visit by the president of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. This article discusses Cathy Seeley's visit to a 6th grade classroom at the J. E. Pearce Middle School in Austin, Texas, where she participated in a math activity from the Connected…

Hawaiian Nonverbal Communication: Two Classroom Applications.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anthony, Alberta Pualani

Although there are only about 2,000 active speakers of the Hawaiian language, there exists a coherent system of nonverbal behavior which can be identified as Hawaiian and which contrasts sharply with middle class white American behavior. Teachers of Hawaiian children should be aware of this in order to avoid potential misunderstandings in the…

Temporality of Emotion: Antecedent and Successive Variants of Frustration When Learning Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

King, Donna; Ritchie, Stephen M.; Sandhu, Maryam; Henderson, Senka; Boland, Ben

2017-01-01

Learning science in the middle years can be an emotional experience. In this study, we explored ninth-grade students' discrete emotions expressed during science activities in a 9-week unit on chemistry. Individual student's emotions were analyzed through multiple data sources including classroom videos, interviews, and emotions diaries completed…

Healthy Children/Healthy World.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dean, Cynthia, Comp.; And Others

This manual presents a curriculum on the health and nutrition of children in the developing world for students in middle schools. The objectives of the curriculum are to give American students a more accurate idea of the problems related to child survival worldwide, to enable them to integreate these issues into their regular classroom activities,…

Biodiversity and Edge Effects: An Activity in Landscape Ecology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hart, Justin L.

2007-01-01

Biodiversity and the conservation of biodiversity have received increased attention during the last few decades and these topics have been implemented into many G7-12 science curricula. This work presents an exercise that may be used in middle and high school classrooms to help students better understand spatial aspects of biodiversity. The…

Discovery Curriculum: For Use with Middle Grade Students in or out of the Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wickless, Mimi

This teaching guide contains the Discovery Curriculum which was extensively field tested at The National Arbor Day Foundation's Discovery Camp. The Discovery Curriculum is designed to promote wise environmental stewardship through relevant, active learning opportunities. Goals for each participant include: (1) be aware of and able to cite examples…

Too Good for Drugs[TM]. What Works Clearinghouse Intervention Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

What Works Clearinghouse, 2006

2006-01-01

"Too Good for Drugs"[TM] is designed to promote life skills, character values, resistance skills to negative peer influence, and resistance to the use of illegal drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. The program, which targets elementary and middle school students, is based on classroom discussions and structured activities that center on…

Learn Better by Doing Study--Third-Year Results

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moye, Johnny; Dugger, William E., Jr.; Starkweather, Kendall N.

2016-01-01

The purpose of the "Learn Better by Doing" study is to determine the extent to which U.S. public school students are doing hands-on activities in their classrooms. The study asks elementary and secondary (middle and high school) science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teachers to respond to 13 statements concerning…

Concept Cartoons Supported Problem Based Learning Method in Middle School Science Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Balim, Ali Günay; Inel-Ekici, Didem; Özcan, Erkan

2016-01-01

Problem based learning, in which events from daily life are presented as interesting scenarios, is one of the active learning approaches that encourages students to self-direct learning. Problem based learning, generally used in higher education, requires students to use high end thinking skills in learning environments. In order to use…

Secondary Student Motivation to Participate in a Year 9 Australian Elective Classroom Music Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McEwan, Rob

2013-01-01

Despite strong philosophical arguments supporting the inclusion of music in all students' education, declining student participation rates in school music activities during the middle years of schooling remain an ongoing issue for music education researchers. This paper presents the findings of a case study examining the motivational factors…

Designing Technology Activities that Teach Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Silk, Eli M.; Higashi, Ross; Shoop, Robin; Schunn, Christian D.

2010-01-01

Over the past three years, the authors have conducted research in middle and high school classrooms in an effort to improve the effectiveness of robotics to teach science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education--their focus has been on math. The authors have found that subtle changes in the design and setup of the lesson make a…

From Creeks to the Classroom: Hands-on Curriculum Units on the Web

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salter, I. Y.

2005-12-01

Archway School is in the process of developing 6 curriculum units to teach middle school students about the ecology and environmental science of the San Francisco Bay Area. This is being accomplished through integrated classroom, field trip, and creek restoration project activities. The creek where restoration work takes place becomes an outdoor laboratory for a wide array of classroom lessons tied to both National and California Science Education Standards. The entire curriculum, including all lesson plans, assessments, and examples of student work are being made available, free of charge, to teachers and educators via the Internet. Although the units were initially developed to teach about the natural and geological history of the San Francisco Bay Area, classroom activities are structured such that they could be used at any school and restoration work could be undertaken at any creek in the country. This presentation will showcase the curriculum and provide information so that educators may bring it home to their own institutions. Teachers will get a "tour" of 3 of the 6 curriculum units (Ecology, Watersheds, Earth History) and then have an opportunity to view activities that highlight the strengths of the program.

Educator workshop

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-01-22

Middle school teachers from across Louisiana participate in a hands-on activity during a professional development workshop at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge on Jan. 22, 2011. Fifty-five teachers participated in the workshop, which was hosted by the Stennis Education Office. During the workshop, Stennis specialists presented hands-on, problem-based learning and technology-based activities teachers can use in their classrooms to promote interest in areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Reducing sedentary behavior in minority girls via a theory-based, tailored classroom media intervention

PubMed Central

SPRUIJT-METZ, DONNA; NGUYEN-MICHEL, SELENA T.; GORAN, MICHAEL I.; CHOU, CHIH-PING; HUANG, TERRY T-K.

2010-01-01

Objective To develop, implement and test an innovative, theory-based classroom media intervention known as Get Moving! to increase physical activity and decrease sedentary behaviors in predominantly Latina middle school girls. Research methods and procedures School-based intervention on five to seven consecutive school days in seven schools (four intervention and three control) with high Latino populations (above 60%). Intervention schools were matched to control schools by ethnic makeup and socioeconomic status (SES). Measures conducted 3 months before and 3 months after intervention included height, weight, percentage body fat (bioimpedance analysis), physical activity and psychosocial aspects of activity by questionnaire. Subjects were middle school girls, mean age 12.5 years old, 73% Latina (N=459 girls). Results Get Moving! significantly reduced time spent on sedentary behavior (β± standard error, SE=−0.27±0.14, p<0.05) and significantly increased intrinsic motivation (β±SE=0.11±0.05, p<0.05). There was a trend for mediation effects of intrinsic motivation, but this did not reach significance. Discussion Get Moving! is a promising school-based approach that specifically targets physical activity and sedentary behavior in Latina girls, a population at high risk for obesity and related diseases. PMID:19023773

The Effects of Implementing a Reading Workshop in Middle School Language Arts Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, Angela Falter

2012-01-01

Two language arts teachers in a small, rural middle school set a goal of improving their reading instruction and ultimately their students' learning. The two teachers implemented Reading Workshop as their new methodology for teaching reading to all six of their 7th and 8th grade classes. Interviews and classroom observations, over the course of…

An Action Research Study of Barriers to Differentiated Instruction in Reading for Georgia Middle School Students in the Inclusive Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boston, Alicia

2017-01-01

The purpose of this qualitative action research study was to explore middle school inclusion teacher perceptions to overcome barriers to successful DI implementation in reading for students with special needs. Inclusion reading teachers are faced with the challenge of providing classroom instruction to students with varying abilities, levels, and…

Improving Student Learning through the Use of Classroom Quizzes: Three Years of Evidence from the Columbia Middle School Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Agarwal, Pooja K.; Roediger, Henry L., III; McDaniel, Mark A.; McDermott, Kathleen B.

2010-01-01

In this study, the authors examined whether a test-enhanced learning program, integrated with daily classroom practices, is effective in a middle school setting. Specifically, they implemented and experimentally evaluated a test-enhanced learning program in 6th-8th grade Social Studies, English, Science, and Spanish classes. Although laboratory…

Analysis of Classroom Discourse in 'Personal Education' Classes in Light of the Theories of Dewey, Piaget and Vygotsky

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shashoua, Ayala; Court, Deborah

2016-01-01

This qualitative study investigated a 'personal education' program that operates in some middle schools in Israel. This article focuses on three teachers in three different Jewish Israeli middle schools, and their students, and the intrapersonal and interpersonal teaching and learning processes in their classrooms. The theories of Dewey, Piaget…

Constructing a High-Stakes Community in the Classroom: A Case Study of One Urban Middle-School Teacher

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rothrock, Racheal M.

2017-01-01

A teacher at an urban middle school worked to become part of her students' communities and utilized the notion of community within her pedagogy. Her example offers hope that engaging with students' communities and building community within the classroom are attainable and valuable goals. Her example also demonstrates that the concept of community…

Pre-Service Science Teachers' Views on Their Online Argumentation about What Is Happening in Middle School Science Classrooms during Their Practicum Period

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaya, Osman Nafiz; Dogan, Alev; Kilic, Ziya; Ebenezer, Jazlin

2004-01-01

In this study, Pre-service Science Teachers' (PSTs) views about the potential benefits and existing barriers of their argumentation on the World Wide Web about what is happening in middle school science classrooms during two semesters of their practicum experiences were investigated. "Special Web Group" called the "Collaborative…

Exclusion, Engagement and Identity Construction in a Socioeconomically Diverse Middle School Wind Band Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hoffman, Adria Rachel

2012-01-01

The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the wind band classroom as a social context and examine its influence on middle-school students' identity constructions. The integration of sociologically based identity theory and social identity theory from social psychology suggested by Deaux and Martin as well as Stets and Burke proved…

Blended Learning: Understanding the Middle Ground between Traditional Classroom and Fully Online Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Welker, Jan; Berardino, Lisa

2006-01-01

Blended learning is any combined use of electronic learning tools that supplement but do not replace face-to-face learning. This article is about how two researchers are trying to comfortably and logically place blended learning somewhere in the middle of two extremes--traditional classroom at one end and fully online distance learning at the…

TPACK Goes to Sixth Grade: Lessons from a Middle School Teacher in a High-Technology-Access Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wetzel, Keith; Marshall, Summer

2012-01-01

This is a qualitative study addressing the question: In what ways does a sixth grade middle school teacher show evidence of behaviors that fit the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework in the classroom? The researcher observed in this class, interviewed the teacher, and looked for evidence of the interplay between…

Social distance and behavioral attributes of developmentally handicapped and normal children.

PubMed

Sherman, L W; Burgess, D E

1985-12-01

20 behavioral attributes predicting social distance were examined among 101 junior high school students in six classrooms. The sample included 8 developmentally handicapped students, of whom at least one of each was mainstreamed into each classroom. Subjects were predominantly white, middle-class, suburban midwesterners. A sociometric nomination measure was used to obtain behavioral attribute profiles of the students which were then used to predict a psychometric measure of social distance. Handicapped students were not more socially distant than their normal peers. Factor analysis of the 20 behavioral attributes yielded four factors, three of which were significant predictors of classroom social distance, accounting for better than half the variance in social distance. These were described as Incompetent/Unassertive, Positive/Active/Assertive, and Passive/Unassertive. Social rejection in mainstreamed classrooms is more a function of perceived behavioral attributes than the label developmentally handicapped.

Middle School Science Teachers' Confidence and Pedagogical Practice of New Literacies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hsu, Hui-Yin; Wang, Shiang-Kwei; Runco, Lisa

2013-06-01

Due to the rapid advancements of information and communication technologies (ICTs), educational researchers argue that multimodal and new literacies should become common practices in schools. As new ICTs emerge and evolve, students need the new literacies skills and practices to successfully participate fully in the civic life of a global community. Are teachers prepared to integrate ICTs in the classroom to develop students' new literacies skills? The purpose of this study is to suggest a new literacies framework that guides ICTs integration and supports scientific inquiry, as well as investigate middle school teachers' confidence to practice new literacies in science classrooms. The study adopted mixed-methodology design, surveyed 32 middle school science teachers' ICTs and new literacies skills, and randomly observed 15 teachers' new literacies practices in the classrooms. The results revealed that even though teachers have high confidence in using ICTs, the meaningful technology integration and new literacies practices were scarcely observed in their classroom practices.

No safe haven: locations of harassment and bullying victimization in middle schools.

PubMed

Perkins, H Wesley; Perkins, Jessica M; Craig, David W

2014-12-01

Given that adolescent bullying victimization is a significant concern for secondary education and adolescent development, identifying school contexts in which victimization is most likely to occur is salient. An anonymous online survey assessed the prevalence of being harassed or bullied in various locations within 20 middle schools (grades 5-9) in New Jersey and New York (N = 10,668). Seven types of bullying-related victimization (teased in an unfriendly way, called hurtful names, physically abused, excluded from a group to hurt feelings, belongings taken/damaged, threatened to be hurt, and negative rumors spread) were examined in 7 locations where each type of victimization could occur (classroom, lunchroom, hallways, gym, playground, bus, or bathroom). Prevalence of victimization types ranged from 4% to 38% depending on location. Prevalence of overall victimization was equal or greater in classrooms compared with other school locations (highest prevalence rates in hallways, classrooms, and lunchrooms), regardless of school demographic characteristics. Victimization in classrooms compared with other school settings was most highly associated with feelings of being unsafe. Vigilant attention to bullying is needed across all school environments and especially in the classroom context, which may mistakenly be perceived as a more protected area. Indeed, middle school classrooms are not safe havens. © 2014, American School Health Association.

Predictors of Student Persistence in the STEM Pipeline: Activities Outside the Classroom, Parent Aspirations, and Student Self-Beliefs using NELS:88 Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, Joelle A.

Focusing on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) literacy is a national priority for the United States. As competition increases internationally for scientific and technological innovations, the United States is concentrating on building its STEM capacity (Stephens, 2011). Despite the numerous STEM reform efforts there continues to be a decline in STEM graduates and STEM competencies (McNally, 2012; Langdon, Mckittrick, Beede, Doms, & Khan, 2011; Herschback, 2011). With attention focused on increasing STEM college majors and occupations among the student population, the current research investigation centered on the role of parent aspirations, student self-beliefs, and activities outside the classroom to determine the outcome of middle and high school students choosing a STEM college major. Research suggested that students formulate their degree attainment during their middle and high school years, and even earlier (Roach, 2006; Maltese & Tai, 2011); therefore, it was logical to investigate STEM persistence during middle and high school years. The study analyzed NELS:88, a longitudinal national public data set created by the National Center for Educational Statistics that used 12,144 participants. The students' self-reported data spanned over a 12-year period. Students completed five surveys in the NELS:88 data collection (NCES, 2011). Binary and multivariate logistical regressions determined if activities outside the classroom, parent aspirations, and student self-beliefs influenced STEM college majors. Conclusions of the study found significant relationships between the variables and STEM persistence. Individuals who participated in STEM activities after school were more likely to major in STEM (p<.001,Exp(B)=1.106). There was a significant positive relationship between parent aspirations and increased odds of choosing a STEM major (p<.0001, Exp(B)=1.041). There was a significant relationship between student self-beliefs and choosing a STEM major as students with higher self-beliefs had a decreased odds of choosing a non-STEM major (p<.05, Exp(B)=.988). When all three variables were considered together, self-beliefs were no longer significant (p<.166) but parent aspirations, (p<.0001, Exp(B)=1.034) and activities outside of the classroom (p<.0001, Exp(B)=1.097), both significantly predicted STEM participation. The results of the research inform policy makers in regard to funding decisions and the development of programs, especially ones that occur outside of the school day. The analysis may guide decisions for school administrators on how to influence student retention within the STEM pipeline. The findings add to existing research and provide a better understanding of predictors affecting student persistence in STEM.

Uncovering Multivariate Structure in Classroom Observations in the Presence of Rater Errors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCaffrey, Daniel F.; Yuan, Kun; Savitsky, Terrance D.; Lockwood, J. R.; Edelen, Maria O.

2015-01-01

We examine the factor structure of scores from the CLASS-S protocol obtained from observations of middle school classroom teaching. Factor analysis has been used to support both interpretations of scores from classroom observation protocols, like CLASS-S, and the theories about teaching that underlie them. However, classroom observations contain…

Models of Classroom Management as Applied to the Secondary Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Malmgren, Kimber W.; Trezek, Beverly J.; Paul, Peter V.

2005-01-01

Difficulty managing behavior in the classroom is frequently cited as a source of frustration for teachers and a common reason why new teachers leave the profession (Ingersoll 2001, 2003). Concerted attention to issues of classroom management is important to the health of education; attention to these issues at the middle and secondary education…

Power from Coal. A Student Handbook Recommended for Upper Elementary and Middle Grades.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Coal Association, Washington, DC.

The contributions of coal as an important energy source are reviewed in this booklet for teachers. It provides background information on coal, activities for classroom use, and an answer key for all the exercises. The introductory section includes information on: (1) coal and electricity; (2) reasons for using coal; (3) methods for extracting…

How Heavy Are You? Find the Answer in the Periodic Table

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Woelk, Klaus

2015-01-01

In a classroom or take-home activity, students are challenged to write their name as a combination of chemical-element symbols and calculate "their" molar mass. Age-appropriate versions ranging from middle school to entry-level college classes are discussed. Acceptable molar-mass suggestions may be used in a competition for the heaviest…

Competency Gauged Writing Activities for Middle Grade Students Prompted by Needs of Technology Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adams, Jan; And Others

A cooperative program conducted by the Logan (Utah) City School District and IBM Corporation used computers in the classroom to develop new teaching and career guidance approaches while enhancing students' process writing skills. The program included units designed for student and teacher awareness of the impacts of technology, the need for a new…

Improving Science Scores of Middle School Students with Learning Disabilities through Engineering Problem Solving Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Starling, A. Leyf Peirce; Lo, Ya-Yu; Rivera, Christopher J.

2015-01-01

This study evaluated the differential effects of three different science teaching methods, namely engineering teaching kit (ETK), explicit instruction (EI), and a combination of the two methods (ETK+EI), in two sixth-grade science classrooms. Twelve students with learning disabilities (LD) and/or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)…

Education for a Multicultural Society: What Does It Mean? Of What Importance Is It in the Classroom? Curriculum Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Butler, Diane

This document provides general principles and learning activities for multicultural education in elementary and middle schools in Australia. Participating schools integrated multicultural learning into the existing curriculum. The general principles which evolved from the project are that education for a multicultural society involves more than an…

Evaluating the Authenticity of Egyptian Cartonnage Fragments: Educational Outreach in Search of the Truth.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marty, Paul; Sheahan, Kim; Lacy, Ann

This paper presents preliminary results from a five year longitudinal study on the efficacy of integrating museum resources into elementary and middle school curricula through educational outreach activities, over the Internet and in the classroom. From 1997 to 2003, museum educators at the University of Illinois' Spurlock Museum have explored how…

Applying NCTE/IRA Standards in Classroom Journalism Projects: Activities and Scenarios.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bowen, Candace Perkins; Tantillo, Susan Hathaway

Whether an educator teaches journalism, English, or language arts, this guide will help him/her help middle school and high school students get the most from journalism study and practice informed by English language arts standards. The guide is organized into 12 chapters, each focusing on how the kinds of student journalism work advocated by the…

A Study of the Relationship between Middle School and High School Teachers Instructional and Behavior Management Practices and Demographic Variables

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Santiago, Deborah Albright

2012-01-01

Although teachers implement differentiated instructional techniques to provide students with enriching hands-on activities related to real life experiences, the implementation of instructional techniques has required teachers to rethink and revise their approaches to classroom management (CM). While a gap in research exists on current practices in…

Does perceived teacher affective support matter for middle school students in mathematics classrooms?

PubMed

Sakiz, Gonul; Pape, Stephen J; Hoy, Anita Woolfolk

2012-04-01

The purpose of the present study was to explore the importance of perceived teacher affective support in relation to sense of belonging, academic enjoyment, academic hopelessness, academic self-efficacy, and academic effort in middle school mathematics classrooms. A self-report survey was administered to 317 seventh- and eighth-grade students in 5 public middle schools. Structural equation modeling indicated significant associations between perceived teacher affective support and middle school students' motivational, emotional, and behavioral outcomes. The structural model explained a significant proportion of variance in students' sense of belonging (42%), academic enjoyment (43%), self-efficacy beliefs (43%), academic hopelessness (18%), and academic effort (32%) in mathematics classrooms. In addition to providing the basis for a concise new measure of perceived teacher affective support, these findings point to the importance of students' perceptions of the affective climate within learning environments for promoting academic enjoyment, academic self-efficacy, and academic effort in mathematics. Copyright © 2011 Society for the Study of School Psychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Rating of High-Performing Principals' Performance on Their Leadership Dimensions by Senior Administrators, Middle Managers and Classroom Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hutton, Disraeli Montgomery

2016-01-01

The purpose of the study was to determine if there was a difference in the ratings among senior administrators/managers, middle managers and classroom teachers of the four dimensions of leadership performance related to high-performing principals in the Jamaican public school system. The study showed that there were differences in how senior…

Expanding the Possibilities of Discussion: A Strategic Approach to Using Online Discussion Boards in the Middle and High School English Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruday, Sean

2011-01-01

This paper focused on whether the use of online discussion boards can enhance the quality of interaction in the middle and high school English classroom, covering both the characteristics of online discussion boards and potential negative effects of their features. The features of online discussion boards, their effects, and how these boards…

Examining the Use of Worked Example Video Podcasts in Middle School Mathematics Classrooms: A Formative Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kay, Robin; Edwards, Jaime

2012-01-01

Video podcasts allow students to control when, where, and what they learn, as well as the pace of learning. Considerable research has been conducted in higher education on video podcast use, but not in middle schools (grades six to eight). This study investigated the use of worked example video podcasts in mathematics classrooms with students 11…

The Relationship between Classroom Environment and the Learning Style Preferences of Gifted Middle School Students and the Impact on Levels of Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rayneri, Letty J.; Gerber, Brian L.; Wiley, Larry P.

