{"title":"Examining Teaching and Learning Environments among Kentucky Schools to Watch and Non-Schools to Watch Schools Using TELL Survey Data","authors":"M. Dicicco, Ryan Alverson","doi":"10.20429/cimle.2022.270103","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20429/cimle.2022.270103","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":188728,"journal":{"name":"Current Issues in Middle Level Education","volume":"39 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121045351","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Celebrating 25 Years of the National Association of Professors of Middle Level Education","authors":"Bridget K. Coleman, N. Ruppert","doi":"10.20429/cimle.2022.270102","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20429/cimle.2022.270102","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":188728,"journal":{"name":"Current Issues in Middle Level Education","volume":"48 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129197945","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Reflection on Best Practices in Designing Online Middle Level Learning","authors":"Holly J. Thornton","doi":"10.20429/cimle.2022.270104","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20429/cimle.2022.270104","url":null,"abstract":"An increase in online learning during the pandemic has led to new thinking about online instruction that will last far beyond the pandemic. The hurried nature of instructional design as the pandemic shifted teaching and learning from the classroom to the computer may have neglected the need to design lessons using best practices online instead of focusing on content delivery and grading. Practices that are part of successful middle level education including cultivating depth of student understanding, developmental responsiveness, social emotional learning, and differentiation to meet young adolescent student needs may have been neglected in pandemic online lesson design. This article suggests that now is the time to pause for reflection on previous online learning design as teachers use a guided process built on successful middle level practices. As teachers reflect on their previous online experiences and what they know and understand as expert middle level educators, the future of online learning will become more meaningful not only for teachers but also for the young adolescent learners they are committed to reach and teach.","PeriodicalId":188728,"journal":{"name":"Current Issues in Middle Level Education","volume":"11 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128036270","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Fostering and Maintaining Relationships: Teacher Education During COVID-19","authors":"Jessica VanValkenburgh, Aaron R. Gierhart","doi":"10.20429/cimle.2022.260203","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20429/cimle.2022.260203","url":null,"abstract":"This article expounds how our pedagogical practices have changed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of these effects others have contended with in the education community. The authors share pedagogical strategies they have found to be effective in terms of building and supporting relationships with teacher candidates. They suggest using digitally-mediated teaching and learning strategies, staying connected with students, and badge-based assessment and feedback approaches to build and support relationships with students, examples of the instructional design and implementation strategies are described. The authors propose that when looking forward, teachers at any level may benefit from providing students with an environment in which they feel heard and supported.","PeriodicalId":188728,"journal":{"name":"Current Issues in Middle Level Education","volume":"32 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-04-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127483488","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Randa N. Elbih, Elyssa R. Miller, Grace Sheldon, Mackenzie Wilson
{"title":"Integrating Social Studies Education with Mathematics: Pre-service Teachers’ Use of the Pyramids of Giza to plan a STEM Lesson","authors":"Randa N. Elbih, Elyssa R. Miller, Grace Sheldon, Mackenzie Wilson","doi":"10.20429/cimle.2022.260204","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20429/cimle.2022.260204","url":null,"abstract":"Pre-service teachers (PSTs) often struggle to teach STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) content effectively due to lack of training on how to plan a STEM lesson in meaningful ways as well as which subjects to integrate. This dilemma often results in an avoidance of STEM methodology altogether. This paper describes a productive method for training PSTs to successfully teach STEM lessons by using Social Studies content to integrate with Mathematics and Science and to provide context and connection to real-world applications. Along with providing a STEM lesson, the article demonstrates the critical role Social Studies can play as the “glue” for some integrated lesson plans.","PeriodicalId":188728,"journal":{"name":"Current Issues in Middle Level Education","volume":"77 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-04-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131930982","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Preparing Middle Grades Candidates for edTPA in Uncertain Times","authors":"Holly H. Pinter, D. Virtue","doi":"10.20429/cimle.2022.260205","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20429/cimle.2022.260205","url":null,"abstract":"Teacher candidates in North Carolina must earn a passing score on the edTPA assessment to get certified. The middle grades education program at Western Carolina University integrates aspects of the edTPA assessment throughout pre-student teaching coursework and field experiences to prepare candidates for this high-stakes assessment. Some of the edTPA practice assignments serve as key assessments that help the middle grades program faculty evaluate the program and make decisions about curriculum. The pivot to remote and blended learning formats on campus and in partner middle level schools affected the implementation of the edTPA-related assignments. The authors share some of the challenges of implementing edTPA practice portfolios during the pandemic as well as insights gleaned from their assessment of the data.","PeriodicalId":188728,"journal":{"name":"Current Issues in Middle Level Education","volume":"165 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-04-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121278325","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
E. S. Stewart, Jeasik Cho, Mellinee Lesley, Julie Smit
