Title: Middle School Organization: Practices Reflecting Values
Author(s): Paul S. George, et al Source/Date: George, P. S., C., Thomason, J., & Beane, C. (1992). The Middle school--and beyond. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Main Idea/Purpose (2-3 sentences): Group and community work is an effective measure for Middle School aged youth. Through multiple examples provided from various community projects and coursework, George makes a convincing argument on the benefits of inclusive group work. Short Overview (including any important quotes): Paul George begins this chapter with an overview of the seven practices that reflect basic values: setting the context and climate for learning, establishing guidance and advisory groups, promoting team identity and belonging, teaching through interdisciplinary exploration, effectively organizing time and space, advocating multicultural awareness, and integrating the school and community (p.49). These values are each presented in this chapter and largely focus on the importance of groups and involvement in the community. Setting the Context and Climate for Learning: George explains early in this section a study by Garvin who surveyed thousands of parents to ask them “what would you like the middle school level school to provide for your child?” (p.50). Parents wanted to ensure the safety of their children, wanted their child to “know at least one adult” they could reach out to for support, sought “the curriculum to include opportunities for children to get involves in activities,” and wanted their children to have good experiences (p.50). Garvin realized that parents, as George explained, were concerned about safety and security and wanted an overall healthy school environment for their children (p.50). Establishing Guidance Advisory Groups: For personal development and building self-esteem, “students need to seek information about themselves in a positive, nonthreatening, and non-graded environment” (p.56). Effective schools are able to provide groups, typically programs or extra-curricular activities, that “best match young adolescents’ needs” (p.57). Teacher availability before school begins is another important element for advising to adolescents. Promoting Team Identity and Belonging: Teams must be carefully constructed and “should reflect a natural mix of students: girls and boys, gifted and learning disabled, all in the same grade or multigrade” (p.59). Students with similar intellectual attributes should not be paired together; this separates students instead of creating even groups. “All team” meetings, one of George’s examples provided in this text, were weekly meetings students attended that allowed students opportunities “to lead as well as follow” while they were able to learn to resolve differences in viewpoints democratically (p.60). Teaching Through Interdisciplinary Exploration: A balance of experiences is important for middle graders due to a strong interest in multiple areas. George explains that middle school aged children typically go through multiple interests quickly, thus, “schools can capitalize…by offering courses or units composed of short investigations into a variety of topics” (p.65). A diversity of experiences is key. Effectively Organizing Time and Space: Cooperative learning is a positive way for students to build trust and ensure that all group participants succeed. Social skills can be built in these groups. Advocating Multicultural Awareness: Students are always questioning during their early adolescent years. They make comparisons, create questions, and explore. “Curiosity about other human beings and their lives never ends” (p.76). Integrating the School and Community: Contributing to society is an important step and educators can aid in getting students more involved in their communities. The HUGS program, for examples, helped foster awareness of the environment through relating to personal, social, career, and academic development for young adolescents (p.78). Response/Critical Reflection (Include applications to future teaching): Community is incredibly important for young adolescents, and this reading emphasized this importance. Group work, according to George, is important for middle school aged students. But how do I include group work in the art classroom? The first thought that came to mind was mural works, where students come together to create something for the community. I recall a community/group project that my middle school art teacher held as an afterschool activity. We each had a cabinet door to paint and we were to recreate a famous painting on them. These were to “beautify” the room for future students to enjoy. Although I was unable to take that work home, that was the most satisfying and most memorable project from my entire middle school experience. I am also reminded that diversity is important for successful group work. Reading this chapter has made me realize that community-focused activities should be a primary focus not only in my classroom, but throughout the school as well. References George, P., Stevenson, C., Thomason, J., & Beane, C. (1992). Middle School and beyond. Alexandria, VA: Banta Company.
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