2006-01-01

Inconsistent performance by gifted students has been a source of frustration for both parents and educators for decades. Several studies on gifted under achievement point to a connection between student learning styles and classroom performance.This study examined the learning styles of gifted middle school students, student perceptions of the…

Initiating New Science Partnerships in Rural Education (INSPIRE) Brining STEM Research to 7th-12th Grade Science and Math Classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Radencic, S.; McNeal, K. S.; Pierce, D.

2012-12-01

The Initiating New Science Partnerships in Rural Education (INSPIRE) program at Mississippi State University (MSU), funded by the NSF Graduate STEM Fellows in K-12 Education (GK12) program, focuses on the advancement of Earth and Space science education in K-12 classrooms. INSPIRE currently in its third year of partnering ten graduate students each year from the STEM fields of Geosciences, Engineering, Physics and Chemistry at MSU with five teachers from local, rural school districts. The five year project serves to enhance graduate student's communication skills as they create interactive lessons linking their STEM research focus to the state and national standards covered in science and math classrooms for grades 7-12 through inquiry experiences. Each graduate student is responsible for the development of two lessons each month of the school year that include an aspect of their STEM research, including the technologies that they may utilize to conduct their STEM research. The plans are then published on the INSPIRE project webpage, www.gk12.msstate.edu, where they are a free resource for any K-12 classroom teacher seeking innovative activities for their classrooms and total over 300 lesson activities to date. Many of the participating teachers and graduate students share activities developed with non-participating teachers, expanding INSPIRE's outreach of incorporating STEM research into activities for K-12 students throughout the local community. Examples of STEM research connections to classroom topics related to earth and ocean science include activities using GPS with GIS for triangulation and measurement of area in geometry; biogeochemical response to oil spills compared to organism digestive system; hydrogeology water quality monitoring and GIS images used as a determinant for habitat suitability in area water; interactions of acids and bases in the Earth's environments and surfaces; and the importance of electrical circuitry in an electrode used in sediment analysis. INSPIRE is striving to create synergy with other education focused grants at MSU, including those that focus on climate literacy and Earth hazards. Graduate students create at least one lesson plan that links their STEM research to climate related topics to share in their assigned K-12 classrooms. They also assist with a science day sponsored at MSU centered on Earth hazards where local middle school students participate. In addition to the development of interactive experiences that bring current STEM research into the classroom, INSPIRE also creates and organizes inquiry activities for National GIS Day each year. Graduate students not only design the GIS explorations focused on hazards, but they also guide middle school students through these explorations. Additionally, all graduate students involved with INSPIRE are required to participate in at least one Science Fair event either at the local school level or at the regional competitions. Participating teachers have noted that several students had science fair projects that included some aspect of the STEM research topics they had learned about from the graduate students in the classroom.

Utilizing Model Eliciting Activities (MEA's) to engage middle school teachers and students in storm water management practices to mitigate human impacts of land development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tazaz, A.; Wilson, R. M.; Schoen, R.; Blumsack, S.; King, L.; Dyehouse, M.

2013-12-01

'The Integrating STEM Project' engaged 6-8 grade teachers through activities incorporating mathematics, science and technology incorporating both Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and Common Core State Standards-Mathematics (CCSS-Math). A group of researchers from Oceanography, Mathematics, and Education set out to provide middle school teachers with a 2 year intensive STEM integration professional development with a focus on environmental topics and to monitor the achievement outcomes in their students. Over the course of 2 years the researchers created challenging professional development sessions to expand teacher knowledge and teachers were tasked to transform the information gained during the professional development sessions for classroom use. One lesson resource kit presented to the teachers, which was directly applicable to the classroom, included Model Eliciting Activities (MEA's) to explore the positive and negative effects land development has on climate and the environment, and how land development impacts storm water management. MEA's were developed to encourage students to create models to solve complex problems and to allow teachers to investigate students thinking. MEA's are a great curriculum technique used in engineering fields to help engage students by providing hands on activities using real world data and problems. We wish to present the Storm Water Management Resource toolkit including the MEA and present the outcomes observed from student engagement in this activity.

Designing Classroom Meetings for the Middle School Child.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dougherty, A. Michael

1980-01-01

Classroom meetings are an important way to meet the demand of developmental guidance that guidance and counseling "is for all kids." Classroom meeting experiences help students cope and deal with their lives by providing opportunities for self-awareness and self-affirmation. (Author)

The Impact of the Good Behavior Game, a Universal Classroom-Based Preventive Intervention in First and Second Grades, on High-Risk Sexual Behaviors and Drug Abuse and Dependence Disorders into Young Adulthood

PubMed Central

Wang, Wei; Mackenzie, Amelia C. L.; Brown, C. Hendricks; Ompad, Danielle C.; Or, Flora; Ialongo, Nicholas S.; Poduska, Jeanne M.; Windham, Amy

2013-01-01

The Good Behavior Game (GBG), a method of teacher classroom behavior management, was tested in first-and second-grade classrooms in 19 Baltimore City Public Schools beginning in the 1985–1986 school year. The intervention was directed at the classroom as a whole to socialize children to the student role and reduce aggressive, disruptive behaviors, confirmed antecedents of a profile of externalizing problem outcomes. This article reports on the GBG impact on the courses and interrelationships among aggressive, disruptive behavior through middle school, risky sexual behaviors, and drug abuse and dependence disorders through ages 19–21. In five poor to lower-middle class, mainly African American urban areas, classrooms within matched schools were assigned randomly to either the GBG intervention or the control condition. Balanced assignment of children to classrooms was made, and teachers were randomly assigned to intervention or control. Analyses involved multilevel growth mixture modeling. By young adulthood, significant GBG impact was found in terms of reduced high-risk sexual behaviors and drug abuse and dependence disorders among males who in first grade and through middle school were more aggressive, disruptive. A replication with the next cohort of first-grade children with the same teachers occurred during the following school year, but with minimal teacher mentoring and monitoring. Findings were not significant but generally in the predicted direction. A universal classroom-based prevention intervention in first- and second-grade classrooms can reduce drug abuse and dependence disorders and risky sexual behaviors. PMID:23070695

The impact of the Good Behavior Game, a universal classroom-based preventive intervention in first and second grades, on high-risk sexual behaviors and drug abuse and dependence disorders into young adulthood.

PubMed

Kellam, Sheppard G; Wang, Wei; Mackenzie, Amelia C L; Brown, C Hendricks; Ompad, Danielle C; Or, Flora; Ialongo, Nicholas S; Poduska, Jeanne M; Windham, Amy

2014-02-01

The Good Behavior Game (GBG), a method of teacher classroom behavior management, was tested in first- and second-grade classrooms in 19 Baltimore City Public Schools beginning in the 1985-1986 school year. The intervention was directed at the classroom as a whole to socialize children to the student role and reduce aggressive, disruptive behaviors, confirmed antecedents of a profile of externalizing problem outcomes. This article reports on the GBG impact on the courses and interrelationships among aggressive, disruptive behavior through middle school, risky sexual behaviors, and drug abuse and dependence disorders through ages 19-21. In five poor to lower-middle class, mainly African American urban areas, classrooms within matched schools were assigned randomly to either the GBG intervention or the control condition. Balanced assignment of children to classrooms was made, and teachers were randomly assigned to intervention or control. Analyses involved multilevel growth mixture modeling. By young adulthood, significant GBG impact was found in terms of reduced high-risk sexual behaviors and drug abuse and dependence disorders among males who in first grade and through middle school were more aggressive, disruptive. A replication with the next cohort of first-grade children with the same teachers occurred during the following school year, but with minimal teacher mentoring and monitoring. Findings were not significant but generally in the predicted direction. A universal classroom-based prevention intervention in first- and second-grade classrooms can reduce drug abuse and dependence disorders and risky sexual behaviors.

Help Seeking among Peers: The Role of Goal Structure and Peer Climate

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shim, Sungok Serena; Kiefer, Sarah M.; Wang, Cen

2013-01-01

With a sample of 373 middle school students, the present longitudinal study examined the role of the classroom peer climate in mediating the relation between perceptions of classroom goal structures and academic help seeking among peers. Classroom goal structures were measured in the fall and classroom peer climate and help seeking among peers…

Flipped Classroom versus Traditional Textbook Instruction: Assessing Accuracy and Mental Effort at Different Levels of Mathematical Complexity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mattis, Kristina V.

2015-01-01

Flipped classrooms are an instructional technology trend mostly incorporated in higher education settings, with growing prominence in high school and middle school (Tucker in Leveraging the power of technology to create student-centered classrooms. Corwin, Thousand Oaks, 2012). Flipped classrooms are meant to effectively combine traditional and…

Rethinking the Practice of Inclusion: Challenges Middle School Teachers Encounter in Inclusion Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Hannah

2017-01-01

The inclusion of students with special needs in the general education classroom is challenging. Adherence to federal laws that advocate for equality in the classroom means that most contact hours for teachers working in such setting will be in classrooms consisting of both students with disabilities and their nondisabled peers. Oftentimes, these…

Educational Intervention/Case Study: Implementing an Elementary-Level, Classroom-Based Media Literacy Education Program for Academically At-Risk Middle-School Students in the Non-Classroom Setting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Draper, Michele; Appregilio, Seymour; Kramer, Alaina; Ketcherside, Miranda; Campbell, Summer; Stewart, Brandon; Rhodes, Darson; Cox, Carol

2015-01-01

Media literacy education teaches youth to critically examine the influence of media messages on health and substance use behavior. A small group of low-achieving middle school students at high risk for substance abuse attending an afterschool academic remediation program received a media literacy intervention intended for elementary students in a…

Reflections on Teaching and Learning the Arts: A Middle-Grade Classroom and a High School for the Arts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barilla, Rosemary; Brown, Tina Boyer

2015-01-01

Rosemary Barilla, a middle-grade language arts teacher, inspired by her own dedication to the arts, describes the ways she integrates the fine arts into her classroom program that is designed to teach reading and writing. Tina Boyer Brown, a founding teacher at The Chicago High School for the Arts (ChiArts®), describes the school as a place where…

Alignment of Hands-on STEM Engagement Activities with Positive STEM Dispositions in Secondary School Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christensen, Rhonda; Knezek, Gerald; Tyler-Wood, Tandra

2015-12-01

This study examines positive dispositions reported by middle school and high school students participating in programs that feature STEM-related activities. Middle school students participating in school-to-home hands-on energy monitoring activities are compared to middle school and high school students in a different project taking part in activities such as an after-school robotics program. Both groups are compared and contrasted with a third group of high school students admitted at the eleventh grade to an academy of mathematics and science. All students were assessed using the same science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) dispositions instrument. Findings indicate that the after-school group whose participants self-selected STEM engagement activities, and the self-selected academy of mathematics and science group, each had highly positive STEM dispositions comparable to those of STEM professionals, while a subset of the middle school whole-classroom energy monitoring group that reported high interest in STEM as a career, also possessed highly positive STEM dispositions comparable to the STEM Professionals group. The authors conclude that several different kinds of hands-on STEM engagement activities are likely to foster or maintain positive STEM dispositions at the middle school and high school levels, and that these highly positive levels of dispositions can be viewed as a target toward which projects seeking to interest mainstream secondary students in STEM majors in college and STEM careers, can hope to aspire. Gender findings regarding STEM dispositions are also reported for these groups.

Science Education at Riverside Middle School A Case Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smiley, Bettie Ann Pickens

For more than thirty years the gender gap in science and related careers has been a key concern of researchers, teachers, professional organizations, and policy makers. Despite indicators of progress for women and girls on some measures of achievement, course enrollment patterns, and employment, fewer women than men pursue college degrees and careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. According to the results of national assessments, the gender gap in science achievement begins to be evident in the middle school years. Gender and school science achievement involve a complex set of factors associated with schools and child/family systems that may include school leadership, institutional practices, curriculum content, teacher training programs, teacher expectations, student interests, parental involvement, and cultural values. This ethnographic case study was designed to explore the context for science education reform and the participation of middle school girls. The study analyzed and compared teaching strategies and female student engagement in sixth, seventh, and eighth grade science classrooms. The setting was a middle school situated in a district that was well-known for its achievement in reading, math, and technology. Findings from the study indicated that while classroom instruction was predominantly organized around traditional school science, the girls were more disciplined and outperformed the boys. The size of the classrooms, time to prepare for hands-on activities, and obtaining resources were identified as barriers to teaching science in ways that aligned with recent national science reform initiatives. Parents who participated in the study were very supportive of their daughters' academic progress and career goals. A few of the parents suggested that the school's science program include more hands-on activities; instruction designed for the advanced learner; and information related to future careers. Overall the teachers and students perceived their science program to be gender fair. Eighth grade participants who had career goals related to science and engineering, indicated that their science instruction did not provide the rigor they needed to improve their critical skills for advanced placement in high school. Recommendations include the need for professional development on inquiry-based science, equitable student achievement, and diverse perspectives in science education.

Science Safaris: Developing Bold Academic Explorers outside the Science Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heilbronner, Nancy

2008-01-01

Science, like most subjects, can only come alive when students are actively engaged in real-life pursuits that interest and challenge them (VanTassel-Baska and Bass 1998). Here the author describes how she was able to bring science to life for her middle school students through a series of Science Safaris--inquiry-based excursions to a variety of…

An Examination of the Effect of Reading Interest and Selected Demographic Factors on Reading Performance among Students in the Middle Grades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Childs, Kamshia

2013-01-01

Much time is spent instilling in young students the importance of reading, and the impact reading has on their being considered "smart." The activities presented to students in primary (Pre-Kindergarten/Kindergarten) classrooms through third grade are engaging and cooperative, and they provide a sense of accomplishment for students who…

What Adventures Can You Have in Wetlands, Lakes, Ponds, and Puddles? A Marine Education Infusion Unit on Wet Environments. Revised Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Butzow, John W.; And Others

Intended for use in middle and junior high schools, these nine classroom and field activities help students better understand the great diversity of natural communities and the complex interactions of aquatic organisms. A background information section presents teachers with an overview of wetlands, streams, lakes and ponds, and puddles. Classroom…

Let's Resolve Conflicts Together: Middle School Classroom Activities. Conflict Management Week, May 1-7, 2000.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ohio Commission on Dispute Resolution and Conflict Management, Columbus.

Conflict is a natural and inevitable part of living, but managing conflict is difficult for many people because they have not been taught how to resolve differences in cooperative, nonviolent ways. Communication problems can lead to misunderstanding and make conflicts more difficult to resolve. The Governor of Ohio has designated May 1-7, 2000 as…

Big Atoms for Small Children: Building Atomic Models from Common Materials to Better Visualize and Conceptualize Atomic Structure

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cipolla, Laura; Ferrari, Lia A.

2016-01-01

A hands-on approach to introduce the chemical elements and the atomic structure to elementary/middle school students is described. The proposed classroom activity presents Bohr models of atoms using common and inexpensive materials, such as nested plastic balls, colored modeling clay, and small-sized pasta (or small plastic beads).

Is It More Thrilling to Ride at the Front or the Back of a Roller Coaster?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alberghi, Stefano; Foschi, Alessandro; Pezzi, Giovanni; Ortolani, Fabio

2007-01-01

An activity called "Project Physics, a Classroom Without Walls" was started during the spring of 2003 at the amusement park in Mirabilandia (Italy). Many thousands of students from Italian middle and high schools are today participating in the initiative. Under the guidance of trained tutors, they perform physics experiments on some of…

That's a Tomato? Using a Familiar Food to Explore Genetic Variation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klosterman, Michelle L.; Chrispeels, Hanya E.; Reagan, Bryan R.; Lundy, Stacey R.; Browne, Carole L.; Muday, Gloria K.

2014-01-01

Like the figurative apple for the teacher, the tomato is a well-known food symbol representing a variety of cuisines. We drew on current scientific research and partnerships with classroom teachers to develop a case study activity consisting of four layers to teach concepts of plant biology and genetics to middle and high school students. The goal…

Two Effective Ways to Implement Wait Time. A Symposium on Wait Time.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swift, J. Nathan; And Others

The effects of instructional guides and a wait time feedback device (called a "Wait Timer") on the classroom interaction of middle school science teachers are examined. The Wait Timer, an unobtrusive indicator of wait time, is an automatic device that activates a light when a person speaks. The duration of the light at the end of a…

A Science Odyssey: A Social Studies and Science Resource for Middle- and High-School Educators. Educator's Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

WGBH-TV, Boston, MA.

This interdisciplinary guide provides activities, discussion questions, and information to help teachers use the series of five special PBS programs entitled "A Science Odyssey" in the classroom. For each Science Odyssey program, the guide features: (1) an overview of the program; (2) a summary of program contents and story segments; (3) a…

Efficacy of MedMyst: an Internet Teaching Tool for Middle School Microbiology.

PubMed

Miller, Leslie M; Moreno, Janette; Estrera, Vicky; Lane, David

2004-05-01

Can web-based technology be used to effectively introduce or reinforce aspects of microbiology to middle school students? This central hypothesis examines whether brief exposure to a web adventure format containing virtual lab experiments and computer games within an engaging story line can impact student learning. An episodic adventure series, MedMyst (http://medmyst.rice.edu), focuses on infectious diseases and the microbes that cause them. The website is not intended to replace classroom instruction, but rather to engage students in problem-solving activities not likely to be encountered elsewhere. It also provides scientists with a resource to introduce microbiology to adolescent audiences through outreach activities. In the online adventure, the player (student) enters a futuristic world in which he or she becomes a "Reconstructor," a member of an elite team charged with preventing the spread of infectious disease. The series consists of three "missions," each lasting approximately 30 to 40 minutes and designed to address a limited set of learning objectives. Middle school students participated in the creation of the characters and the stylized design through focus groups. Classroom teachers oversaw the alignment of the web adventure objectives with the National Science Content Standards. Scientists and clinicians reviewed the web adventure for content and accuracy. A field test involving over 700 students from nine different schools assessed the knowledge gains attributable to playing MedMyst. Gain scores from pretest to posttest indicated that middle school students retained important information by interacting with the online material for as little as 30 minutes per adventure; however, gains for high school students were less persuasive, perhaps indicating a different learning tool or content is required for this age audience.

Engaging Diverse Gifted Learners in U.S. History Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Jaimon K.; Hebert, Thomas P.

2012-01-01

The strengths and talents of diverse gifted learners must be supported in culturally responsive middle and high school classrooms. Secondary social studies teachers can use teaching strategies to provide an enriched experience in U.S. history classrooms that will engage and intellectually challenge diverse gifted learners. The model proposed by…

Taking the Time to Read Aloud

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Braun, Patricia

2010-01-01

Reading aloud is a widely accepted and successful practice in elementary school classrooms, but is rarely found in middle school classrooms (Allen 2000). However, results from initial research on reading aloud in secondary classrooms support the practice (Ivey and Fisher 2006). The benefits of reading aloud are many, but two benefits are…

Teacher Research at the Middle Level: Strengthening the Essential Attributes of Education for Young Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DiLucchio, Connie; Leaman, Heather; Elicker, Kathleen; Mathisen, Denise

2014-01-01

Teacher research (practitioner inquiry) is an effective form of professional development for middle level teachers. Through teacher research, classroom teachers develop the skills needed to demonstrate mastery of the performance standards for middle level master teacher candidates. Using well-established research methods, middle level educators…

Food use in middle and high school fundraising: does policy support healthful practice? Results from a survey of Minnesota school principals.

PubMed

Kubik, Martha Y; Lytle, Leslie A; Farbakhsh, Kian; Moe, Stacey; Samuelson, Anne

2009-07-01

This descriptive, cross-sectional study aimed to examine classroom, school-wide, and club/sports teams fundraising policies and practices of middle and high schools; concordance between policy and practice; and associations between healthful policy/practice scores and selected school characteristics. In 2006, principals/designees of middle (n=45) and high (n=71) schools in the St Paul/Minneapolis, MN, metropolitan area completed a self-administered mailed survey. Schools were attended by a convenience sample of students (n=349) participating in a longitudinal measurement study of children and their environments to assess obesity-related factors. Descriptive statistics, chi(2) tests, and multivariate linear regression were used to examine variables and associations of interest. Across schools, 50% had policies addressing the nutrient quality of food and drink items used in fundraising or disallowed food use for fundraising. About one third used chocolate, candy, and high-fat baked goods for classroom and school-wide fundraising; 60% sold these items for club/sports teams fundraising. More middle than high schools reported healthful fundraising policies or practices, as well as greater concordance between policies and practices. For all fundraising activities, high schools had significantly lower healthful policy/practice scores than middle schools (P<0.01). For school-wide fundraising, scores were significantly lower for public than private schools (P=0.02). Policies to regulate food used for fundraising were common and most supported healthful practice, particularly in middle schools. However, use of foods high in fat and added sugars remains a prevalent fundraising practice, especially in high schools and for club/sports teams, and requires additional attention.

Middle school science grades: Can they be used to forecast performance on standardized tests?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hubbard, Gary L.