{"title":"Home Literacy Initiatives of Middle School Families During the 2020 Quarantine Period: Transformation in Education?","authors":"E. S. Stewart, Jeasik Cho, Mellinee Lesley, Julie Smit","doi":"10.20429/cimle.2022.260202","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20429/cimle.2022.260202","url":null,"abstract":"The coronavirus pandemic changed everything almost overnight for students and their families. The purpose of this qualitative case study, thus, was to investigate the views of families about the student change in education for their middle school children, particularly literacy practices, during the pandemic. Drawing on Bourdieu's (1984) theoretical framework of cultural capital, coupled with economic status, funds of knowledge, and crisis management, we conducted interviews with four parents. Using the in vivo coding data analysis method, we identified some key preliminary findings: all-day happy hour, the strange disconnection between teachers and parents, and soft and hard approaches to school-home literacy. Participants revealed very distinctive dispositions to make this \"school-home\" education work on their own. These parental dispositions and new meaning-making from their children's education developed into what we referred to as \"parentagogy,\" as they determined for themselves the skills they would need to use to help their children succeed in their new roles as parent and educators. This study confirms the importance of parental value in education.","PeriodicalId":188728,"journal":{"name":"Current Issues in Middle Level Education","volume":"13 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-04-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114606539","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Introduction to the Issue","authors":"A.J.W. Wall","doi":"10.20429/cimle.2021.260101","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20429/cimle.2021.260101","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":188728,"journal":{"name":"Current Issues in Middle Level Education","volume":"14 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"134588356","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"“A Brave Group of People”: Teacher Candidates’ Perceptions of Teaching in Middle School","authors":"Bettie Perry, Jori S. Beck, KaaVonia Hinton","doi":"10.20429/cimle.2021.260102","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20429/cimle.2021.260102","url":null,"abstract":"We set out to create a middle grades program and to inform the field about the perceptions of our teacher candidates on teaching middle school. To accomplish these twin goals, we sought to better understand our teacher candidates’ perceptions of teaching middle school and how these perceptions might be changed if necessary. Our review of research included three themes to frame this work: (a) middle school philosophy, (b) motivations to teach, and (c) middle school teacher preparation. We chose an emergent, qualitative research design to cull rich data from diverse stakeholders including open-ended survey data. We found an overarching deficit narrative about middle school students even though teacher candidates expressed admiration for middle school teachers. Our teacher candidates professed a need for coursework on classroom management and adolescent psychology as well as more field experiences to better prepare them for careers in the middle grades. Implications for middle grades programs are discussed, including the structure of field experiences and teacher preparation curriculum. We explain specific revisions to our own program in the attempt to generate analytic generalizability.","PeriodicalId":188728,"journal":{"name":"Current Issues in Middle Level Education","volume":"116 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114472804","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Shelli L. Casler-Failing, Alma R. Stevenson, Beverly A. King Miller
{"title":"Integrating Mathematics, Science, and Literacy into a Culturally Responsive STEM After-School Program","authors":"Shelli L. Casler-Failing, Alma R. Stevenson, Beverly A. King Miller","doi":"10.20429/cimle.2021.260103","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20429/cimle.2021.260103","url":null,"abstract":"This manuscript shares the implementation of an after-school literacy in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) program designed for middle grades students to increase their interest in science and mathematics learning. This program was conducted at our local Boys and Girls Club facilities where students learned about four science topics (renewable energy, water cycle, Newton’s laws, and natural disasters). Students participated in culturally responsive reading and writing activities incorporating culturally relevant books, journal writing, hands-on projects, and a culminating science fair presentation on the topic of their choice. The authors determined that using literature, particularly culturally responsive picture books and graphic novels, to bridge the students’ understanding of scientific and mathematical concepts was an important component of this program. The students’ reactions to the program reflect the importance of offering a variety of avenues for students to represent their understanding, and they corroborate the significance of after-school programs to provide opportunities for diverse student populations to participate in culturally responsive programs to promote literacy and interest in STEM disciplines. Introduction There is much research reporting that people of color have been, and continue to be, underrepresented in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields. How do we create opportunities that support middle grades students in becoming interested in a STEM field? Our answer—in an area of the rural southeast where over 40% of the population is nonWhite and 14% of the population lives in poverty (United States Census Bureau, 2019)—was to partner with the local Boys and Girls Club (BGC) to offer an engaging after-school experience for middle grades students integrating mathematics, science, and literacy skills through curriculum and pedagogy grounded in culturally responsive practices. This manuscript reports on the program design and implementation conducted at our local BGC; we present information gleaned from our program and share the perceived effect on students’ interest in learning science and mathematics after participating in this program. 1 Casler-Failing et al.: Integrating Math, Sci, and Lit into a Culturally Responsive Program Published by Digital Commons@Georgia Southern, 2021 Why Culturally Responsive Practices? The past two decades of educational reform efforts in the US brought the implementation of standards-based curriculum with the purpose of improving education. However, these measures have not prompted significant improvement among economically disadvantaged and underserved minority students, as demonstrated in recent national assessments (Hussar & Bailey, 2017). The National Research Council (2012) frames science education as a cultural effort where collaborative work is highly valued and beneficial to students; collaboration strengthens the educational experience by","PeriodicalId":188728,"journal":{"name":"Current Issues in Middle Level Education","volume":"44 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124322012","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}