2007-12-01

The purpose of this study was to determine if classroom science grades could be used to forecast standardized testing readiness for the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). Participants for this study consisted of 647 eighth grade students assigned to a public middle school in Florida. Using annual classroom science grades and the corresponding year's FCAT Science scale scores for each student, scatter plot graphs and Pearson product-moment correlations were used to determine their relationships. Correlation strengths were determined for several segmented student populations. First, the grade and FCAT score relationship for the entire middle school population was calculated and, then, the relationship between grades and FCAT scores for students grouped by their individual assigned science teacher was determined. Next, a second look at students grouped as above was conducted, this time focusing only on students with unacceptable FCAT scores (levels 1 and 2). The correlation between grades and FCAT scores for the entire middle school was moderate and ranged from high to weak for students assigned to individual science teachers. The relationship of grades and FCAT scores for middle school students that scored at levels 1 and 2 was weakly correlated and ranged from moderate to weak for students as they were assigned to their science teachers. Generally, classroom grades were found to be inefficient predictors for standardized testing readiness for students assigned to this middle school.

Assessing Classroom Learning: How Students Use Their Knowledge and Experience to Answer Classroom Achievement Test Questions in Science and Social Studies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nuthall, Graham; Alton-Lee, Adrienne

1995-01-01

Observational studies of student learning from classroom experience in science and social studies in elementary and middle school classrooms were carried out with 14 students. A model is described that explains how students use multilayered episodic and semantic memory for learning experience and related knowledge to answer achievement test items.…

According to Candidate Teachers Views Classroom Management Problems of Teachers in Traditional and Technology-Supported Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tas, Said

2017-01-01

In this research, it is aimed to investigate classroom management problems of middle school 6th and 7th grade teachers in traditional and technology-supported classrooms and differences between them. For this purpose the opinions of the students in the 4th grade of Primary Education Department in Faculty of Education of Süleyman Demirel University…

It's A Gassy World: Middle School Students Investigate Climate Change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romano, C.

2016-12-01

When middle school students are asked about our changing earth system, their responses likely include terms like global warming, climate change, and greenhouse gases. However, many students struggle to understand how it all fits together, and sometimes they hear conflicting information or myths about climate change. This activity allows students to explore the impacts of warming oceans and oceans' absorption of carbon dioxide (CO2) through a student planned and carried out investigation that begins with a pre-laboratory engagement and exploration piece, includes a laboratory component, and concludes with an explanation where students analyze their data and interpret their results through the claim-evidence-reasoning framework. It's a Gassy World was developed with three-dimensional instruction in mind to introduce middle school students to the relationship between warming oceans and changes in carbon dioxide (CO2) absorption in the oceans. Students explore disciplinary core ideas in the Earth and Space Sciences discipline of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) using crosscutting concepts and science and engineering practices. Specifically, students study CO2 as a greenhouse gas and the effect of increased atmospheric CO2 levels on global climate change by planning and carrying out their own investigations. We structured this activity in a 5E format that can take place in four to five days during a climate change unit. After piloting this activity in over 20 formal classrooms and with 5 informal education groups, we have seen how It's a Gassy World helps support inquiry in the classroom and allows students to experience crosscutting concepts and science and engineering practices in NGSS. We found that students were engaged and actively learning throughout the activity. Student work and pilot teacher feedback indicated that, through this activity, many students increased their understanding of CO2 as a greenhouse gas and recognized that warmer oceans will absorb less CO2, resulting in more CO2 in the atmosphere.

A Summative Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Classroom-Embedded, Individualistic, Computer-Based Learning for Middle School Students Placed at Academic Risk in Schools with a High Proportion of Title I Eligible Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeLoach, Regina M.

2011-01-01

The purpose of this "post hoc," summative evaluation was to evaluate the effectiveness of classroom-embedded, individualistic, computer-based learning for middle school students placed at academic risk in schools with a high proportion of Title I eligible students. Data were mined from existing school district databases. For data (n = 393)…

Science Classroom Inquiry (SCI) Simulations: A Novel Method to Scaffold Science Learning

PubMed Central

Peffer, Melanie E.; Beckler, Matthew L.; Schunn, Christian; Renken, Maggie; Revak, Amanda

2015-01-01

Science education is progressively more focused on employing inquiry-based learning methods in the classroom and increasing scientific literacy among students. However, due to time and resource constraints, many classroom science activities and laboratory experiments focus on simple inquiry, with a step-by-step approach to reach predetermined outcomes. The science classroom inquiry (SCI) simulations were designed to give students real life, authentic science experiences within the confines of a typical classroom. The SCI simulations allow students to engage with a science problem in a meaningful, inquiry-based manner. Three discrete SCI simulations were created as website applications for use with middle school and high school students. For each simulation, students were tasked with solving a scientific problem through investigation and hypothesis testing. After completion of the simulation, 67% of students reported a change in how they perceived authentic science practices, specifically related to the complex and dynamic nature of scientific research and how scientists approach problems. Moreover, 80% of the students who did not report a change in how they viewed the practice of science indicated that the simulation confirmed or strengthened their prior understanding. Additionally, we found a statistically significant positive correlation between students’ self-reported changes in understanding of authentic science practices and the degree to which each simulation benefitted learning. Since SCI simulations were effective in promoting both student learning and student understanding of authentic science practices with both middle and high school students, we propose that SCI simulations are a valuable and versatile technology that can be used to educate and inspire a wide range of science students on the real-world complexities inherent in scientific study. PMID:25786245

Science classroom inquiry (SCI) simulations: a novel method to scaffold science learning.

PubMed

Peffer, Melanie E; Beckler, Matthew L; Schunn, Christian; Renken, Maggie; Revak, Amanda

2015-01-01

Science education is progressively more focused on employing inquiry-based learning methods in the classroom and increasing scientific literacy among students. However, due to time and resource constraints, many classroom science activities and laboratory experiments focus on simple inquiry, with a step-by-step approach to reach predetermined outcomes. The science classroom inquiry (SCI) simulations were designed to give students real life, authentic science experiences within the confines of a typical classroom. The SCI simulations allow students to engage with a science problem in a meaningful, inquiry-based manner. Three discrete SCI simulations were created as website applications for use with middle school and high school students. For each simulation, students were tasked with solving a scientific problem through investigation and hypothesis testing. After completion of the simulation, 67% of students reported a change in how they perceived authentic science practices, specifically related to the complex and dynamic nature of scientific research and how scientists approach problems. Moreover, 80% of the students who did not report a change in how they viewed the practice of science indicated that the simulation confirmed or strengthened their prior understanding. Additionally, we found a statistically significant positive correlation between students' self-reported changes in understanding of authentic science practices and the degree to which each simulation benefitted learning. Since SCI simulations were effective in promoting both student learning and student understanding of authentic science practices with both middle and high school students, we propose that SCI simulations are a valuable and versatile technology that can be used to educate and inspire a wide range of science students on the real-world complexities inherent in scientific study.

Classroom-Community Salmon Enhancement Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hubbard-Gray, Sarah

1988-01-01

Describes a program in the Bellevue (Washington) public schools in which elementary and middle school teachers and students raise coho and Chinook salmon in the classroom and later release them into a nearby stream. (TW)

Multicultural Astronomy Learning Using Sunrise and Sunset Phenomena

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Massalha, T.

2008-06-01

Effective learning mixed with enjoyable activities needs a suitable environment different from the normal curriculum that we (the teachers) and the students are familiar with. On this note, Astronomy activities are attractive and involving. We believe that there is always room to propose educational projects that are implemented outside the classroom walls. In this conference, we will give practical examples of Astronomy Peace Projects that were implemented in middle schools (for Jews, Christians, Moslems and Druzes) in Israel, during the 2002-2007 school years.

A Mixed-Method Study of Mobile Devices and Student Self-Directed Learning and Achievement during a Middle School STEM Activity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bartholomew, Scott

2016-01-01

With the increasingly ubiquitous nature of mobile devices among K-12 students, many argue for and against the inclusion of these devices in K-12 classrooms. Arguments in favor cite instant access to information and collaboration with others as positive affordances made possible through mobile devices. Self-directed learning, a process where…

Using conventional and in situ transmission electron microscopy techniques to understand nanoscale crystallography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hudak, Bethany M.

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education has become an emphasized component of PreK-12 education in the United States. The US is struggling to produce enough science, mathematics, and technology experts to meet its national and global needs, and the mean scores of science and mathematics students are not meeting the expected levels desired by our leaders (Hossain & Robinson, 2011). In an effort to improve achievement scores in mathematics and science, school districts must consider many components that can contribute to the development of a classroom where students are engaged and growing academically. Computer technology (CT) for student use is a popular avenue for school districts to pursue in their goal to attain higher achievement. The purpose of this study is to examine the use of iPads in a one-to-one setting, where every student has his own device 24/7, to determine the effects, if any, on academic achievement in the areas of mathematics and science. This comparison study used hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) to examine three middle schools in a private school district. Two of the schools have implemented a one-to-one iPad program with their sixth through eighth grades and the third school uses computers on limited occasions in the classroom and in a computer lab setting. The questions addressed were what effect, if any, do the implementation of a one-to-one iPad program and a teacher's perception of his use of constructivist teaching strategies have on student academic achievement in the mathematics and science middle school classrooms. The research showed that although the program helped promote the use of constructivist activities through the use of technology, the one-to-one iPad initiative had no effect on academic achievement in the middle school mathematics and science classrooms.

Cooperation in the Classroom: Students and Teachers Together. Analysis and Action Series. Second Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cangelosi, James S.

The central question addressed by this book is, "How can middle and secondary school teachers overcome seemingly impossible circumstances in the classroom and elicit students' attention, effort, and cooperation?" The first five chapters focus on teachers' responsibility for student's classroom behavior, and ways for teachers to manage…

Research Ideas for the Classroom: Early Childhood Mathematics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jensen, Robert J., Ed.

Research Ideas for the Classroom is a three-volume series of research interpretations for early childhood, middle grades, and high school mathematics classrooms. Each volume looks at research from the perspective of the learner, the content, and the teacher, and chapters are co-authored by a researcher and a teacher. Chapter titles in the early…

Research Ideas for the Classroom: High School Mathematics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, Patricia S., Ed.

Research Ideas for the Classroom is a three-volume series of research interpretations for early childhood, middle grades, and high school mathematics classrooms. Each volume looks at research from the perspective of the learner, the content, and the teacher, and chapters are co-authored by a researcher and a teacher. Chapter titles in the high…

Teaching Big Ideas in Diverse Middle School Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Conderman, Greg; Bresnahan, Val

2008-01-01

With the increase of diversity in classrooms and conflicting or confusing advice from experts, teachers may feel pulled in many directions as they race to cover the curriculum. Successfully meeting the challenge of teaching in diverse classrooms depends, in part, on using research-based instructional methods that boost academic skills and foster…

Increasing the Inclusion of Reading Comprehension Strategies in Secondary Content-Area Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ness, Molly

2007-01-01

This article presents research on the frequency of reading comprehension instruction in secondary content-area classrooms. In 2,400 minutes of direct classroom observation, only 3% of instructional time was allotted to coaching middle and high school readers on the reading comprehension strategies essential to understanding informational text.…

A Conceptual and Measurement Model of Student-Teacher Classroom Social Capital: An Exploration of Relationships

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trahan, MayBelle N.

2013-01-01

Classroom social capital utilizing constructs of student-teacher relationships were examined while focusing on their impact on student self-efficacy. The lack of positive student-teacher relationships may cause students to experience a disconnection within in the middle school classroom. Once this disconnection occurs, students may become…

Talk Isn't Cheap: Practicing Deliberation in School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parker, Walter C.

2006-01-01

A deliberation is a discussion aimed at making a decision. In elementary and middle school classrooms, problems that can be tackled with deliberation are, among others, contemplating a new classroom rule, writing a "classroom constitution," and deciding how to share toys fairly. In this article, the author discusses the interactions of students…

Student Perceptions of the Classroom Environment: Actionable Feedback to Guide Core Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nelson, Peter M.; Ysseldyke, James E.; Christ, Theodore J.

2015-01-01

The impact and feasibility of using student perceptions of the classroom teaching environment as an instructional feedback tool were explored. Thirty-one teachers serving 797 middle school students collected data twice across 3 weeks using the Responsive Environmental Assessment for Classroom Teaching (REACT). Researchers randomly assigned half of…

Incorporating Science News Into Middle School Curricula: Current Events in the 21st Century Classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dimaggio, E.

2010-12-01

Middle school students are instructed with the aid of textbooks, lectures, and activities to teach topics that satisfy state standards. However, teaching materials created to convey standard-aligned science concepts often leave students asking how the content relates to their lives and why they should be learning it. Conveying relevance, especially in science when abstract concepts can often be incorrectly perceived as irrelevant, is important for student learning and retention. One way to create an educational link between classroom content and everyday life is through the use of scientific current events. Students read, hear, and watch media coverage of natural events (such as the Haiti or Chile earthquakes in 2010), but do not necessarily relate the scientific information from media sources to classroom studies. Taking advantage of these brief ‘teachable moments’-when student interest is high- provides a valuable opportunity to make classroom-to-everyday life associations and to incorporate inquiry based learning. To address this need, we are creating pre-packaged current event materials for middle school teachers in Arizona that align to state standards and which are short, effective, and easy to implement in the classroom. Each lesson takes approximately 15 minutes to implement, allowing teachers time to facilitate brief but meaningful discussions. Materials are assembled within approximately one week of the regional or global science event (e.g., volcanic eruptions, earthquakes) and may include a short slide show, maps, videos, pictures, and real-time data. A listserv is used to send biweekly emails to subscribed instructors. The email contains the current event topic, specific Arizona science standards addressed, and a link to download the materials. All materials are hosted on the Arizona State University Education Outreach website and are archived. Early implementation efforts have been received positively by participating teachers. In one case, students were shown data on the recent 8.8 magnitude Chile earthquake (including epicenter, magnitude, and focus) as well as photos and a short video. Students then viewed real-time earthquakes and plate boundaries in Google Earth using KML files downloaded from the USGS website. During the ensuing discussion, and with minimal teacher direction, students made the connection between the recent earthquake and the convergent plate boundary along Chile that they had previously studied in their earth science unit. Additionally, students asked numerous questions allowing the classroom discussion to expand to topics of interest to each student population. Current events help demonstrate to students that, unlike fact-filled textbooks suggest, science is not static and scientists are actively investigating many ‘textbook’ concepts. Showing students the process and progressive nature of scientific information reinforces critical thinking rather than pure memorization.

Teachers' Experiences with Middle-Level Mathematics Coaches

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frost, Bernard Emmanuel

2013-01-01

Many school districts have provided support to middle school mathematics teachers who face challenges involving delivery of instruction by hiring instructional mathematics coaches. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the experiences between classroom mathematics middle school teachers and their instructional coach, and to…

Doing, talking and writing science: A discourse analysis of the process of resemiotization in a middle school lab-based science class

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wright, Laura J.

This study examines students' sense making practices in a middle school science class from a discourse analytic perspective. Using Mediated Discourse Analysis (MDA) (Scollon 1998, 2001) and interactional sociolinguistics (Gumperz 1999, 2001, Schiffrin 1994), my research seeks to enrich findings from recent sociocultural studies of science classrooms that focus on doing, talking and writing science (Roth 2005, Kress, et al. 2002, Halliday & Martin 1993, Lemke 1990). Within a middle school science classroom, these fundamental activities form a nexus of practice (Scollon 1998, 2001) basic to science literacy (AAAS 1989) and reflective of the work of practicing scientists. Moreover, students' engagement in these practices provides insight into the cultural production and reproduction of science and scientist. I first examine how the students' curriculum text encourages these three scientific practices and then trace students' uptake; that is, how they subsequently do, talk, and write science throughout the course of the unit. I argue that learning science with this curriculum unit requires students to resemiotize (Iedema 2001, 2003) first hand experience so they can represent their knowledge cohesively and coherently in evaluable forms. Ultimately, students must transform language from the curriculum text and their teacher into action in their laboratory activities and action in their laboratory activities into language. In addition, I show how students are apprenticed to the conventionalized practices and voices (Bakhtin 1986) of science (i.e. the scientific register), and how their figures of personhood (Agha 2005) reflect the development of their scientific identities. Overall, I argue that the microanalytic methods I use illuminate how students draw upon curricular resources to become scientifically literate and develop scientific identities.

Is It More Thrilling to Ride at the Front or the Back of a Roller Coaster?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alberghi, Stefano; Foschi, Alessandro; Pezzi, Giovanni; Ortolani, Fabio

2007-12-01

An activity called "Project Physics, a Classroom Without Walls" was started during the spring of 2003 at the amusement park in Mirabilandia (Italy). Many thousands of students from Italian middle and high schools are today participating in the initiative. Under the guidance of trained tutors, they perform physics experiments on some of the attractions at the park such as the roller coaster, the Ferris wheel, and the launch towers. The students involved in the experiments can enjoy learning how to observe reality through the eyes of a scientist and to apply classroom concepts to real situations. They discuss the sensations experienced on the rides, perform measurements with traditional and computer-interfaced instruments, analyze collected data, and discuss the results in an open-air physics laboratory. This paper describes the results of one such activity.

Neuroscience in middle schools: a professional development and resource program that models inquiry-based strategies and engages teachers in classroom implementation.

PubMed

MacNabb, Carrie; Schmitt, Lee; Michlin, Michael; Harris, Ilene; Thomas, Larry; Chittendon, David; Ebner, Timothy J; Dubinsky, Janet M

2006-01-01

The Department of Neuroscience at the University of Minnesota and the Science Museum of Minnesota have developed and implemented a successful program for middle school (grades 5-8) science teachers and their students, called Brain Science on the Move. The overall goals have been to bring neuroscience education to underserved schools, excite students about science, improve their understanding of neuroscience, and foster partnerships between scientists and educators. The program includes BrainU, a teacher professional development institute; Explain Your Brain Assembly and Exhibit Stations, multimedia large-group presentation and hands-on activities designed to stimulate student thinking about the brain; Class Activities, in-depth inquiry-based investigations; and Brain Trunks, materials and resources related to class activities. Formal evaluation of the program indicated that teacher neuroscience knowledge, self-confidence, and use of inquiry-based strategies and neuroscience in their classrooms have increased. Participating teachers increased the time spent teaching neuroscience and devoted more time to "inquiry-based" teaching versus "lecture-based teaching." Teachers appreciated in-depth discussions of pedagogy and science and opportunities for collegial interactions with world-class researchers. Student interest in the brain and in science increased. Since attending BrainU, participating teachers have reported increased enthusiasm about teaching and have become local neuroscience experts within their school communities.

Neuroscience in Middle Schools: A Professional Development and Resource Program That Models Inquiry-based Strategies and Engages Teachers in Classroom Implementation

PubMed Central

MacNabb, Carrie; Schmitt, Lee; Michlin, Michael; Harris, Ilene; Thomas, Larry; Chittendon, David; Ebner, Timothy J.

2006-01-01

The Department of Neuroscience at the University of Minnesota and the Science Museum of Minnesota have developed and implemented a successful program for middle school (grades 5–8) science teachers and their students, called Brain Science on the Move. The overall goals have been to bring neuroscience education to underserved schools, excite students about science, improve their understanding of neuroscience, and foster partnerships between scientists and educators. The program includes BrainU, a teacher professional development institute; Explain Your Brain Assembly and Exhibit Stations, multimedia large-group presentation and hands-on activities designed to stimulate student thinking about the brain; Class Activities, in-depth inquiry-based investigations; and Brain Trunks, materials and resources related to class activities. Formal evaluation of the program indicated that teacher neuroscience knowledge, self-confidence, and use of inquiry-based strategies and neuroscience in their classrooms have increased. Participating teachers increased the time spent teaching neuroscience and devoted more time to “inquiry-based” teaching versus “lecture-based teaching.” Teachers appreciated in-depth discussions of pedagogy and science and opportunities for collegial interactions with world-class researchers. Student interest in the brain and in science increased. Since attending BrainU, participating teachers have reported increased enthusiasm about teaching and have become local neuroscience experts within their school communities. PMID:17012205

A Study on The Effectiveness of a Pilot Inquiry-Based Middle School Science Program on Non- Cognitive Outcomes and Academic Achievement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dionisio, Rui Meira

The randomized research study assessed the effect of an inquiry-based science (IBS) program on non-cognitive outcomes and academic achievement. The study was the result of a grant that was awarded by Professional Resources in Science and Mathematics (PRISM), a program affiliated with Montclair State University in conjunction with Bristol-Myers Squibb, and part of the New Jersey Statewide Systemic Initiative (NJSSI). The NJSSI is a partnership of schools, districts, colleges and universities, science centers, businesses, and museums dedicated to improving the teaching and learning of science, mathematics, and technology in New Jersey. The quantitative research study utilized an IBS instructional program titled Science and Technology Concepts for Middle Schools (STC/MS) and was implemented in two middle schools within the same suburban school district. This study examined the effect of IBS classrooms on learning outcomes specifically related to gender and special education. Evaluation of student learning outcomes was conducted through the administration of three instruments: the Academic Self-Concept (ASC) scale, unit assessments, and NJASK 8 Science. The ASC scale and unit assessments were administered as a pretest and posttest in IBS classrooms. NJASK 8 Science scale scores were obtained through reporting of student performance data from the New Jersey Department of Education to the district. The quantitative analysis in this study provided evidence that IBS classrooms had a positive effect on academic achievement. Overall, students in IBS classrooms performed better than students in traditional classrooms on unit assessments. Additionally, male students and special education students in IBS classrooms outperformed students in traditional classrooms on unit assessments.

A phenomenological study on middle-school science teachers' perspectives on utilization of technology in the science classroom and its effect on their pedagogy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rajbanshi, Roshani

With access to technology and expectation by the mainstream, the use of technology in the classroom has become essential these days. However, the problem in science education is that with classrooms filled with technological equipment, the teaching style is didactic, and teachers employ traditional teacher-centered methods in the classroom. In addition, results of international assessments indicate that students' science learning needs to be improved. The purpose of this study is to analyze and document the lived experience of middle-school science teachers and their use of technology in personal, professional lives as well as in their classroom and to describe the phenomenon of middle-school science teachers' technological beliefs for integration of digital devices or technology as an instructional delivery tool, knowledge construction tool and learning tool. For this study, technology is defined as digital devices such as computer, laptops, digital camera, iPad that are used in the science classroom as an instructional delivery tool, as a learning tool, and as a knowledge construction tool. Constructivism is the lens, the theoretical framework that guides this qualitative phenomenological research. Observation, interview, personal journal, photo elicitation, and journal reflection are used as methods of data collection. Data was analyzed based on a constructivist theoretical framework to construct knowledge and draw conclusion. MAXQDA, a qualitative analysis software, was also used to analyze the data. The findings indicate that middle-school science teachers use technology in various ways to engage and motivate students in science learning; however, there are multiple factors that influence teachers' technology use in the class. In conclusion, teacher, students, and technology are the three sides of the triangle where technology acts as the third side or the bridge to connect teachers' content knowledge to students through the tool with which students are familiar. Keywords: Teachers' belief, science and technology, knowledge construction.

Mathematics in the Middle.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leutzinger, Larry, Ed.

This book contains articles that help to further the process of reform in the middle grades, recognizing that the knowledge acquired during these years greatly affects how well the secondary school curriculum will attain its goals. Critical issues facing middle grade classes in particular and all mathematics classrooms in general are discussed.…

Middle School Teachers and Principals Perspectives on Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Majeski, Mark

2013-01-01

In this study, the researcher endeavored to examine Morris County, New Jersey, middle school teacher and principal perspectives on the use of technology in their classrooms and schools. Specifically, this study examined teacher engagement, implementation and limitations related to the use of technology with middle school students. This study used…

White Teachers' Reactions to the Racial Treatment of Middle-School Black Boys

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Battle, Stefan

2017-01-01

This qualitative exploratory study, informed by grounded theory, used questionnaires and unstructured interviews based on fictionalized vignettes to examine urban, public, middle-school White teachers' attitudes about middle-school Black boys, questioning whether and how such attitudes might influence classroom interactions. Twenty-four…

Motivating Middle Schoolers Grades 5-8

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jansen, Barbara

2007-01-01

What motivates middle school students? Hormones and success! There is not much that teachers can do about the hormones, but they sure can affect the success. "Teaching Information and Communication Technology Skills: The Big6 in Middle Schools," a new book from Linworth Publishing, offers classroom teachers and teacher librarians new strategies…

Musicals Enrich Middle School Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, Douglas D.; North, Rita

2005-01-01

An enriching fine arts program has long been advocated as an essential element of an effective middle school program. The vocal music program at Pleasant Hill (Missouri) Middle School supports student growth and development beyond the regular classroom. It supports students' existing skills and talents and provides opportunities for them to…

An Evaluation of the Relationship between Classroom Practices and Mathematics Motivation from Student and Teacher Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Jinsong

2011-01-01

This study evaluated the relationships between classroom practices and mathematics motivation. The evaluation was given in a specific context, namely eighth grade in U.S. middle schools. Using quantitative methods, the study adopted data from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2007 and compared classroom practices…

Adolescents' Motivation in the Context of an Academic Vocabulary Intervention in Urban Middle School Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lesaux, Nonie K.; Harris, Julie Russ; Sloane, Phoebe

2012-01-01

In a large urban district's ELA classrooms, an academic vocabulary intervention designed to improve linguistically diverse 6th-graders' reading and language skills was implemented and evaluated. These classrooms were characterized by high numbers of struggling readers, and linguistic diversity was the norm. As part of the evaluation, this study…

It's Safe to Be Smart: Strategies for Creating a Supportive Classroom Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hébert, Thomas P.; Corcoran, Jamie A.; Coté, John M.; Ene, Mihaela C.; Leighton, Elizabeth A.; Holmes, Ashley M.; Padula, Diane D.

2014-01-01

Gifted teenagers in middle and high school benefit from classroom environments that support their social and emotional development. Teachers of gifted adolescents may create classroom environments in which young people know it is safe to be smart and where they feel valued and respected for their intellect, creativity, and passions. By utilizing…

Research for the Classroom: Mini Vocabulary Lessons for Maximum Recall

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sovereen, Deanne

2013-01-01

"Research for the Classroom" publishes mini-studies of ELA classroom practices and suggests ways in which high school and middle school English teachers may study the effectiveness of their pedagogy. The author of this mini-study notes that it takes around six minutes per day of instructional time for students to remember most of the…

Classroom Interaction in Regular and Special Education Middle Primary Classrooms in the United Arab Emirates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dukmak, Samir

2010-01-01

Samir Dukmak is an assistant professor in the Department of Special Education in the Faculty of Education at the United Arab Emirates University. The research reported in this article investigated the frequency, types of and reasons for student-initiated interactions in both regular and special education classrooms in the United Arab Emirates…

Common Core Math in the K-8 Classroom: Results from a National Teacher Survey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bay-Williams, Jennifer

2016-01-01

Successful implementation of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSS-M) should result in noticeable differences in primary and middle school math classrooms across the United States. "Common Core Math in the K-8 Classroom: Results from a National Teacher Survey" takes a close look at how educators are implementing the…

Underwater Web Work

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wighting, Mervyn J.; Lucking, Robert A.; Christmann, Edwin P.

2004-01-01

Teachers search for ways to enhance oceanography units in the classroom. There are many online resources available to help one explore the mysteries of the deep. This article describes a collection of Web sites on this topic appropriate for middle level classrooms.

The effect of online collaborative learning on middle school student science literacy and sense of community

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wendt, Jillian Leigh

This study examines the effects of online collaborative learning on middle school students' science literacy and sense of community. A quantitative, quasi-experimental pretest/posttest control group design was used. Following IRB approval and district superintendent approval, students at a public middle school in central Virginia completed a pretest consisting of the Misconceptions-Oriented Standards-Based Assessment Resources for Teachers (MOSART) Physical Science assessment and the Classroom Community Scale. Students in the control group received in-class assignments that were completed collaboratively in a face-to-face manner. Students in the experimental group received in-class assignments that were completed online collaboratively through the Edmodo educational platform. Both groups were members of intact, traditional face-to-face classrooms. The students were then post tested. Results pertaining to the MOSART assessment were statistically analyzed through ANCOVA analysis while results pertaining to the Classroom Community Scale were analyzed through MANOVA analysis. Results are reported and suggestions for future research are provided.

The Influence of Toy Design Activities on Middle School Students' Understanding of the Engineering Design Processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Ninger; Pereira, Nielsen L.; George, Tarun Thomas; Alperovich, Jeffrey; Booth, Joran; Chandrasegaran, Senthil; Tew, Jeffrey David; Kulkarni, Devadatta M.; Ramani, Karthik

2017-10-01

The societal demand for inspiring and engaging science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students and preparing our workforce for the emerging creative economy has necessitated developing students' self-efficacy and understanding of engineering design processes from as early as elementary school levels. Hands-on engineering design activities have shown the potential to promote middle school students' self-efficacy and understanding of engineering design processes. However, traditional classrooms often lack hands-on engineering design experiences, leaving students unprepared to solve real-world design problems. In this study, we introduce the framework of a toy design workshop and investigate the influence of the workshop activities on students' understanding of and self-efficacy beliefs in engineering design. Using a mixed method approach, we conducted quantitative analyses to show changes in students' engineering design self-efficacy and qualitative analyses to identify students' understanding of the engineering design processes. Findings show that among the 24 participants, there is a significant increase in students' self-efficacy beliefs after attending the workshop. We also identified major themes such as design goals and prototyping in students' understanding of engineering design processes. This research provides insights into the key elements of middle school students' engineering design learning and the benefits of engaging middle school students in hands-on toy design workshops.

Space: The Final Frontier!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roy, Ken

2003-01-01

Discusses the importance of laboratory safety in science classrooms. Urges middle school teachers to address class size in an effort to establish and maintain a safe working environment. Answers a teacher's question related to having newts and salamanders in the classroom. (SOE)

Flipping for success: evaluating the effectiveness of a novel teaching approach in a graduate level setting.

PubMed

Moraros, John; Islam, Adiba; Yu, Stan; Banow, Ryan; Schindelka, Barbara

2015-02-28

Flipped Classroom is a model that's quickly gaining recognition as a novel teaching approach among health science curricula. The purpose of this study was four-fold and aimed to compare Flipped Classroom effectiveness ratings with: 1) student socio-demographic characteristics, 2) student final grades, 3) student overall course satisfaction, and 4) course pre-Flipped Classroom effectiveness ratings. The participants in the study consisted of 67 Masters-level graduate students in an introductory epidemiology class. Data was collected from students who completed surveys during three time points (beginning, middle and end) in each term. The Flipped Classroom was employed for the academic year 2012-2013 (two terms) using both pre-class activities and in-class activities. Among the 67 Masters-level graduate students, 80% found the Flipped Classroom model to be either somewhat effective or very effective (M = 4.1/5.0). International students rated the Flipped Classroom to be significantly more effective when compared to North American students (X(2) = 11.35, p < 0.05). Students' perceived effectiveness of the Flipped Classroom had no significant association to their academic performance in the course as measured by their final grades (r s = 0.70). However, students who found the Flipped Classroom to be effective were also more likely to be satisfied with their course experience. Additionally, it was found that the SEEQ variable scores for students enrolled in the Flipped Classroom were significantly higher than the ones for students enrolled prior to the implementation of the Flipped Classroom (p = 0.003). Overall, the format of the Flipped Classroom provided more opportunities for students to engage in critical thinking, independently facilitate their own learning, and more effectively interact with and learn from their peers. Additionally, the instructor was given more flexibility to cover a wider range and depth of material, provide in-class applied learning opportunities based on problem-solving activities and offer timely feedback/guidance to students. Yet in our study, this teaching style had its fair share of challenges, which were largely dependent on the use and management of technology. Despite these challenges, the Flipped Classroom proved to be a novel and effective teaching approach at the graduate level setting.

Microgravity Outreach and Education

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rogers, Melissa J. B.; Rosenberg, Carla B.

2000-01-01

The NASA Microgravity Research Program has been actively developing classroom activities and educator's guides since the flight of the First United States Microgravity Laboratory. In addition, various brochures, posters, and exhibit materials have been produced for outreach efforts to the general public and to researchers outside of the program. These efforts are led by the Microgravity Research Outreach/Education team at Marshall Space Flight Center, with classroom material support from the K-12 Educational Program of The National Center for Microgravity Research on Fluids and Combustion (NCMR), general outreach material development by the Microgravity Outreach office at Hampton University, and electronic/media access coordinated by Marshall. The broad concept of the NCMR program is to develop a unique set of microgravity-related educational products that enable effective outreach to the pre-college community by supplementing existing mathematics, science, and technology curricula. The current thrusts of the program include summer teacher and high school internships during which participants help develop educational materials and perform research with NCMR and NASA scientists; a teacher sabbatical program which allows a teacher to concentrate on a major educational product during a full school year; frequent educator workshops held at NASA and at regional and national teachers conferences; a nascent student drop tower experiment competition; presentations and demonstrations at events that also reach the general public; and the development of elementary science and middle school mathematics classroom products. An overview of existing classroom products will be provided, along with a list of pertinent World Wide Web URLs. Demonstrations of some hands on activities will show the audience how simple it can be to bring microgravity into the classroom.

Opening the Classroom Door--A Survey of Middle Grades Teachers Who Mentor Preservice Teachers--Lessons from Clinical Partnerships and Implications for Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Turner, Steven L.; Greene, Carie C.

2017-01-01

Middle school mentor teachers who participate in school-university clinical experiences have a unique opportunity to support preservice middle grades teachers' development and improve the schooling of young adolescents. This article investigates an early clinical experience and presents data from a survey of 38 middle school teachers who served as…

Comprehension Strategies for Middle Grade Learners: A Handbook for Content Area Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sadler, Charlotte Rose

Although students are expected to read and comprehend grade-level texts by the time they reach middle school, classroom teachers are constantly challenged to instruct students who have difficulty comprehending what they read. But how does a middle school teacher approach this task, particularly a teacher with limited experience in reading…

My Classroom: China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gordon, Rebekah

2016-01-01

This article describes the teaching practice of two senior high school English teachers, Yu Huang and Yu Zhu. Their school is in Hezhang County--the No. 2 Middle School in the province of Guizhou. In China, most middle schools consist of six grades of students; the first three years are considered junior middle school and the latter three years…

Observations of the Middle School Environment: The Context for Student Behavior beyond the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rusby, Julie C.; Crowley, Ryann; Sprague, Jeffrey; Biglan, Anthony

2011-01-01

This article describes the use of an observation system to measure middle school staff practices, environment characteristics, and student behavior in the school common areas. Data were collected at baseline from 18 middle schools participating in a randomized controlled trial of school-wide Positive Behavior Support. The observations were…

The Middle East Institute Resource Guide for Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fix, Jerrold E.

Abstracts and evaluations of over 50 instructional and resource materials related to the Middle East are presented in the resource guide. The guide is intended for use by elementary and secondary school social studies classroom teachers as they seek information about availability and potential uses of resources dealing with the Middle East. Four…

Middle School Principals' Perception of the Effect of Technology on Job Effectiveness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blackwell, James M.

2009-01-01

The use of computers and computer-based applications is prevalent in schools, from the classroom to the principal's office. This study of middle school principals in Virginia and West Virginia addressed the following eight questions: (a) What computer technology applications are available to middle school principals? (b) What are the perceived…

Middle Grades Mathematics Engagement: How Action Research Informs What Counts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ivory, Pateakia Lachelle

2017-01-01

The purpose of the study was to examine how action research informs instructional changes that need to take place in the middle grades mathematics classroom. There is a need for an increase in engagement in middle grades mathematics by educators being critically reflective of their instructional practices. The research question addressed in this…

Teachers in the 'Hood: Hollywood's Middle-Class Fantasy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bulman, Robert C.

2002-01-01

Asserts that the urban-high-school film genre (in which a classroom of socially troubled, low-achieving students is transformed by the singular efforts of an outside middle class teacher or principal) reinforces the "culture of poverty" thesis, representing the fantasies that suburban middle class America has about life in urban high…

A Middle School Teacher's Guide for Selecting Picture Books

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Costello, Bill; Kolodziej, Nancy J.

2006-01-01

The use of picture books as supplementary material for middle level classrooms is becoming more common. Picture books are being created specifically to address the needs and interests of middle school students. Society is becoming more visually oriented and the visual format of picture books appeals to adolescents, who today are exposed to various…

Middle School Teachers' Expectations of Organizational Behaviors of Students with Learning Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McMullen, Rebecca C.; Shippen, Margaret E.; Dangel, Harry L.

2007-01-01

The purpose of this pilot study was to investigate the specific classroom organizational behaviors that middle school inclusive teachers report as expectations for students with learning disabilities. Practicing middle school science and social studies teachers (n = 12) responded to a survey about organization behaviors of students with learning…

The Middle East Content Priority Teaching Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fix, Jerrold E.

Variations of a social studies unit on Middle Eastern culture, history, and geography are presented to aid secondary school classroom teachers as they develop and implement Middle Eastern area studies educational programs. The guide is presented in four parts, each of which represents one version of the unit. Teachers are directed to select the…

Using Video to Support Teachers' Ability to Notice Classroom Interactions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sherin, Miriam; van Es, Elizabeth

2005-01-01

This paper examines how video can be used to help pre-service and in-service teachers learn to notice what is happening in their classrooms. Data from two related studies are presented. In the first study, middle-school mathematics teachers met monthly in a video club in which they shared and discussed excerpts of videos from their classrooms. In…

Interactive Projector as an Interactive Teaching Tool in the Classroom: Evaluating Teaching Efficiency and Interactivity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Li-Ying; Cheng, Meng-Tzu

2015-01-01

This study reports on a measurement that is used to investigate interactivity in the classrooms and examines the impact of integrating the interactive projector into middle school science classes on classroom interactivity and students' biology learning. A total of 126 7th grade Taiwanese students were involved in the study and quasi-experimental…

Project W.U.L.P.: Wetland Understanding Leading to Protection. A Comprehensive, Multidisciplinary Wetlands Unit for Middle Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Braun, Dave; And Others

This multidisciplinary, progressional unit involves students in discovering wetlands and why such areas are important, and in learning they can make a difference in saving wetlands. The unit is designed to be taught with two options: (1) entirely in the classroom; and (2) a combination of classroom and field experience. Fourteen classroom lessons…

Oral Narrative Genres as Dialogic Resources for Classroom Literature Study: A Contextualized Case Study of Conversational Narrative Discussion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Juzwik, Mary M.; Nystrand, Martin; Kelly, Sean; Sherry, Michael B.

2008-01-01

Five questions guided a case study exploring the relationship between oral narrative and discussion in middle school literature study: (a) Relative to similar classrooms in a large-scale study, how can overall literature instruction be characterized? (b) Relative to similar classrooms in a large-scale study, how well do students achieve in the…

Do Actions Speak Louder than Words? Classroom Attitudes and Behavior in Relation to Bullying in Early Adolescence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scholte, Ron; Sentse, Miranda; Granic, Isabela

2010-01-01

The aim of the present study was to examine to what extent classroom factors (i.e., classroom antibullying attitudes and behavioral norms) contributed to individual bullying, after controlling for individual difference characteristics. Participants were 2,547 early adolescents (M = 13.4 years, SD = 0.63) from 109 middle school classes. Self- and…

Impacts of a Discussion-Based Academic Language Program on Classroom Interactions in 4th through 7th Grades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LaRusso, Maria; Jones, Stephanie M.; Kim, Ha Yeon; Kim, James; Donovan, Suzanne; Snow, Catherine

2016-01-01

This paper presents an exploratory analysis of treatment-control differences in the quality of classroom interactions in 4th through 7th grade urban classrooms. Word Generation (WG) is a research-based academic language program for middle school students designed to teach novel vocabulary and literacy through language arts, math, science, and…

Geology at Our Doorstep: Building a Partnership for Standards-Based Curriculum and Professional Development in Middle School Earth Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laursen, S.; Lester, A.; Cannon, E.; Forrest, A.; Bencivengo, B.; Hunter, K.

2003-12-01

Geology at Our Doorstep is a collaboration between a science outreach program (CIRES Outreach), students and faculty in a university geology department (U. Colorado at Boulder), and a local school district (St. Vrain Valley) to develop locally relevant geology classroom resources for use by the district's middle-school teachers. The project grew out of direct conversations with teachers about their ideas and needs and was explicitly based on district and state standards in Earth science and scientific thinking, drawing on close work with the district on standards implementation and assessment over the past two years. We intended to draw on existing curriculum resources and substitute local geologic examples to construct a "place-based" teaching resource. However, we found that generic, national-level curricula did not effectively match the rich geologic resources of our area, and instead developed a rather more substantial set of original materials, including classroom collections of regional rocks, reference materials on local geology, classroom activities, and media resources, all shared with teachers at a series of professional development workshops. While the original project was small in scale, a number of spin-off projects have evolved. This project models several important features in the development of university-K12 partnerships: consultation with districts, piloting of small projects, and the role of outreach programs in facilitating participation of university faculty and students.

Implementation and evaluation of critical thinking strategies to enhance critical thinking skills in Middle Eastern nurses.

PubMed

Simpson, Elaine; Courtney, Mary

2008-12-01

The purpose of this study was to develop, implement and evaluate critical thinking strategies to enhance critical thinking skills in Middle Eastern nurses. Critical thinking strategies such as questioning, debate, role play and small group activity were developed and used in a professional development programme, which was trialled on a sample of Middle Eastern nurses (n = 20), to promote critical thinking skills, encourage problem solving, development of clinical judgment making and care prioritization in order to improve patient care and outcomes. Classroom learning was transformed from memorization to interaction and active participation. The intervention programme was successful in developing critical thinking skills in both the nurse educators and student nurses in this programme. This programme successfully integrated critical thinking strategies into a Middle Eastern nursing curriculum. Recommendations are as follows: (1) utilize evidence-based practice and stem questions to encourage the formulation of critical thinking questions; (2) support the needs of nurse educators for them to effectively implement teaching strategies to foster critical thinking skills; and (3) adopt creative approaches to (i) transform students into interactive participants and (ii) open students' minds and stimulate higher-level thinking and problem-solving abilities.

Inquiry in interaction: How local adaptations of curricula shape classroom communities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Enyedy, Noel; Goldberg, Jennifer

2004-11-01

In this study, we seek a better understanding of how individuals and their daily interactions shape and reshape social structures that constitute a classroom community. Moreover, we provide insight into how discourse and classroom interactions shape the nature of a learning community, as well as which aspects of the classroom culture may be consequential for learning. The participants in this study include two teachers who are implementing a new environmental science program, Global Learning through Observation to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE), and interacting with 54 children in an urban middle school. Both qualitative and quantitative data are analyzed and presented. To gain a better understanding of the inquiry teaching within classroom communities, we compare and contrast the discourse and interactions of the two teachers during three parallel environmental science lessons. The focus of our analysis includes (1) how the community identifies the object or goal of its activity; and (2) how the rights, rules, and roles for members are established and inhabited in interaction. Quantitative analyses of student pre- and posttests suggest greater learning for students in one classroom over the other, providing support for the influence of the classroom community and interactional choices of the teacher on student learning. Implications of the findings from this study are discussed in the context of curricular design, professional development, and educational reform. ? 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 41: 905-935, 2004.

Life Skills Training for Middle and High School Students with Autism.

PubMed

Chiang, Hsu-Min; Ni, Xinyu; Lee, Young-Sun

2017-04-01

This study investigated the extent to which life skills training was offered to middle and high school students with autism and life skills training needs after high school. A secondary analysis of the National Longitudinal Training Study-2 (NLTS-2) data was conducted in this study. This study found that the majority of the middle and high school students with autism (77.4%) had received life skills training in school. Receipt of life skills training differed across students' gender, age, diagnosis of intellectual disability, and functional mental skills. Students received life skills training in general education classrooms, special education classrooms, individual instruction, and community settings. Life skills training was needed for the majority of the high school leavers with autism (78%).

Hanny and the Mystery of the Voorwerp: Citizen Science in the Classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Costello, K.; Reilly, E.; Bracey, G.; Gay, P.

2012-08-01

The highly engaging graphic comic Hanny and the Mystery of the Voorwerp is the focus of an eight-day educational unit geared to middle level students. Activities in the unit link national astronomy standards to the citizen science Zooniverse website through tutorials that lead to analysis of real data online. NASA resources are also included in the unit. The content of the session focused on the terminology and concepts - galaxy formation, types and characteristics of galaxies, use of spectral analysis - needed to classify galaxies. Use of citizen science projects as tools to teach inquiry in the classroom was the primary focus of the workshop. The session included a hands-on experiment taken from the unit, including a NASA spectral analysis activity called "What's the Frequency, Roy G Biv?" In addition, presenters demonstrated the galaxy classification tools found in the "Galaxy Zoo" project at the Zooniverse citizen science website.

The Impact of Video Length on Learning in a Middle-Level Flipped Science Setting: Implications for Diversity Inclusion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slemmons, Krista; Anyanwu, Kele; Hames, Josh; Grabski, Dave; Mlsna, Jeffery; Simkins, Eric; Cook, Perry

2018-05-01

Popularity of videos for classroom instruction has increased over the years due to affordability and user-friendliness of today's digital video cameras. This prevalence has led to an increase in flipped, K-12 classrooms countrywide. However, quantitative data establishing the appropriate video length to foster authentic learning is limited, particularly in middle-level classrooms. We focus on this aspect of video technology in two flipped science classrooms at the middle school level to determine the optimal video length to enable learning, increase retention and support student motivation. Our results indicate that while assessments directly following short videos were slightly higher, these findings were not significantly different from scores following longer videos. While short-term retention of material did not seem to be influenced by video length, longer-term retention for males and students with learning disabilities was higher following short videos compared to long as assessed on summative assessments. Students self-report that they were more engaged, had enhanced focus, and had a perceived higher retention of content following shorter videos. This study has important implications for student learning, application of content, and the development of critical thinking skills. This is particularly paramount in an era where content knowledge is just a search engine away.

Using "Journeys in Film" to Bring Authentic STEM Activities to the K-12 Classroom.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rock, B. N.

2017-12-01

The "Journeys in Film" project brings important films and documentaries ("The Martian," "Hidden Figures," "River of Gold" and others) and curriculum-based, educational support activities to the classroom. Faculty from the University of New Hampshire, in partnership with selected local middle and high school teachers, developed a STEM Lesson Plan for Journeys in Film" focused on the soon-to-released documentary "River of Gold" which highlights tropical deforestation and illegal gold mining activities in the Peruvian jungles of the Amazon Basin. Using film clips (the Trailer) from the movie and the Lesson Plan, this approach allows pre-college students to learn how to use "Google Earth" to monitor chang-over-time and to quantify the areas of deforestation and mining using multi-date NOAA/USGS Landsat Thematic Mapper and ESA Copernicus satellite data. This approach will allow students to dconduct authentic hands-on science and mathematics to address a wide range of social and environmental issues associated with tropical deforestation in Peru.

Soil Conservation. A Guide to Classroom and Field Activities for Middle Secondary Students. Teacher Manual and Student Manual.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tivendale, Bruce D.

Soil is a natural resource of inestimable value. It is classified as a renewable resource, but because it may take from a few hundred years to a few thousand years to be renewed, it is more accurately termed an exhaustible resource. The emphasis of this teaching unit is the importance of soil and the need and means to conserve it. The constraining…

Conflict Resolution through Literature.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Graves, Marilyn; Nordling, George; Roberts, Deanna; Taylor, Carol

This report describes a program for decreasing student aggressive behavior when confronted with conflict. The targeted population consisted of four fourth grade classrooms in a growing middle class community. The problems of aggressive behavior were documented with classroom surveys, discipline and peer mediation referrals, records of parent…

Teaching Middle-Grades Mathematics through Financial Literacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crawford-Ferre, Heather Glynn; Wiest, Lynda R.; Vega, Stephanie

2016-01-01

Because financial literacy is an important skill for middle-grades students, this article suggests numerous personal financial literacy tasks for use in the mathematics classroom. Also provided are specifics for implementing one of these tasks to address mathematical content.

Teacher Learning in the Workplace: A Study of the Relationship between a Novice EFL Teacher's Classroom Practices and Cognition Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kang, Yan; Cheng, Xiaotang

2014-01-01

This article reports on an in-depth case study of a novice middle school EFL teacher's cognition development during the process of learning to teach in the workplace. Data was collected mainly through classroom observations and interviews. Results indicate that the teacher exhibited a considerable amount of change in her classroom practices, which…

What Are Middle School Students Talking about during Clicker Questions? Characterizing Small-Group Conversations Mediated by Classroom Response Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barth-Cohen, Lauren A.; Smith, Michelle K.; Capps, Daniel K.; Lewin, Justin D.; Shemwell, Jonathan T.; Stetzer, MacKenzie R.

2016-01-01

There is a growing interest in using classroom response systems or clickers in science classrooms at both the university and K-12 levels. Typically, when instructors use this technology, students are asked to answer and discuss clicker questions with their peers. The existing literature on using clickers at the K-12 level has largely focused on…

Using Collaborative Planning and Teaching Practices to Improve the Academic Achievement of Students with Disabilities: A Case Study of Inclusive Classrooms in Two Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Terranoud, Timothy Gerard

2010-01-01

This study examines the collaborative practices between three sets of special education and English/Language Arts teachers involved in the co-teaching of inclusive classrooms--classrooms consisting of both general education and special education students (SWDs). The study took place in two middle schools in two different school districts in New…

The Impact MCT2 Has on an Elementary and Middle School Reading and Language Arts Classroom Instruction in Mississippi

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Campbell, Sarah Elizabeth

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to understand what No Child Left Behind (NCLB) meant to teachers in Mississippi and to determine what impact this reform had on reading and language arts classroom instruction for teachers. Qualitative research methods in the form of interview data and classroom observations were used to examine teachers' perceptions…

Peer interactions and academic engagement of youth with developmental disabilities in inclusive middle and high school classrooms.

PubMed

Carter, Erik W; Sisco, Lynn G; Brown, Lissa; Brickham, Dana; Al-Khabbaz, Zainab A

2008-11-01

We examined the peer interactions and academic engagement of 23 middle and high school students with developmental disabilities within inclusive academic and elective classrooms. The extent to which students with and without disabilities interacted socially was highly variable and influenced by instructional format, the proximity of general and special educators, and curricular area. Peer interactions occurred more often within small group instructional formats, when students were not receiving direct support from a paraprofessional or special educator, and in elective courses. Academic engagement also varied, with higher levels evidenced during one-to-one or small group instruction and when in proximity of general or special educators. Implications for designing effective support strategies for students with autism and/or intellectual disability within general education classrooms are discussed.

Stuck in the Middle: Strategies to Engage Middle-Level Learners. Newsletter

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maday, Traci

2008-01-01

Keeping middle school students focused and engaged in the classroom is a challenge amid the physical, intellectual, emotional, and social changes that young people experience during this phase of their lives. Youth aged 11 to 13 years are characterized by a growing desire to think and act independently while at the same time caring about being…

Video-Conferencing Technology Brings a Homebound Middle Grades Student to the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beeman, Robin Y.; Henderson, Caleb J.

2012-01-01

The middle grades are a time of transitions for teenagers. Attending a new school, developing new friendships, meeting new teachers, and becoming more independent are all part of the middle school experience. This article is a case report of a school district's experience using interactive video-conferencing technology to educate and socialize a…

"Think Bigger about Science": Using Twitter for Learning in the Middle Grades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Becker, Ryan; Bishop, Penny

2016-01-01

This article examines the use of Twitter as a learning tool in a middle grades science classroom. Relevant research, the direct experience of the teacher leading this unique initiative, and the invaluable perspectives of his middle level students are included to inform interested stakeholders. Following a discussion of open versus closed digital…

Urban Middle-School Science Teachers Beliefs about the Influence of Their Astronomer-Educator Partnerships on Students' Astronomy Learner Characteristics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miranda, Rommel J.

2012-01-01

This qualitative study investigates the extent to which urban middle-school science teachers' beliefs about their students' astronomy learner characteristics were influenced by their partnership with an astronomer in their classroom. Twelve urban middle-school science teachers were interviewed after their participation in Project ASTRO during the…

Increasing Interest in Social Studies: Social Perspective Taking and Self-Efficacy in Stimulating Simulations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gehlbach, Hunter; Brown, Scott W.; Ioannou, Andri; Boyer, Mark A.; Hudson, Natalie; Niv-Solomon, Anat; Maneggia, Donalyn; Janik, Laura

2008-01-01

This study examined the potential of simulations to bolster interest in middle school social studies classrooms. Using a pre-post-design, we examined 305 middle school students (49% female) who participated in the web-based "GlobalEd" simulation. In contrast to the motivation declines middle school students usually experience, participants in this…

The Efficacy of ClassWide Peer Tutoring in Middle Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kamps, Debra M.; Greenwood, Charles; Arreaga-Mayer, Carmen; Veerkamp, Mary Baldwin; Utley, Cheryl; Tapia, Yolanda; Bowman-Perrott, Lisa; Bannister, Harriett

2008-01-01

The majority of research on the efficacy of ClassWide Peer Tutoring (CWPT) is based on research with urban elementary students (Rohrbeck, Ginsberg-Block, Fantuzzo, & Miller, 2003), with much less research in middle schools. This study investigated CWPT with 975 middle school students in 52 classrooms, grades 6 through 8, over a three-year period.…

Looking Forward: Increased Attention to LGBTQ Students and Families in Middle Grade Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wickens, Corrine M.; Wedwick, Linda

2011-01-01

Looking backwards, discussions around sexual orientation and sexual identity have been noticeably absent at the middle grades. As a result, middle grade teachers may find it difficult to know how to effectively select age-appropriate materials that include LGBTQ issues and content. To move the field forward, the authors specifically highlight four…

What are Middle School Students Talking About During Clicker Questions? Characterizing Small-Group Conversations Mediated by Classroom Response Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barth-Cohen, Lauren A.; Smith, Michelle K.; Capps, Daniel K.; Lewin, Justin D.; Shemwell, Jonathan T.; Stetzer, MacKenzie R.

2016-02-01

There is a growing interest in using classroom response systems or clickers in science classrooms at both the university and K-12 levels. Typically, when instructors use this technology, students are asked to answer and discuss clicker questions with their peers. The existing literature on using clickers at the K-12 level has largely focused on the efficacy of clicker implementation, with few studies investigating collaboration and discourse among students. To expand on this work, we investigated the question: Does clicker use promote productive peer discussion among middle school science students? Specifically, we collected data from middle school students in a physical science course. Students were asked to answer a clicker question individually, discuss the question with their peers, answer the same question again, and then subsequently answer a new matched-pair question individually. We audio recorded the peer conversations to characterize the nature of the student discourse. To analyze these conversations, we used a grounded analysis approach and drew on literature about collaborative knowledge co-construction. The analysis of the conversations revealed that middle school students talked about science content and collaboratively discussed ideas. Furthermore, the majority of conversations, both ones that positively and negatively impacted student performance, contained evidence of collaborative knowledge co-construction.

Animals in the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roy, Ken

2011-01-01

Use of animals in middle school science classrooms is a curriculum component worthy of consideration, providing proper investigation and planning are addressed. A responsible approach to this action, including safety, must be adopted for success. In this month's column, the author provides some suggestions on incorporating animals into the…

Translanguaging in a middle school science classroom: Constructing scientific arguments in English and Spanish

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Licona, Peter R.

This dissertation investigates translanguaging in an English/Spanish dual language middle school science classroom as the teacher and students worked through a curriculum unit focusing on socioscientific issues and implementing a scientific argumentation framework. Translanguaging is the process in which bilingual speakers fluidly and dynamically draw from their full linguistic repertoire to perform a communicative act. Using ethnographically informed data collection in conjunction with discourse analysis, teacher translanguaging was examined for its related functions in the science classroom and how teacher translanguaging afforded opportunities for framing and supporting scientific argumentation. Results suggest that the functions of teacher translanguaging fell into three main themes: maintaining classroom culture, facilitating the academic task, and framing epistemic practices. Of the three categories of translanguaging, framing epistemic practices proved to be of paramount importance in the teacher presenting and supporting the practice of scientific argumentation. Implications from this study are relevant for pre-service science teacher preparation and in-service science teacher professional development for teachers working with emergent bilingual students.

Story Time From Space — Astronomy and Astronauts Together in the Classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bennett, Jeffrey

2015-08-01

Story Time From Space is an exciting new program in which astronauts aboard the International Space Station combine two key educational activities: (1) reading aloud science-based stories for children and (2) conducting specially built science demonstrations designed to reinforce science lessons from the stories. Both activity types are videotaped, with the videos to be posted freely on the web for access by classrooms (and individuals) around the world. Longer term plans include the creation of downloadable activities to take the lessons further. While the stories tend to focus on elementary ages, the demos are more sophisticated and can be used for middle school, high school, and even college. The first set of five books has been aboard the ISS since January 2014, with readings videotaped so far for all books in English and selected books in German and Japanese; the science demos are scheduled for launch this summer, followed by a second set of books in the fall. The first set of books, written by the presenter, focus heavily on astronomy and space science. In this presentation, I will introduce the program, how it can be used in classrooms around the world, and plans for its future development. The in-progress web site is www.storytimefromspace.com.

The impact of single-gender classrooms on science achievement of middle school gifted girls

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ulkins, David S.

Studies indicate a gap in science achievement and positive attitudes towards science between gifted male and female students with females performing less than the males. This study investigated the impact of a single-gender classroom environment as opposed to a mixed-gender classroom, on motivation, locus of control, self-concept, and science achievement of middle school gifted girls. The Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ), Review of Personal Effectiveness with Locus of Control (ROPELOC), Test of Science Related Attitudes (TOSRA), and Stanford Achievement Test 10th Edition, were used to measure the dependent variables respectively. The independent-measure t test was used to compare the differences between girls in a single-gender classroom with the ones in a mixed-gender classroom. A significant difference in the external locus of control resulted for girls in the single gender classroom. However, there were no significant differences found in science achievement, motivation, and the attitudes toward science between the two groups. The implication is that a single-gender learning environment and the use of differentiated teaching strategies can help lessen the negative effects of societal stereotypes in today's classrooms. These, along with being cognizant of the differences in learning styles of girls and their male counterparts, will result in a greater level of success for gifted females in the area of science education.

Living Animals in the Classroom: A Meta-Analysis on Learning Outcome and a Treatment-Control Study Focusing on Knowledge and Motivation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hummel, Eberhard; Randler, Christoph

2012-01-01

Prior research states that the use of living animals in the classroom leads to a higher knowledge but those previous studies have methodological and statistical problems. We applied a meta-analysis and developed a treatment-control study in a middle school classroom. The treatments (film vs. living animal) differed only by the presence of the…

A Mixed Methods Case Study: Exploring the Association between Teachers' Perceived Self-Efficacy and Classroom Management Skills at a Middle School in Central Pennsylvania

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stuart, Charles Edward

2017-01-01

Teacher efficacy has been researched for over 30 years, teacher efficacy refers to the beliefs of teachers in their abilities to have an impact on classroom management. Classroom management skills have been proven to be a plaguing aspect of the teaching and learning process over the past century. This study answers question about classroom…

A randomized controlled pilot trial of classroom-based mindfulness meditation compared to an active control condition in sixth-grade children.

PubMed

Britton, Willoughby B; Lepp, Nathaniel E; Niles, Halsey F; Rocha, Tomas; Fisher, Nathan E; Gold, Jonathan S

2014-06-01

The current study is a pilot trial to examine the effects of a nonelective, classroom-based, teacher-implemented, mindfulness meditation intervention on standard clinical measures of mental health and affect in middle school children. A total of 101 healthy sixth-grade students (55 boys, 46 girls) were randomized to either an Asian history course with daily mindfulness meditation practice (intervention group) or an African history course with a matched experiential activity (active control group). Self-reported measures included the Youth Self Report (YSR), a modified Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Cognitive and Affective Mindfulness Measure -Revised. Both groups decreased significantly on clinical syndrome subscales and affect but did not differ in the extent of their improvements. Meditators were significantly less likely to develop suicidal ideation or thoughts of self-harm than controls. These results suggest that mindfulness training may yield both unique and non-specific benefits that are shared by other novel activities. Copyright © 2014 Society for the Study of School Psychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Physical Activity Correlates in Middle School Adolescents: Perceived Benefits and Barriers and Their Determinants.

PubMed

Roth, Sarah E; Gill, Monique; Chan-Golston, Alec M; Rice, Lindsay N; Crespi, Catherine M; Koniak-Griffin, Deborah; Cole, Brian L; Upchurch, Dawn M; Prelip, Michael L

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the determinants of benefits and barriers and their relationship with physical activity (PA) among predominantly Latino middle school students. Data were collected in a cross-sectional survey of 4,773 seventh-grade students recruited from a large, urban school district in Los Angeles. Hierarchical logistic regression models were used to assess determinants of benefits and barriers as well as their association with self-reported PA. Differences in benefits and barriers were observed by gender, ethnicity, and body size. Barriers were negatively correlated with all three PA outcomes while benefits were positively associated with exercising at least 60 min daily. A deeper understanding of benefits and barriers can facilitate the development of interventions and collaborative efforts among physical education teachers, school nurses, and administrators to implement comprehensive approaches that encourage students' participation in PA inside and outside of the classroom.

Elementary Organizational Structures and Young Adolescents' Self-Concept and Classroom Environment Perceptions across the Transition to Middle School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parker, Audra K.

2009-01-01

Transitions can be difficult at any age; however, the move from elementary school to middle school, coupled with the onset of adolescence, is often associated with a myriad of psychological and academic declines. One strategy currently used to "ready" elementary students for middle school is a departmentalized organizational structure. The purpose…

Integrating Art and History: A Model for the Middle School Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kahn, Brian

2017-01-01

One of the major challenges facing middle level social studies teachers is to help young adolescents understand the relevance of the past in the present day. As middle level learners are primed to develop their cognitive abilities and to view people and events from the past from multiple perspectives, it is imperative that teachers go beyond the…

Stuck in the Middle: Examining the Intersection of Middle School Science Teachers' PCK and Classroom Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allen, Jared R.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explain middle school teachers' decisions for planning a science unit of instruction (reflection on action) and their decisions when enacting this planned unit (reflection in action) using the new teacher professional knowledge and skill (TPK&S) model as a guiding framework. In addition, this study specifically…

Promoting Positive Achievement in the Middle School: A Look at Teachers' Motivational Knowledge, Beliefs, and Teaching Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haselhuhn, Charlotte W.; Al-Mabuk, Radhi; Gabriele, Anthony; Groen, Marc; Galloway, Sarah

2007-01-01

This study was prompted by previous research showing a decline in motivation as students transition from elementary to middle school. The decline in motivation may be associated with changes in the achievement goal structures of their classrooms and schools. This study describes a survey of 69 elementary and 28 middle school teachers that explored…

You Say, "Cariño"; I Say, "Caring": Latino Newcomer Immigrant Families in the Middle

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rodríguez-Castro, Mónica; Salas, Spencer; Murray, Beth

2016-01-01

One of the 16 core beliefs of middle level thinking is that schools and families must work together on behalf of every young adolescent (National Middle School Association, 2010). However, in classrooms and on curriculum nights, communication emerges as a critical issue. This is especially true when it comes to teachers' interacting with Latino…

The Implementation Process of Two Multigrade/Multiyear Teams in Two Middle Schools in South Florida: A Cross-Site Case Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heeney, Margaret R.

Multigrade grouping is the practice of intentionally grouping two or more grade levels in the same classroom to enhance learning. It is becoming a much discussed and implemented alternative grouping practice in middle level education. This paper describes the implementation process of two multigrade "teams" in two Florida middle schools,…

Accessing the Classroom Discourse Community through Accountable Talk: English Learners' Voices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ardasheva, Yuliya; Howell, Penny B.; Vidrio Magaña, Margarita

2016-01-01

This case study draws on Gee's (1989) "D/discourse theory" to investigate English learners' (ELs') perspectives regarding Accountable Talk (AT)--a structured, discourse-intensive instructional approach--after a yearlong implementation in three content-based (mathematics) middle school classrooms. Interviews with 21 ELs (3 Advanced…

Fostering Cooperative Learning in Middle and Secondary Level Classrooms.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wood, Karen D.

1987-01-01

Provides a brief overview of the research on cooperative learning, and describes several classroom grouping techniques useful for all grade levels and subject areas. Discusses group retellings, associational dialogue, dyadic learning, needs grouping, the buddy system, cybernetic sessions, and research, interest, ability, tutorial, random social,…

When Figured Worlds Collide: Improvisation in an Inquiry Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rush, Leslie S.; Fecho, Bob

2008-01-01

Students and teachers inevitably enter classrooms with differing expectations and experiences; those differences provide opportunities for both conflict and growth. This article examines this phenomenon in an undergraduate teacher education course on reading instruction at the middle-school level, presents case studies of students' improvisations…

Setting Instructional Expectations: Patterns of Principal Leadership for Middle School Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Katterfeld, Karin

2013-01-01

Principal instructional leadership has been found to support improved instruction. However, the methods through which principal leadership influences classroom instruction are less clear. This study investigates how principals' leadership may predict the expectations that mathematics teachers perceive for classroom practice. Results from a…

Elementary and middle school science improvement project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcguire, Saundra Yancy

1987-01-01

The Alabama A & M University Elementary and Middle School Science Improvement Project (Project SIP) was instituted in response to a need to improve the ability of North Alabama teachers to teach science effectively using the experimental or hands-on approach. The major component of the project was a two-week workshop. Follow-up visits were made to the classrooms of many of the participating teachers to obtain information on how the program was being implemented in the classroom. The administrative aspects of the program, the delivery of the services to participating teachers, and the project outcomes are addressed.

A Touch of Neuroscience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parlier, David; Demetrikopoulos, Melissa K.

2004-01-01

Middle school students represent a wonderful target audience for introducing neurological concepts. The preteen years of the middle grades represent a time of incredible physical and mental development. Students in a seventh-grade classroom are experiencing dramatic physiological and psychological changes. Understanding the parts and functions of…

Technology in Middle School Reading Education: Opportunities to Transform the Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blanchard, Jay; And Others

1995-01-01

Discusses the uses of multimedia, telecommunications, and word processing and desktop publishing in middle school reading education and examines three issues that affect teachers' opportunities to compete with popular culture's media: implementation, integration, and impact on achievement. (Author/LRW)

Pre-Service Teacher as Researcher: The Value of Inquiry in Learning Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hohloch, Janice M.; Grove, Nathaniel; Lowery Bretz, Stacey

2007-09-01

A pre-service science and mathematics teacher participated in an action research project to reform a chemistry course required of elementary and middle childhood pre-service teachers. Activities to emphasize a hands-on approach to learning chemistry and to model teaching science through inquiry for these pre-service teachers are described. The value of a research experience for pre-service teachers, both upon their student teaching and as a classroom teacher, is discussed.

How teacher emotional support motivates students: The mediating roles of perceived peer relatedness, autonomy support, and competence.

PubMed

Ruzek, Erik A; Hafen, Christopher A; Allen, Joseph P; Gregory, Anne; Mikami, Amori Yee; Pianta, Robert C

2016-04-01

Multilevel mediation analyses test whether students' mid-year reports of classroom experiences of autonomy, relatedness with peers, and competence mediate associations between early in the school year emotionally-supportive teacher-student interactions (independently observed) and student-reported academic year changes in mastery motivation and behavioral engagement. When teachers were observed to be more emotionally-supportive in the beginning of the school year, adolescents reported academic year increases in their behavioral engagement and mastery motivation. Mid-year student reports indicated that in emotionally-supportive classrooms, adolescents experienced more developmentally-appropriate opportunities to exercise autonomy in their day-to-day activities and had more positive relationships with their peers. Analyses of the indirect effects of teacher emotional support on students' engagement and motivation indicated significant mediating effects of autonomy and peer relatedness experiences, but not competence beliefs, in this sample of 960 students (ages 11-17) in the classrooms of 68 middle and high school teachers in 12 U.S. schools.

How teacher emotional support motivates students: The mediating roles of perceived peer relatedness, autonomy support, and competence

PubMed Central

Ruzek, Erik A.; Hafen, Christopher A.; Allen, Joseph P.; Gregory, Anne; Mikami, Amori Yee; Pianta, Robert C.

2017-01-01

Multilevel mediation analyses test whether students' mid-year reports of classroom experiences of autonomy, relatedness with peers, and competence mediate associations between early in the school year emotionally-supportive teacher-student interactions (independently observed) and student-reported academic year changes in mastery motivation and behavioral engagement. When teachers were observed to be more emotionally-supportive in the beginning of the school year, adolescents reported academic year increases in their behavioral engagement and mastery motivation. Mid-year student reports indicated that in emotionally-supportive classrooms, adolescents experienced more developmentally-appropriate opportunities to exercise autonomy in their day-to-day activities and had more positive relationships with their peers. Analyses of the indirect effects of teacher emotional support on students' engagement and motivation indicated significant mediating effects of autonomy and peer relatedness experiences, but not competence beliefs, in this sample of 960 students (ages 11–17) in the classrooms of 68 middle and high school teachers in 12 U.S. schools. PMID:28190936

Social Involvement of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders in Elementary School Classrooms

PubMed Central

Rotheram-Fuller, Erin; Kasari, Connie; Chamberlain, Brandt; Locke, Jill

2010-01-01

Background Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are increasingly included in general education classrooms in an effort to improve their social involvement. Methods Seventy-nine children with ASD and 79 randomly-selected, gender-matched peers (88.6% male) in 75 early (K-1), middle (2nd–3rd), and late (4th–5th) elementary classrooms across 30 schools completed social network surveys examining each child’s reciprocal friendships, peer rejection, acceptance, and social involvement. Results Across grade levels, peers less frequently reciprocated friendships with children with ASD than students in the matched sample. While children with ASD were not more likely to be rejected by peers, they were less accepted and had fewer reciprocal friendships than matched peers at each grade level. Although 48.1% of children with ASD were involved in the social networks of their classrooms, children with ASD were more likely to be isolated or peripheral to social relationships within the classroom across all grade levels, and this difference is even more dramatic in later elementary grades. Conclusions In inclusive classrooms, children with ASD are only involved in peers’ social relationships about half of the time, and appear to be even less connected with increasing grade level. Promoting children with ASD’s skills in popular activities to share with peers in early childhood may be a key preventive intervention to protect social relationships in late elementary school grades. PMID:20673234

From teachers' perspective: Implementation of literacy materials in middle school science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weingartner, Judith A.

Documentation of adolescents' difficulty in comprehending textbooks spans a century. For just as long, researchers have advocated that explicit instruction of reading strategies can help students' comprehension of text; many have recommended that the best place to teach these strategies is within the content classroom (science, math, etc.), and taught by the content teacher. Despite this research, reading strategy instruction in content classrooms is not a common occurrence. In a large district with 300 middle school science teachers, some science teachers expressed concern about their students' reading difficulties with the district's science text. In response to those concerns, the middle school science coordinator organized a small committee to develop the Reading Strategies Handbook for Middle School Science for Teachers (the Handbook), believing that this tool would guide teachers' in implementing the Handbook's reading strategies and improve students' comprehension of the text. This was a qualitative study that explored 11 middle school science teachers' responses to implementing the Handbook. Data for this study were gathered through an e-mailed questionnaire, a classroom visitation, and one interview with each teacher participant. The study found that teachers' varied backgrounds influenced their beliefs about teaching and learning, and impacted their classroom practices. Teachers faced their district's expectations to implement reading strategies in the Handbook with minimal support and cited influences beyond their control that created tension with their decision whether to implement the Handbook. Teachers commented that a "one size fits all" curriculum and textbook-specific issues influenced their degree of using the Handbook's reading strategies. In addition, teachers identified time and pressure to cover curriculum as obstacles to implementing the Handbook. Implications of these findings include: (a) Professional development studies related to content literacy are needed that include attention to teachers' beliefs and attitudes, and (b) Policy makers need to direct funding for the professional development needs of content-area teachers.

Using AN Essea Earth Systems Science Course in a Web-Enhanced Setting for Pre-Service Middle School Teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slattery, W.

2003-12-01

The ESSEA Middle School course was originally designed as an asynchronous on-line tool for teacher professional development. The ESSEA course uses real world events such as deforestation, volcanic eruptions and hurricanes to develop content understandings of Earth systems processes and to model pedagogical best practices appropriate for middle school students. The course is structured as multiple three-week learning cycles. During week one of each cycle, participants are formed into Sphere groups to study the impact of the event under consideration on the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, or lithosphere. During week two, Event teams are formed to include members from each of the previous week's Sphere groups. Together they develop interactions between the different spheres and the event. During week three, teachers develop classroom applications and post them on-line for other participants to comment upon. On-going assessment suggests that in-service teacher participants of the on-line course are more likely to infuse inquiry-based science instruction into their classroom settings and to teach science as a subject integrating Physical science, Life science, and Earth/Space science in their own classrooms It is imperative to develop such characteristics in pre-service teachers as well. Wright State University's undergraduate Middle School teacher preparation program requires that undergraduates seeking Middle Childhood Licensure by the State of Ohio take a course in Earth Systems science that is aligned with the national and state science education standards. Towards this end the ESSEA course has been adapted for use in a web-enhanced setting. Weeks one and two (Sphere and Event study) of the ESSEA Middle School course are used as an integral component of this Earth Systems science course. In this way content knowledge and pedagogical strategies are modeled just as they are in the fully on-line course. Questions raised on-line are the topic of research or experimentation during the face-to-face component of the course. Follow-up interviews and classroom visits to student teaching sites confirm that pre-service teachers are using Earth systems science concepts and cooperative teaching techniques to teach science as an integrated whole.

In the Footsteps of Roger Revelle: A STEM Partnership Between Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Office of Naval Research and Middle School Science Students Bringing Next Generation Science Standards into the Classroom through Ocean Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brice, D.; Appelgate, B., Jr.; Mauricio, P.

2014-12-01

Now in its tenth year, "In the Footsteps of Roger Revelle" (IFRR) is a middle school science education program that draws student interest, scientific content and coherence with Next Generation Science Standards from real-time research at sea in fields of physical science. As a successful collaboration involving Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO),Office of Naval Research (ONR), and San Marcos Middle School (SMMS), IFRR brings physical oceanography and related sciences to students at the San Marcos Middle School in real-time from research vessels at sea using SIO's HiSeasNet satellite communication system. With a generous grant from ONR, students are able to tour the SIO Ships and spend a day at sea doing real oceanographic data collection and labs. Through real-time and near-realtime broadcasts and webcasts, students are able to share data with scientists and gain an appreciation for the value of Biogeochemical research in the field as it relates to their classroom studies. Interaction with scientists and researchers as well as crew members gives students insights into not only possible career paths, but the vital importance of cutting edge oceanographic research on our society. With their science teacher on the ship as an education outreach specialist or ashore guiding students in their interactions with selected scientists at sea, students observe shipboard research being carried out live via videoconference, Skype, daily e-mails, interviews, digital whiteboard sessions, and web interaction. Students then research, design, develop, deploy, and field-test their own data-collecting physical oceanography instruments in their classroom. The online interactive curriculum models the Next Generation Science Standards encouraging active inquiry and critical thinking with intellectually stimulating problem- solving, enabling students to gain critical insight and skill while investigating some of the most provocative questions of our time, and seeing scientists as role-models. IFRR has provided students in the San Diego area with a unique opportunity for learning about oceanographic research, which could inspire students to become oceanographers or at least scientifically literate citizens, a benefit for our society at large.

Successful White teachers of Black students: Teaching across racial lines in urban middle school science classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coleman, Bobbie

The majority of urban minority students, particularly Black students, continue to perform below proficiency on standardized state and national testing in all areas that seriously impact economically advanced career options, especially in areas involving science. If education is viewed as a way out of poverty, there is a need to identify pedagogical methodologies that assist Black students in achieving higher levels of success in science, and in school in general. The purpose of this study was to explore White teachers' and Black students' perceptions about the teaching strategies used in their low socioeconomic status (LSES) urban science classrooms, that led to academic success for Black students. Participants included three urban middle school White teachers thought to be the best science teachers in the school, and five randomly selected Black students from each of their classrooms. Methods of inquiry involving tenets of grounded theory were used to examine strategies teachers used to inspire Black students into academic success. Data collection included teacher and student interviews, field notes from classroom observations, group discussions, and questionaires. Data were analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding. The teachers' perceptions indicated that their prior belief systems, effective academic and personal communication, caring and nurturing strategies, using relevant and meaningful hands-on activities in small learner-centered groups, enhanced the learning capabilities of all students in their classrooms, especially the Black students. Black students' perceptions indicated that their academic success was attributable to what teachers personally thought about them, demonstrated that they cared, communicated with them on a personal and academic level, gave affirmative feedback, simplified, and explained content matter. Black students labeled teachers who had these attributes as "nice" teachers. The nurturing and caring behaviors of "nice" teachers caused Black students to feel a sense of community and a sense of belonging in their classrooms. Black students demonstrated that they respected and always "had the back" of these "nice" teachers. Results from this study could play a significant role in teacher retention and in informing best practices for preservice and other teachers who are struggling to meet the needs of LSES urban students.

Project NANO (nanoscience and nanotechnology outreach): a STEM training program that brings SEM's and stereoscopes into high-school and middle-school classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cady, Sherry L.; Blok, Mikel; Grosse, Keith; Wells, Jennifer

2014-09-01

The program Project NANO (Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Outreach) enables middle and high school students to discover and research submicroscopic phenomena in a new and exciting way with the use of optical and scanning electron microscopes in the familiar surroundings of their middle or high school classrooms. Project NANO provides secondary level professional development workshops, support for classroom instruction and teacher curriculum development, and the means to deliver Project NANO toolkits (SEM, stereoscope, computer, supplies) to classrooms with Project NANO trained teachers. Evaluation surveys document the impact of the program on student's attitudes toward science and technology and on the learning outcomes for secondary level teachers. Project NANO workshops (offered for professional development credit) enable teachers to gain familiarity using and teaching with the SEM. Teachers also learn to integrate new content knowledge and skills into topic-driven, standards-based units of instruction specifically designed to support the development of students' higher order thinking skills that include problem solving and evidence-based thinking. The Project NANO management team includes a former university science faculty, two high school science teachers, and an educational researcher. To date, over 7500 students have experienced the impact of the Project NANO program, which provides an exciting and effective model for engaging students in the discovery of nanoscale phenomena and concepts in a fun and engaging way.

Teaching and nature: Middle school science teachers' relationship with nature in personal and classroom contexts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ball, Nadine Butcher

2000-10-01

This qualitative study describes three middle-school science teachers' relationship-with-nature in personal and classroom contexts. Participating teachers had more than 7 years experience and were deemed exemplary practitioners by others. Interview data about personal context focused on photographs the teacher took representing her/his relationship-with-nature in daily life. Interview data for classroom context explored classroom events during three or more researcher observations. Transcripts were analyzed using a multiple-readings approach to data reduction (Gilligan, Brown & Rogers, 1990; Miles & Huberman, 1994, p. 14, 141). Readings generated categorical information focused on portrayals of: nature; self; and relationship-with-nature. Categorical data were synthesized into personal and teaching case portraits for each teacher, and cross case themes identified. Participants indicated the portraits accurately represented who they saw themselves to be. Additional readings identified sub-stories by plot and theme. Narrative data were clustered to highlight elements of practice with implications for the relationship-with-nature lived in the classroom. These individual-scale moments were compared with cultural-scale distinctions between anthropocentric and ecological world views. Cross case themes included dimensions of exemplary middle-school science teaching important to teacher education and development, including an expanded conception of knowing and skillful use of student experience. Categorical analysis revealed each teacher had a unique organizing theme influencing their interpretation of personal and classroom events, and that nature is experienced differently in personal as opposed to teaching contexts. Narrative analysis highlights teachers' stories of classroom pets, dissection, and student dissent, illustrating an interplay between conceptual distinctions and personal dimensions during moments of teacher decision making. Results suggest teachers' competing commitments are resolved by balancing values in unique ways for the context. More productive resolutions involve transformation of the teacher's tensions so that competing goals better coexist. Foci helpful for teacher education and development are identified. Also discussed are complex ways cultural-scale world view is reproduced, or occasionally challenged, in the classroom life of three scientifically literate, skilled, and environmentally concerned teachers. The study concludes education in schools is more likely to reproduce than challenge elements of world view contributing to ecological decline.

Aspects of Students' Reasoning about Variation in Empirical Sampling Distributions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Noll, Jennifer; Shaughnessy, J. Michael

2012-01-01

Sampling tasks and sampling distributions provide a fertile realm for investigating students' conceptions of variability. A project-designed teaching episode on samples and sampling distributions was team-taught in 6 research classrooms (2 middle school and 4 high school) by the investigators and regular classroom mathematics teachers. Data…

Reader Response in the Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chew, Charles, Ed.; And Others

Focusing on reader response in the classroom, the works collected in this book represent the results of a five-week summer institute in which 25 middle school, high school, and college teachers studied the principles and applications of literature instruction. The following essays are included: an introduction by G. Garber; "An Overview of the…

Effects of a Teacher Professional Development Intervention on Peer Relationships in Secondary Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mikami, Amori Yee; Gregory, Anne; Allen, Joseph P.; Pianta, Robert C.; Lun, Janetta

2011-01-01

We investigated the effects of My Teaching Partner-Secondary (MTP-S), a teacher professional development intervention, on students' peer relationships in middle and high school classrooms. MTP-S targets increasing teachers' positive interactions with students and sensitive instructional practices and has demonstrated improvements in students'…

A Sky-High Classroom Provides a New Perspective for Earth Science Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kolb, Albert C.

1969-01-01

Describes an earth science program conducted from an airplane for 8th grade students of Carmel Middle School, Carmel, California. The steps involved in getting the program started, the classroom work and the preparatory field trips, as well as the airborne lesson itself, are described. (LC)

Middle School Response to Intervention and Student Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Kelly A. Obrion

2013-01-01

This ex post facto descriptive-comparative quantitative study compared the differences in reading achievement between groups of 6th- through 8th-grade students enrolled in a response to intervention (RtI) classroom against groups of students enrolled in a general education classroom. Students across English language learner and low socioeconomic…

The Contribution of Perceived Classroom Learning Environment and Motivation to Student Engagement in Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tas, Yasemin

2016-01-01

This study investigated middle school students' engagement in science in relation to students' perceptions of the classroom learning environment (teacher support, student cohesiveness, and equity) and motivation (self-efficacy beliefs and achievement goals). The participants were 315 Turkish sixth and seventh grade students. Four hierarchical…

Principals' Salaries, 2005-2006

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Alicia R.

2006-01-01

How do salaries of elementary and middle school principals compare with those of other administrators and classroom teachers? Are increases in salaries of principals keeping pace with increases in salaries of classroom teachers? How have principals' salaries fared over the years when the cost of living is taken into account? To provide answers to…

Principals' Salaries, 2006-2007

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooke, Willa D.; Licciardi, Chris

2007-01-01

How do salaries of elementary and middle school principals compare with those of other administrators and classroom teachers? Are increases in salaries of principals keeping pace with increases in salaries of classroom teachers? And how have principals' salaries fared over the years when the cost of living is taken into account? This article…

A Coprolite Mystery: Who Dung It?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clary, Renee; Wandersee, James

2011-01-01

Discover the secrets contained in fossilized feces. Few topics in middle school classrooms capture students' enthusiasm and interest as do coprolites. These trace fossils offer classroom opportunities for integrated life and Earth sciences study, a stranger-than-fiction history of science, and an opportunity to solve mysteries. (Contains 8…

Student-Driven Classroom Technologies: Transmedia Navigation and Tranformative Communications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mills, Leila A.; Knezek, Gerald A.; Wakefield, Jenny S.

2013-01-01

This research paper explores middle school student attitudes towards learning with technology and proposes a design-based approach to formulating instruction that includes innovative classroom technology use with computers and communications technologies placed in the hands of students. The intent of this research is to advance practice and theory…

Helping Students Motivate Themselves: Practical Answers to Classroom Challenges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ferlazzo, Larry

2011-01-01

Give your students the tools they need to motivate themselves with tips from award-winning educator Larry Ferlazzo. A comprehensive outline of common classroom challenges, this book presents immediately applicable steps and lesson plans for all middle and high school teachers looking to help students motivate themselves. With coverage of…

Classroom Management Strategies for Difficult Students: Promoting Change through Relationships

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beaty-O'Ferrall, Mary Ellen; Green, Alan; Hanna, Fred

2010-01-01

Teachers in middle level schools face overwhelming demands and challenges in their classrooms. They are expected to know content and pedagogy, develop engaging lessons that meet the needs of diverse learners, and use a variety of instructional strategies that will boost student achievement while they simultaneously develop positive relationships…

A Situational Approach to Middle Level Teacher Leadership.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, George P.; Greenwood, Scott C.

2002-01-01

Examines the emerging concept of teacher as leader in the classroom, and offers a useful framework for practice. Finds that to exercise situational leadership in the classroom, teachers vary supportive behavior and directive behavior in response to four levels of student task development: telling, consulting, participating, and delegating. (SD)

Diverging from Traditional Paths: Reconstructing Fairy Tales in the EFL Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hayik, Rawia

2015-01-01

Framed by transactional and critical literacy theories, this teacher-research introduces practical examples of implementing antisexist pedagogy in an EFL Middle Eastern classroom. After a short preview of the gender-biased educational messages abundant in literature and pop culture, the article focuses on students' transaction with "Cinder…

Standing in the Middle of a Cyclone: Online Education Comes of Age.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maeroff, Gene I.

2002-01-01

Discusses online learning and the possible impact on classroom-based courses. Highlights include profits and online courses; problems with classroom learning; hybrid courses; potential for interactivity; adult learners and online courses; policies regarding the implementation of online learning; and a sidebar on the nature of interaction. (LRW)

Bringing History Alive in the Classroom!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McRae, Lee, Ed.

1996-01-01

This document consists of the first four issues of a serial publication, "Bringing History Alive in the Classroom!" The volumes focus on: (1) "A Sampling of Renaissance Instruments," which includes: information on Christopher Columbus, Leondardo da Vinci, and William Shakespeare, a timeline from the middle ages through the renaissance, Queen…

Struggling Adolescent Readers: A Collection of Teaching Strategies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, David W., Ed.; Alvermann, Donna E., Ed.; Hinchman, Kathleen A., Ed.

Recognizing that productively engaging low-achieving adolescents in print-rich classrooms is complicated, this book presents 40 articles that focus specifically on teaching struggling readers in middle school and high school classrooms. The articles in the book are drawn primarily from the "Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy." The book is…

Principals' Salaries, 2007-2008

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooke, Willa D.; Licciardi, Chris

2008-01-01

How do salaries of elementary and middle school principals compare with those of other administrators and classroom teachers? Are increases in salaries of principals keeping pace with increases in salaries of classroom teachers? And how have principals' salaries fared over the years when the cost of living is taken into account? There are reliable…

Middle Level Learning Number 48

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Freedman, Eric B.; Roberts, Scott L.

2013-01-01

Two articles are presented in this column. "Life in an Auto Factory: Simulating how Labor and Management Interact" by Eric B. Freedman describes a classroom simulation of management and labor relations in an auto factory. Classroom handouts are included. The next article, "Women of Action and County Names: Mary Musgrove County--Why…

Teacher Beliefs, Knowledge, and Practice of Self-Regulated Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spruce, Robin; Bol, Linda

2015-01-01

This study examined teacher beliefs, knowledge, and classroom practice of self-regulated learning for ten elementary and middle school teachers. Using Zimmerman's SRL model to frame our method and results, we administered questionnaires, observed classrooms and conducted interviews with these teachers. Teachers had positive beliefs about the role…

Science, Standards, and Differentiation: It Really Can Be Fun!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sondergeld, Toni A.; Schultz, Robert A.

2008-01-01

Teaching in a regular classroom has become more complicated than ever with increased student diversity and pressure to connect learning experiences to educational standards and test preparation. Although teaching to the middle is often what occurs in traditional classrooms to meet required standards, it is neither an appropriate nor meaningful…

Managing Diversity-Based Conflicts among Children. Fastback 414.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scott, Charles C.; And Others

This guide is designed to provide assistance in handling complex situational conflicts involving diversity through appropriate conflict management strategies for diverse classrooms at the elementary and middle school levels. Diversity-based conflict is not new in the United States. The classroom is, as it has been historically, one of the major…

Frequency of Teacher Intervention in Hallway Misconduct.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Brien, Kristine

As a student teacher who had just finished her teaching assignment at Old Dominion Middle School in central Virginia, the author was struck by differences in students' classroom and hallway behavior. Whereas students were calm and respectful inside classrooms, they pushed, cursed, and ran in hallways while teachers looked on. Wondering why…

Teachers and Technology: Present Practice and Future Directions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeCoito, Isha; Richardson, Tasha

2018-01-01

Technology cannot be effective in the classroom without teachers who are knowledgeable about both the technology itself and its implementation to meet educational goals. While technology use in the classroom is increasing, improving learning through its application should remain the goal. In this study, the authors explored 74 middle school…

Constructive Conflict Talk in Classrooms: Divergent Approaches to Addressing Divergent Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bickmore, Kathy; Parker, Christina

2014-01-01

Dialogue about social and political conflicts is a key element of democratic citizenship education that is frequently advocated in scholarship but rarely fully implemented, especially in classrooms populated by ethnically and economically heterogeneous students. Qualitative case studies describe the contrasting ways 2 primary and 2 middle-grade…

Classroom Talk for Rigorous Reading Comprehension Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wolf, Mikyung Kim; Crosson, Amy C.; Resnick, Lauren B.

2004-01-01

This study examined the quality of classroom talk and its relation to academic rigor in reading-comprehension lessons. Additionally, the study aimed to characterize effective questions to support rigorous reading comprehension lessons. The data for this study included 21 reading-comprehension lessons in several elementary and middle schools from…

Exploring the Foundations of Middle School Classroom Management.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bucher, Katherine T.; Manning, M. Lee

2002-01-01

Examines the work of several theorists who laid the groundwork for contemporary classroom management in an effort to provide educators with effective ways to encourage and teach appropriate student behavior. Notes that theoretical contributions of B.F. Skinner, Fritz Redl, William Wattenberg, William Glasser, and Thomas Gordon all have relevance…

STEM Vocational Socialization and Career Development in Middle Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kendall, Katherine A.

2017-01-01

Economic forecasts predict an unprecedented shortage of STEM workers in the United States. This study examined the vocational anticipatory socialization factors and classroom stratagems influencing middle school students' science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) career development. Student attitudes towards STEM content areas and…

Graphing Calculators as Tools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Browning, Christine A.; Garza-Kling, Gina

2010-01-01

Middle school mathematics classrooms are changing. The curriculum has changed as well. Instead of an annual return to previously encountered topics, many middle school students encounter mathematics of a varying nature, characterized in "Principles and Standards for School Mathematics" (NCTM 2000) as the five Content Standards of Number and…

Learning from Japanese Middle School Math Teachers. Fastback.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whitman, Nancy C.

This document reviews the Japanese educational system and examines middle school education in particular to identify cultural differences and help improve educational quality in the United States. Contents include: (1) "An Overview of Japanese Education"; (2) "Teacher Behavior in the Classroom"; (3) "Teacher Behavior…

A Course in Earth System Science: Developed for Teachers by Teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wong, K.; Read, K.; Charlevoix, D.; Tomkin, J.; Hug, B.; Williams, M.; Pianfetti, E.

2008-12-01

ESES 202 is a new general education course in physical science at the University of Illinois's School of Earth, Society and Environment, designed for pre-service K-8 teachers. The goal of the course is to help future classroom teachers become confident with teaching earth science content. The designers of this course include a faculty expert in earth system science, a pre-service teacher and a former middle school science teacher. The goal of the in the curriculum design was to utilize the unique perspectives and experiences of our team. Our poster will highlight the unique nature of the curriculum development outlining the challenges and successes of designing the course. The general format of the class will be a combination of discussions, hands on experiences, and opportunities for students to design their own lessons. Class meetings will be once per week in a three-hour block, allowing students to immediately transfer new content knowledge into classroom activities. The end goal is that they can use these same activities with their students once they are practicing teachers. The content of the course shall be taught using an earth systems approach by showing the relationships among the four spheres: biosphere, hydrosphere, atmospheric, and anthrosphere. There are five units in the course: Introduction to Earth Systems, Carbon Cycle, Water Quality, El Niño and Climate Change. In addition to the science portion of the course, students will spend time reflecting on the classroom activities from the perspective of future educators. Activities will be presented at a late elementary school level; however, time will be devoted to discussing methods to adapt the lesson to different grade levels and differentiation needs within a classroom. Additionally, students in this course will be instructed on how to utilize a multitude of resources from stream tables to science education databases to prepare them for the dynamic nature of the classroom. By the end of the class preservice teachers will have an organized resource binder with science content and classroom activities for each unit. This will serve as an invaluable tool for them when they enter a classroom. Most of the University students who take this course will not yet have had an opportunity to teach in their practicum. By the conclusion of the semester they will have a plethora of experience and resources with increased confidence in teaching earth science.

From Scientist to Educator: Oceanography in the Formal and Informal Classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richardson, A. H.; Jasnow, M.; Srinivasan, M. S.; Rosmorduc, V.; Blanc, F.

2002-12-01

The TOPEX/Poseidon and Jason-1 ocean altimeter missions offer the educator in the middle school or informal education venue a unique opportunity for reinforcing ocean science studies. Two new educational posters from the United States' NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory and France's Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales provide teachers and students a tool to examine topics such as the dynamics of ocean circulation, ocean research, and the oceans role in climate. "Voyage on the High Seas; A Jason-1 Oceanic Adventure" is a poster/board game that offers learning opportunities through a non-textbook activity designed to stimulate interest in ocean science in a fun and instructive environment. The object of the game is to be the first to sail your research vessel from the Mediterranean Sea to Seattle, Washington while gaining Discovery Points. The starting point in the Mediterranean is where the mythological adventurers Jason and the Argonauts set out on their epic voyage to find the golden fleece. Discovery and Quiz Cards are used to challenge players to gain knowledge and points by correctly answering questions using clues from the board. Teachers can directly photocopy additional activities from the reverse side of the board game for use in a middle school Earth science curriculum. The game is also a stand-alone poster that is an engaging world map depicting the world's oceans and continents, major ocean currents, and other important geographic features. A second poster has been developed as a joint JPL/CNES effort. "Oceans' Music: Climate's Dance" highlights the ocean/climate link and provides educational activities that can be used directly in the classroom. The eye-catching poster is appropriate for display in both the formal and informal education setting. In both venues it should stimulate conversation about the ocean and provide a point of entry into inquiry-based learning about the connections between ocean circulation and global climate. It also seeks to emphasize the role of the ocean in sustaining life on Earth. Activities on the back of the poster can be used as supplemental material in a middle school Earth science curriculum, and are suitable for individual instruction and for classroom or group exercises. This poster will be published in both English and French. Educational research indicates that an inquiry-based method of student engagement is an appropriate and effective teaching tool. These posters offer a fun and instructive environment to promote student interest in Earth Science in general and particularly in oceanography.

From the teachers' eyes: An ethnographic-case study on developing models of Informal Formative Assessments (IFA) and understanding the challenges to effective implementation in science classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sezen, Asli

The emphasis on socio-cultural theories of learning has required the understanding of multi-dimensional, dynamic and social nature of acquiring the scientific knowledge and practices. Recent policy documents suggest a focus on formative and dynamic assessment practices that will help understand and improve the complex nature of scientific learning in classrooms. This study focuses on teachers' use of "Informal Formative Assessments (IFA)" aimed at improving students' learning and teachers' frequent recognition of students' learning process. The study was designed as an ethnographic case study of four middle school teachers and their students at a local charter school. The data of the study included (a) teachers' responses to history of teaching questionnaire (b) video and audio records of teachers' assessment practices during two different scientific projects (c) video and audio records of ethnographic interviews with teachers during their reflections on their practices, and (d) field notes taken by the researcher to understand the assessment culture of the school. The analytical tools from sociolinguistics (e.g., transcripts and event maps) were prepared and discourse analysis based in an ethnographic perspective was used to analyze the data. Moreover, Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) was also introduced as an alternative data analysis framework for understanding the role of division of labor among the elements of the community on the challenges and the outcomes of IFA practices. The findings from the analysis of the classroom discourse showed three different types of IFA cycles: connected, non-connected, and repeating. The analysis of the teachers' reflections showed that the effectiveness of these cycles did not only depend on whether the cycles were connected, but also on other variables such as the phase of the lessons and student's identities and abilities. Teachers' reflections during researcher-teacher meetings on the concept and the aims of IFA improved through the use of academic literature on IFA and video-cases of their own practice. Teachers also reflected on the challenges for effective implementations of IFA and they emphasized challenges due to the division of labor among the classroom participants and the open nature of scientific knowledge. Through participation in the study, the teachers helped develop an IFA model for middle school science classrooms designed to capture the complex nature of teacher-student interaction. This model can be used for further analysis of IFA activity and professional development activities focused on assessment practices.

How to Talk About Science: Lessons from a Middle School Science Classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cushman-Patz, B. J.

2010-12-01

Middle school students are curious, energetic, and impatient. A middle school science teacher is always challenged to find ways to relate the content she’d like to convey to the students’ everyday lives, working to both satiate and foster their natural curiosity. She must communicate science in language appropriate for her audience, teaching new vocabulary words the first time she uses them, and reviewing them often. A thriving middle school science classroom is noisy, messy, and fun. Understanding what makes this classroom dynamic work can lead to better communication about science to any audience. 1) Know your bottom-line message, and keep it simple. Research science is complicated and nuanced. Your audience may be interested in some of these details, but start with the big picture first, and fill in the details as appropriate. 2) Avoid jargon. Use language that you would use to explain science to your 13-year-old neighbor or your 85-year old grandmother. They know what a volcano is, but they may not know the difference between a crater and a caldera. They definitely don’t know what a phreatomagmatic eruption is. As you introduce necessary jargon into your discussion, define it clearly in terms of something you are sure they do know and understand. 3) Engage the audience. Use pictures; use your hands; use common-reference points. Whenever possible, get the audience members to use their hands to mimic your motion. Encourage them to try to reframe what you say in terms that they’re comfortable with. Make it a two-way conversation 4) Pause. New concepts take time to absorb. Take a breath; give your audience a moment to absorb what you just explained and to formulate questions they may have. 5) Pay attention to cues. Middle school students make it obvious when they’re bored; adults tend to be more subtle. When eyes wander or eyelids droop, ask a question that engages your audience, even if it’s just, “do you follow?” or, “where did I lose you?” Communicating about science requires us to remember what it was like before we became experts in our disciplines. Middle school students think science is fun; let’s use the lessons from a successful middle school classroom to model our communication about science in general. We can work together towards a more science-literate society.

Using Kepler Light Curves for Astronomy Education and Public Outreach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cash, Jennifer; Rivers, S.; Eleby, J.; Gould, A.; Komatsu, T.

2014-01-01

We will present our efforts related to Education and Public Outreach activities using Kepler Light Curves. We are currently developing interactive web based activities to introduce the public to the general topic of Stellar Variability and Intrinsic Variable Stars in particular using the high quality light curves of over a dozen Kepler targets. Along with the public website, we are exploring areas to develop teacher guides to use Kepler Light Curves in the middle and high school classrooms. These efforts are supported through a NASA EPSCoR grant "South Carolina Joint Venture Program" via a subaward to SC State University.

Engineering design activities and conceptual change in middle school science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schnittka, Christine G.

The purpose of this research was to investigate the impact of engineering design classroom activities on conceptual change in science, and on attitudes toward and knowledge about engineering. Students were given a situated learning context and a rationale for learning science in an active, inquiry-based method, and worked in small collaborative groups. One eighth-grade physical science teacher and her students participated in a unit on heat transfer and thermal energy. One class served as the control while two others received variations of an engineering design treatment. Data were gathered from teacher and student entrance and exit interviews, audio recordings of student dialog during group work, video recordings and observations of all classes, pre- and posttests on science content and engineering attitudes, and artifacts and all assignments completed by students. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected concurrently, but analysis took place in two phases. Qualitative data were analyzed in an ongoing manner so that the researcher could explore emerging theories and trends as the study progressed. These results were compared to and combined with the results of the quantitative data analysis. Analysis of the data was carried out in the interpretive framework of analytic induction. Findings indicated that students overwhelmingly possessed alternative conceptions about heat transfer, thermal energy, and engineering prior to the interventions. While all three classes made statistically significant gains in their knowledge about heat and energy, students in the engineering design class with the targeted demonstrations made the most significant gains over the other two other classes. Engineering attitudes changed significantly in the two classes that received the engineering design intervention. Implications from this study can inform teachers' use of engineering design activities in science classrooms. These implications are: (1) Alternative conceptions will persist when not specifically addressed. (2) Engineering design activities are not enough to promote conceptual change. (3) A middle school teacher can successfully implement an engineering design-based curriculum in a science class. (4) Results may also be of interest to science curriculum developers and engineering educators involved in developing engineering outreach curricula for middle school students.

The Control of Anti-Social Behavior in Inner-City Classrooms Through the Use of Verbally Mediated Self-Control (Teaching Verbally Mediated Self-Control in the Classroom). Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blackwood, Ralph O.

This is a report on the application of operant condition methods to classroom discipline problems. The setting was Clara Tagg Brewer Elementary School in CLEVELAND, Ohio. The school is located in a community consisting mostly of lower-middle class black families. A few children come from a "run down" section of the community, including…

Middle-School Teachers' Enacted Beliefs: Negotiating the Nonnegotiables of High-Stakes Accountability Policies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howard, Christy Maranda; Miller, Samuel

2017-01-01

The purpose of case study was to examine the beliefs and practices of a successful teacher in a high poverty middle school. Specifically, the study examined the role of teacher beliefs and how these beliefs were enacted in a middle school classroom. This article, part of a larger study, focuses on 1 teacher in order to more thoroughly probe and…

Contrasts in Openness toward Mobile Learning in the Classroom: A Study of Elementary, Middle and High School Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christensen, Rhonda; Knezek, Gerald

2017-01-01

In a study involving 1414 elementary, middle school, and high school teachers from a large school district in the southwestern USA, the authors examine the similarities and differences among teachers at the three levels of K-12 education common in US school systems: elementary, middle school and high school. Major findings are that elementary…

A New Educational Scaffolding Approach to Support Authentic Solar Research in the Classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Demuth, N.; Walker, C. E.; Isbell, D. M.; Pompea, S. M.

2006-12-01

Teacher Leaders in Research Based Science Education (TLRBSE) is a multi-year teacher professional development program sponsored by NSF and administered through the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO). The program reaches the formal education community through a national audience of well-trained and supported middle- and high-school teachers. Every year, a new cohort of teachers prepare for research through an on-line course in the spring. In the summer they conduct astronomy research at NOAO, working with astronomer-mentors to gather and analyze their data. They then return to their classrooms and engage their students in inquiry-based astronomy research using this authentic data. TLRBSE has much to offer teachers both inside and outside the program who wish to initiate research in the classroom. However, the activation energy to conduct authentic research is high. To address the needs of a wider audience of teachers and students, steps have been taken to supply web-based foundational resources for the solar research program. Teachers can use this "solar scaffolding" to support the implementation of authentic solar research in the classroom. The scaffolding files on the webpage will serve as a template for other TLRBSE research strands, as well as enable non-TLRBSE middle and high school teachers to download and use TLRBSE data in their own classrooms. The resultant webpage has links to high quality, vetted resources (webpages, interactives, movies, etc.) that provide content background and lesson plans relevant to solar research. Tools on presenting research, print resources, sample articles on research, videos, DVDs, and posters are included. Powerpoint presentations have been provided with lecture notes on themes ranging from "Why Study the Sun" to "The Nature of Light." Sample teaching materials give examples for a calendar to implement the research project, a daily point sheet, a rubric for a student poster evaluation, a student research project description and a student self evaluation. Various background activities help to pave the way to more challenging solar research projects. As a culminating feature, the website includes several downloadable support files from the TLRBSE solar research project, as well as the solar data files and software programs. These scaffolding resources and future directions will be described in detail. NOAO is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), Inc. under cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation. For further information on the TLRBSE.

Effectiveness of flipped classroom with Poll Everywhere as a teaching-learning method for pharmacy students

PubMed Central

Gubbiyappa, Kumar Shiva; Barua, Ankur; Das, Biswadeep; Vasudeva Murthy, C. R.; Baloch, Hasnain Zafar

2016-01-01

Objectives: Flipped classroom (FC) is a pedagogical model to engage students in learning process by replacing the didactic lectures. Using technology, lectures are moved out of the classroom and delivered online as means to provide interaction and collaboration. Poll Everywhere is an audience response system (ARS) which can be used in an FC to make the activities more interesting, engaging, and interactive. This study aims to study the perception of undergraduate pharmacy students on FC activity using Poll Everywhere ARS and to study the effectiveness of FC activity as a teaching-learning tool for delivering complementary medicine module in the undergraduate pharmacy program. Materials and Methods: In this nonrandomized trial on interrupted time series study, flipped class was conducted on group of 112 students of bachelor of pharmacy semester V. The topic selected was popular herbal remedies of the complementary medicine module. Flipped class was conducted with audio and video presentation in the form of a quiz using ten one-best-answer type of multiple-choice questions covering the learning objectives. Audience response was captured using web-based interaction with Poll Everywhere. Feedback was obtained from participants at the end of FC activity and debriefing was done. Results: Randomly selected 112 complete responses were included in the final analysis. There were 47 (42%) male and 65 (58%) female respondents. The overall Cronbach’s alpha of feedback questionnaire was 0.912. The central tendencies and dispersions of items in the questionnaire indicated the effectiveness of FC. The low or middle achievers of quiz session (pretest) during the FC activity were three times (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.1–8.9) at the risk of providing neutral or negative feedback than high achievers (P = 0.040). Those who gave neutral or negative feedback on FC activity were 3.9 times (95% CI = 1.3–11.8) at the risk of becoming low or middle achievers during the end of semester examination (P = 0.013). The multivariate analysis of “Agree” or “Disagree” and “Agree” or “Strongly Agree” was statistically significant. Conclusion: This study provides insight on how the pharmacy students learn and develop their cognitive functions. The results revealed that the FC activity with Poll Everywhere is an effective teaching-learning method. PMID:28031607

Effectiveness of flipped classroom with Poll Everywhere as a teaching-learning method for pharmacy students.

PubMed

Gubbiyappa, Kumar Shiva; Barua, Ankur; Das, Biswadeep; Vasudeva Murthy, C R; Baloch, Hasnain Zafar

2016-10-01

Flipped classroom (FC) is a pedagogical model to engage students in learning process by replacing the didactic lectures. Using technology, lectures are moved out of the classroom and delivered online as means to provide interaction and collaboration. Poll Everywhere is an audience response system (ARS) which can be used in an FC to make the activities more interesting, engaging, and interactive. This study aims to study the perception of undergraduate pharmacy students on FC activity using Poll Everywhere ARS and to study the effectiveness of FC activity as a teaching-learning tool for delivering complementary medicine module in the undergraduate pharmacy program. In this nonrandomized trial on interrupted time series study, flipped class was conducted on group of 112 students of bachelor of pharmacy semester V. The topic selected was popular herbal remedies of the complementary medicine module. Flipped class was conducted with audio and video presentation in the form of a quiz using ten one-best-answer type of multiple-choice questions covering the learning objectives. Audience response was captured using web-based interaction with Poll Everywhere. Feedback was obtained from participants at the end of FC activity and debriefing was done. Randomly selected 112 complete responses were included in the final analysis. There were 47 (42%) male and 65 (58%) female respondents. The overall Cronbach's alpha of feedback questionnaire was 0.912. The central tendencies and dispersions of items in the questionnaire indicated the effectiveness of FC. The low or middle achievers of quiz session (pretest) during the FC activity were three times (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.1-8.9) at the risk of providing neutral or negative feedback than high achievers ( P = 0.040). Those who gave neutral or negative feedback on FC activity were 3.9 times (95% CI = 1.3-11.8) at the risk of becoming low or middle achievers during the end of semester examination ( P = 0.013). The multivariate analysis of "Agree" or "Disagree" and "Agree" or "Strongly Agree" was statistically significant. This study provides insight on how the pharmacy students learn and develop their cognitive functions. The results revealed that the FC activity with Poll Everywhere is an effective teaching-learning method.

Dillard Drive Middle & Elementary School, Raleigh, North Carolina.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Design Cost Data, 2001

2001-01-01

Presents design features of the Dillard Drive Middle & Elementary School (North Carolina) that incorporates daylighting in the majority of the classrooms, the gymnasium, dining room, and media center. The design also uses advanced lighting controls, fiber optic networking, automatic environmental controls, and an energy management system that…

Who's Really Struggling?: Middle School Teachers' Perceptions of Struggling Readers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moreau, Leah K.

2014-01-01

This study explored middle school teachers' perceptions of struggling readers, including influences such as: understandings of components and factors relating to reading difficulties; views of struggling readers' behaviours and affect; classroom implications of their difficulties; and feelings of both competency and responsibility in the teaching…

Teamwork Evaluation by Middle Grade Students in Inclusive Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Strom, Paris S.; Thompson, MaryEllen; Strom, Robert D.

2013-01-01

Teamwork skills are considered essential in a work environment characterized by diversity and interdependence. Consequently, middle grade teachers arrange cooperative learning so students can acquire experience with solving problems in groups. Teachers also acknowledge that they are frustrated because appropriate instruments are lacking to track…

Research Supporting Middle Grades Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hough, David L., Ed.

2010-01-01

Exemplary Middle Grades Research: Evidence-Based Studies Linking Theory to Practice features research published throughout 2009 in MGRJ that has been identified by the Information Age Publishing's review board as the most useful in terms of assisting educators with making practical applications from evidence-based studies to classroom and school…

Perceptions of Relatedness with Classroom Peers Promote Adolescents’ Behavioral Engagement and Achievement in Secondary School

PubMed Central

Mikami, Amori Yee; Ruzek, Erik A.; Hafen, Christopher A.; Gregory, Anne; Allen, Joseph P.

2017-01-01

Secondary school is a vulnerable time where stagnation or declines in classroom behavioral engagement occur for many students, and peer relationships take on a heightened significance. We examined the implications of adolescents’ perceptions of relatedness with classroom peers for their academic learning. Participants were 1084 adolescents (53% female) in 65 middle and high school classrooms. Multilevel cross-lagged path analyses found that adolescents’ perceived relatedness with classroom peers subsequently predicted their increased self-reported behavioral engagement in that classroom from fall to winter and again from winter to spring. Higher engagement in spring predicted higher end of year objective achievement test scores after statistical control of prior year test scores. Implications are discussed for increasing classroom peer relatedness to enhance adolescents’ achievement. PMID:28755252

Shifting Sands: Balancing U.S. Interests in the Middle East. Public Policy Debate in the Classroom. Choices for the 21st Century Education Project [and] Teacher's Resource Book.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown Univ., Providence, RI. Thomas J. Watson, Jr. Inst. for International Studies.

This text asks students to analyze the mix of interests and values that have drawn the U.S. into the Middle East. High school students are to consider the principles and assumptions driving the expanded presence of the U.S. into the Middle East. Part 1 surveys the history of U.S. involvement in the Middle East up to the Persian Gulf War. Part 2…

SciNews: Incorporating Science Current Events in 21st Century Classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DiMaggio, E.

2011-12-01

Middle school students are instructed with the aid of textbooks, lectures, and activities to teach topics that satisfy state standards. However, teaching materials created to convey standard-aligned science concepts often leave students asking how the content relates to their lives and why they should be learning it. Conveying relevance is important for student learning and retention, especially in science where abstract concepts can often be incorrectly perceived as irrelevant. One way to create an educational link between classroom content and everyday life is through the use of scientific current events. Students read, hear, and watch media coverage of natural events (such as the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan), but do not necessarily relate the scientific information from media sources to classroom studies. Taking advantage of these brief 'teachable moments'--when student interest is high--provides a valuable opportunity to make classroom-to-everyday life associations and to incorporate inquiry based learning. To address this need, I create pre-packaged current event materials for middle to high school teachers that align to state standards, and which are short, effective, and easy to implement in the classroom. Each lesson takes approximately 15-30 minutes to implement, allowing teachers time to facilitate brief but meaningful discussions. I assemble materials within approximately one week of the regional or global science event, consisting of short slide shows, maps, videos, pictures, and real-time data. I use a listserv to send biweekly emails to subscribed instructors containing the current event topic and a link to download the materials. All materials are hosted on the Arizona State University Education Outreach SciNews website (http://sese.asu.edu/teacher-resources) and are archived. Currently, 285 educators subscribe to the SciNews listserv, representing 36 states and 19 countries. In order to assess the effectiveness and usefulness of SciNews materials, each lesson links to a brief online survey. I ask educators for basic information (grade level, number of students) as well as feedback on lesson content, accessibility of media types used, agreement with standards, and general comments on how to improve SciNews. Survey results show that SciNews lessons have been implemented in elementary through college classrooms. Comments express an overall agreement that Scinews lessons facilitate classroom discussion, heighten student interest in the topic, and that lessons are easy to use and modify. Current events help demonstrate to students that, unlike fact-filled textbooks suggest, science is not static and scientists are actively investigating many 'textbook' concepts. Showing students the process and progressive nature of scientific information reinforces critical thinking rather than pure memorization.

Effective science teaching in a high poverty middle school: A case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meyer, Georgette Wright

This qualitative case study described the characteristics of science teachers in a high poverty urban middle school whose 2010 scores on South Carolina's Palmetto Assessment of State Standards (PASS) ranked second in the state. Data was obtained through classroom observations, open-ended interviews, school documents, and photographs taken inside the school from ten participants, who were seven science teachers, a science coach, and two administrators. Findings revealed a school culture that pursued warm and caring relationships with students while communicating high expectations for achievement, strong central leadership who communicated their vision and continuously checked for its implementation through informal conversations, frequent classroom observations, and test score analysis. A link between participants' current actions and their perception of prior personal and professional experiences was found. Participants related their classroom actions to the lives of the students outside of school, and evidenced affection for their students.

Practicing What We Teach: A Self-Study in Implementing an Inquiry-Based Curriculum in a Middle Grades Classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dias, Michael; Eick, Charles J.; Brantley-Dias, Laurie

2011-02-01

A science teacher educator returned to teaching adolescents after more than 10 years in the professoriate. We studied his beliefs, practice and daily use of inquiry pedagogy while implementing a reform-based curriculum. Reflection on practice was evidenced by a weekly journal, classroom observations and debriefings, and extensive interviews. Newly developed practical knowledge from this experience shifted the science teacher educator's beliefs away from the Piagetian structuralism espoused in prescribed curricula towards a more culturally responsive, student-driven approach to teaching science to middle grades students. The merits and limitations of curricula attempting to follow traditional scientific practices are discussed.

Dosage effects of a preventive social-emotional learning intervention on achievement loss associated with middle school transition.

PubMed

Rosenblatt, Jennifer L; Elias, Maurice J

2008-11-01

A number of studies have documented a normative decline in academic achievement across the transition from elementary school to middle or junior high school. The current study examined the effectiveness of varying levels of a social-emotional learning intervention, Talking with TJ, in limiting achievement loss across transition. Data were gathered on 154 students during their fifth and sixth grade years in an urban, low socio-economic school district. Students participated in the Talking with TJ program over their fifth grade years, and curriculum fidelity in individual classrooms was evaluated. Changes in grade point average were assessed across the middle school transition. Overall, students showed a significant decline in GPA across the transition. Students in classrooms where higher dosages of intervention were delivered showed significantly smaller drops in GPA across transition than did students in lower dosage classrooms. Data on differential program effectiveness among demographic groups and along varying levels of baseline emotional intelligence also are presented. Editors' Strategic Implications: The authors present promising findings for a school transition program, link dosage to effects, and raise interesting theoretical questions about the relationships between social-emotional learning and academic growth and achievement.

Decision Matrices: Tools to Enhance Middle School Engineering Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gonczi, Amanda L.; Bergman, Brenda G.; Huntoon, Jackie; Allen, Robin; McIntyre, Barb; Turner, Sheri; Davis, Jen; Handler, Rob

2017-01-01

Decision matrices are valuable engineering tools. They allow engineers to objectively examine solution options. Decision matrices can be incorporated in K-12 classrooms to support authentic engineering instruction. In this article we provide examples of how decision matrices have been incorporated into 6th and 7th grade classrooms as part of an…

Further Fostering Intrinsic Motivation in the Montessori Elementary Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fitch, Victoria A.

2013-01-01

The Montessori classroom appears to be the ideal learning environment for children throughout elementary and middle school. It is based on the philosophy of Dr. Maria Montessori which describes an environment tailored to the Sensitive Periods of children, prepared with materials appropriate for the age and abilities of the children in a particular…

Integrating Interactive Simulations into the Mathematics Classroom: Supplementing, Enhancing, or Driving?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Findley, Kelly; Whitacre, Ian; Hensberry, Karina

2017-01-01

High-tech tools can be integrated to serve a number of purposes in the mathematics classroom, with different purposes being appropriate for different learning goals. We focus specifically on the various purposes for interactive simulations (sims). This study followed three experienced middle-school mathematics teachers integrating PhET sims into…

Games for the Foreign Language Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McMillan, Nancy; Madaras, Susan W.

Two marketing games are described, "Le Marche Francais" and "El Mercado: The Mexican Market Comes to Life in the Spanish Classroom." Both are patterned after a published game entitled "Market: A Simulation Game." The adaptation in each instance relied on simplifying the original game and presenting it in a form understandable to middle school…

What Makes an Effective Teacher? Quasi-Experimental Evidence. NBER Working Paper No. 16885

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lavy, Victor

2011-01-01

This paper measures empirically the relationship between classroom teaching practices and student achievements. Based on primary- and middle-school data from Israel, I find very strong evidence that two important elements of teaching practices cause student achievements to improve. In particular, classroom teaching that emphasizes the instilment…

Evidence of Middle School Science Assessment Practice from Classroom-Based Portfolios

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kloser, Matthew; Borko, Hilda; Martinez, Jose Felipe; Stecher, Brian; Luskin, Rebecca

2017-01-01

Assessments are powerful tools for informing teachers and students about where student thinking stands with relation to a learning goal. Yet, few studies provide qualitative analyses of assessment practice across a unit. This study uses a framework of nine dimensions of effective assessment practice in science classrooms to compare more and less…

Support for Struggling Students in Algebra: Contributions of Incorrect Worked Examples

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barbieri, Christina; Booth, Julie L.

2016-01-01

Middle school algebra students (N = 125) randomly assigned within classroom to a Problem-solving control group, a Correct worked examples control group, or an Incorrect worked examples group, completed an experimental classroom study to assess the differential effects of incorrect examples versus the two control groups on students' algebra…

Developing a Vision for the Common Core Classroom: What Does Elementary Social Studies Look Like?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Britt, Judy; Howe, Mandi

2014-01-01

In each edition of their book "Doing History: Investigating with Children in Elementary and Middle Schools", Levstik and Barton (2011) encourage us to take a mental journey to imagine classrooms where students regularly "do history" (xi). The social studies experiences that many educators envision for elementary classrooms…

Increasing Digital Media and Learning in Classrooms through School-University Partnerships

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herro, Danielle; Qian, Meihua; Jacques, Lorraine

2017-01-01

This article describes findings from a faculty-in-residence program at a Southern middle school in the United States. The goal of the school-university partnership was to increase digital media and learning (DML) integration in classrooms and provide the university with contextualized experiences to strengthen its teacher education programs.…

Perceptions and Preferences of a Learning Environment: Multidimensional Scaling Approaches.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Muscella, Deborah

Thirty-two kindergarten children, nine parents, and two teachers participated in a study of classroom learning environments. Participants included lower and middle income White and Hispanic families; the children were enrolled in three schools in the southwestern United States. Both interviews and pictures of classroom learning events were used to…

Enhancing Critical Thinking in High School English and Theatre Arts.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baker, Tonya; Delmonico, Janine

This report describes a program for enhancing critical thinking skills within the high school English and theatre classrooms. The targeted population consists of high school students in two multicultural middle-class suburbs of Chicago. The lack of critical thinking in the classroom was documented through data garnered from teacher observations,…

Understanding, Questioning, and Representing Mathematics: What Makes a Difference in Middle School Classrooms?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Capraro, Mary Margaret; Capraro, Robert M.; Carter, Tamara; Harbaugh, Adam

2010-01-01

Understanding the nexus of theorized Teaching Quality Measures (TQMs) and classroom enactments of learning goals is important. Video and student performance data for a two-year period were examined for two sixth grade mathematics teachers. Due to their importance in contributing to the development of mathematical conceptual understanding, the TQMs…

Musical Exploration Using ICT in the Middle and Secondary School Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ward, Christopher J.

2009-01-01

In this article, I explore musical creativity through Information and Communication Technology (ICT). This article aims to show that secondary school pupils can compose freely using ICT in the classroom, easing and "democratizing" the creative process, enabling a high standard for all, regardless of formal musical training. The fieldwork…

Posters that Foster Cognition in the Classroom: Multimedia Theory Applied to Educational Posters

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hubenthal, Michael; O'Brien, Thomas; Taber, John

2011-01-01

Despite a decline in popularity within US society, posters continue to hold a prominent place within middle and high school science classrooms. Teachers' demand is satisfied by governmental and non-profit science organizations that produce and disseminate posters as tangible products resulting from their research, and instruments to communicate…

Teaching with Interactive Picture E-Books in Grades K-6

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schugar, Heather Ruetschlin; Smith, Carol A.; Schugar, Jordan T.

2013-01-01

This article presents general implications for using interactive electronic picture books in the classroom. The suggestions are rooted in research with middle grades readers in a tutoring setting and kindergarten through fourth-grade classroom settings. Specific attention is given toward those features in eBooks that may distract, support, or…

Introducing Synchrotrons Into the Classroom

ScienceCinema

Bloch, Ashley; Lanzirotti, Tony

2018-06-08

Brookhaven's Introducing Synchrotrons Into the Classroom (InSynC) program gives teachers and their students access to the National Synchrotron Light Source through a competitive proposal process. The first batch of InSynC participants included a group of students from Islip Middle School, who used the massive machine to study the effectiveness of different what filters.

Information Management Tools for Classrooms: Exploring Database Management Systems. Technical Report No. 28.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Freeman, Carla; And Others

In order to understand how the database software or online database functioned in the overall curricula, the use of database management (DBMs) systems was studied at eight elementary and middle schools through classroom observation and interviews with teachers and administrators, librarians, and students. Three overall areas were addressed:…

Science Achievement of Students in Co-Taught, Inquiry-Based Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brusca-Vega, Rita; Brown, Kathleen; Yasutake, David

2011-01-01

This case investigation followed the progress of middle students with disabilities, their peers, and teachers in co-taught science classrooms where a hands-on, inquiry-based curriculum was used. Students with disabilities (n=21), including learning disabilities, mild intellectual impairment, and mild autism were placed in co-taught classes with…

The Impact of Peer Support upon the Integration of Technology into a Middle School Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pantall, Shane

2012-01-01

This action-research dissertation examined the impact peer collaboration had upon a teacher's comfort level when using and integrating technology in the classroom, attitude toward integrating technology, and improvement of technology skill level. Teachers' responses to the surveys indicated that teachers became more comfortable utilizing…

Improving Expository Writing Skills with Explicit and Strategy Instructional Methods in Inclusive Middle School Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cihak, David F.; Castle, Kristin

2011-01-01

Forty eighth grade students with and without learning disabilities in an inclusive classroom participated in an adapted Step-Up to Writing (Auman, 2002) intervention program. The intervention targeted expository essays and composing topic, detail, transitional, and concluding sentences. A repeated-measures ANOVA indicated that both students with…

Synthesizing the Evidence on Classroom Goal Structures in Middle and Secondary Schools: A Meta-Analysis and Narrative Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Givens Rolland, Rebecca

2012-01-01

This meta-analysis and narrative review synthesizes the literature on classroom goal structures and their relationships with student outcomes, focusing additionally on the ways in which these constructs are operationalized across research studies. Specifically, this study evaluates the relationships between students' perceptions of mastery and…

GPS for the English Classroom: Understanding Executive Dysfunction in Secondary Students with Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Azano, Amy; Tuckwiller, Elizabeth D.

2011-01-01

This article identifies instructional strategies that capitalize on the cognitive strengths of students with ASD by exploring the executive dysfunction theory of ASD. The authors focus on the middle/secondary English classroom where students are often in inclusive settings with a general education teacher. (Contains 1 table and 2 figures.)

Teacherly Love: Intimacy, Commitment, and Passion in Classroom Life.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldstein, Lisa S.

1998-01-01

Describes the particular feelings that constitute "teacherly love," drawing upon research conducted in an upper-middle-class, primary-grade classroom in northern California. Contends that teacherly love is a distinct and unique type of love, both like and unlike other kinds of love that previously have been studied. (40 citations) (VWC)

Music Program of Study: Educational Program Definition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

West Virginia State Dept. of Education, Charleston.

The West Virginia music study program is a public school K-12 curriculum sequence. This program is divided into the four principal areas of: (1) general classroom music; (2) string instrumental music; (3) wind and percussion instrumental music; and (4) choral music. The general classroom music program is an early and middle childhood sequence of…

Classroom Climate, Rigorous Instruction and Curriculum, and Students' Interactions in Urban Middle Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matsumura, Lindsay Clare; Slater, Sharon Cadman; Crosson, Amy

2008-01-01

In this study we investigated the relation of rigorous instructional practices and teachers' efforts to create a respectful, collaborative learning environment to students' positive behavior toward one another and to the rate and quality of students' participation in classroom discussions. Full class period (i.e., 50-minute) observations of…

Multimodal Teacher Input and Science Learning in a Middle School Sheltered Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Ying

2016-01-01

This article reports the results of an ethnographic research about the multimodal science discourse in a sixth-grade sheltered classroom involving English Language Learners (ELLs) only. Drawing from the perspective of multimodality, this study examines how science learning is constructed in science lectures through multiple semiotic resources,…

Writing-to-Learn in the Inquiry-Science Classroom: Effective Strategies from Middle School Science and Writing Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baker, William P.; Barstack, Renee; Clark, Diane; Hull, Elizabeth; Goodman, Ben; Kook, Judy; Kraft, Kaatje; Ramakrishna, Pushpa; Roberts, Elisabeth; Shaw, Jerome; Weaver, David; Lang, Michael

2008-01-01

Student writing skills are an important concern for every teacher. This is especially true when using inquiry-based approaches in the science classroom. Writing promotes critical-thinking skills and construction of vital scientific concepts and challenges ingrained misconceptions. Yet, many teachers encounter practical problems when incorporating…

AMOEBA: Designing for Collaboration in Computer Science Classrooms through Live Learning Analytics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berland, Matthew; Davis, Don; Smith, Carmen Petrick

2015-01-01

AMOEBA is a unique tool to support teachers' orchestration of collaboration among novice programmers in a non-traditional programming environment. The AMOEBA tool was designed and utilized to facilitate collaboration in a classroom setting in real time among novice middle school and high school programmers utilizing the IPRO programming…

Observed Changes in Classroom Behavior Utilizing Supportive Intervention.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swift, J. Nathan; And Others

The effects of instructional guides and wait-time feedback upon the classroom interaction of 40 middle school science teachers were investigated in a prior study. The experimental nature of that study produced an artificial situation involving little personal contact between teacher-participants and the research staff. Therefore, a subsample of 10…

Exploring Middle School Students' Use of Inscriptions in Project-Based Science Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wu, Hsin-Kai; Krajcik, Joseph S.

2006-01-01

This study explores seventh graders' use of inscriptions in a teacher-designed project-based science unit. To investigate students' learning practices during the 8-month water quality unit, we collected multiple sources of data (e.g., classroom video recordings, student artifacts, and teacher interviews) and employed analytical methods that drew…