You have been selected to sit on a committee to transition your school from a junior high school to a middle school.
Respond to the following concerns:
1. What resources would you suggest that the committee use to guide the development of the middle school?
2. What do you see as the greatest barrier to accomplishing the goal?
3. What do you believe will be the greatest challenge for the teachers in transitioning to a middle school?
Justify your responses.
Respond to the following concerns:
1. What resources would you suggest that the committee use to guide the development of the middle school?
2. What do you see as the greatest barrier to accomplishing the goal?
3. What do you believe will be the greatest challenge for the teachers in transitioning to a middle school?
Justify your responses.
Kimberly Leight
ReplyDeleteWhen transforming a school from a junior high school to a middle school there are many issues in which need to be addressed. To successfully make the change there must be dedication, support, and resources available. A smooth, productive transition will take time and patience relating to changes for all participants including faculty, administration, staff, parents and students.
The resources I would suggest in order to make a successful change would be hiring an experienced consultant, adding technology, training for the staff and faculty, increasing extra curricular activities and appropriate materials for the new grade being introduced. The consultant will be available for all employed individuals of the school to ask questions or get advice from. They have experience in situations that can provide insight to upcoming teachers in that atmosphere. Adding technology will be helpful because of the excessive use in society, technology will serve as a comfort zone for the students. The training for the staff is one of the most important resources. The teachers need to be trained in middle school concepts and philosophy. They need to change their expectations as well. Increasing the extra curricular activities will serve as social interactions for students to get comfortable with their peers and express themselves with what they are passionate about. The materials are necessary for the students to learn the content. Overall the environment needs to be adjusted for the new students while keeping it familiar for the current students.
The greatest barrier to accomplishing the goal of changing a Junior High school into a middle school would be getting the teachers and parents on board. Change is usually not welcomed, not only is change difficult at times but inconvenient and scary. The amount of work for teachers will change; many will be discouraged by the transition. Once a routine is established it is hard to break and readjust with a different mindset. As for the parents they might feel as if their children shouldn’t be forced to adjust. They also may be concerned about the immatureness of the incoming students and how they influence their children. Once the idea is explained and understood the support of these two groups of people will be extremely beneficial.
Once the teachers are adjusted to the idea the greatest challenge will be learning to deal with a very unique age group of students. The staff needs to become aware of realities of the unique developmental stage of the students they will be encountering. It will be the most difficult situation to adjust to because it isn’t something most have encountered or were previously prepared for. They will need to learn to find the line between discipline and normal action for this transitional age period. It will take an excessive amount of patience to get through to the students and look past the acting out, self esteem issues, relationships, immatureness and attitudes. Although it is difficult for all individuals involved it is completely possible for the transition to occur with appropriate actions.
Kathryn Beegle
ReplyDelete1. In order to help the committee develop the new middle school, I would suggest that they look in to research and case studies about transitioning from a junior high school to a middle school. I would also recommend that the committee take a look at the Association for Middle Level Education website which offers a school improvement assessment, forums, and research. The website also offers literature suggestions that focus on middle school research and the structure of middle schools. For example, The Status of Programs and Practices in America's Middle Schools: Results from Two National Studies by C. Kenneth McEwin and Melanie Greene. The committee would also be able to find articles and reports that focus on the best middle school practices to engage learners, factors that make middle schools successful, and grade configuration.
2. One of the major barriers in transitioning from a junior high school to a middle school would be adjusting the curriculum to emphasize cognitive and affective development of students, rather than just the cognitive development. Because a middle school has a student-centered curriculum rather than a subject-centered curriculum, drastic changes will have to be made. Teachers will be put into groups, the school must foster a community-like atmosphere, and the primary focus will change from subject matter only to social and organizational skills as well as academic skills. Changing the curriculum will have to happen gradually and teachers will have to be educated on the new philosophy.
3. I feel that the new philosophy of collaboration will be the most difficult for the teachers to accept in transitioning to a middle school. In a junior high school, the programs are subject centered; therefore teachers are organized in subject-based departments. On the other hand, middle schools are more focused on the students and maintain a community-based environment. Teachers in middle schools are therefore organized into interdisciplinary teams. In middle schools, teachers are expected to work together to collaborate and create that community-like atmosphere. The junior high teachers will have to adjust to an interdisciplinary teamwork curriculum approach, which may be extremely difficult for them. Junior high teachers would have to adjust to collaborating with teams, and would most likely be more comfortable working on their own and dealing with their own subject only.
LUISA VARONA
ReplyDelete1) I would suggest to:
- Check out other Middle schools that have been in existence.
-Have a curriculum specialist to make sure the curriculum is right for the student's level.
-Have a school psychologist because children are going to be dealing with children 2 years younger.
-Find good child development resources to help student on how they develop emotionally/socially when 2 years younger.
2) I think the greatest barrier is the adjustment of children and parents.
-Parents: because their children will be going in a school with younger children; child will be in larger facility. -Children: because some children might be frightened to change.
3) I think the greatest challenge for the teachers will be the change.
Teachers will have to teach younger children therefore their expectations will be different, different curriculum, bigger building, and larger staff.
I really think that change is always strange and requires adjustment.
Ramos, Claudia
ReplyDeleteFirst and foremost, an optimistic principal who provides encouragement, support, positive feedback and guidance should lead the transition and the committees. Second it should be a gradual transition (about 2-3 years); teachers need to both learn and adapt to the changes and require time to do both.
There are so many changes to consider when transitioning a junior high school into a middle school. Junior high normally includes 7th and 8th grades, but with the transition, 6th grade will have to be included as well. Focus would not only be on the subject matter and mental development, but also on the personality, emotional, social, and organizational development of the student. Teachers will teach longer periods, use different resources and work in teams, oppose to working alone, textbook-oriented instruction and teaching 45-55 minute periods. Therefore, the committees will need a number of resources to prepare teachers accordingly. Professional development workshops should be organized to prepare teachers on middle school concepts such as, lesson planning, the use of technology, motivational ideas to maintain student’s attention, and on the different teaching styles to accommodate to the different learning styles. The committee can also invite representatives from neighboring middle schools to share their concepts. Middle school believes in collaboration amongst educators, therefore, the committee should organize teams of teachers each teaching a different discipline and all should teach at the same grade level. Weekly, bi-weekly or monthly department meetings should be established, which will allow teachers the opportunity to share their ideas and receive feedback; help and learn from each other.
I believe teachers will be the greatest barriers. There are many reasons why teachers will feel anxious and hesitant to the transition.
• The fear of change; unable to foresee the unexpected terrifies them.
• The extra time, effort and work they know the transition will require from them.
• Feeling comfortable with the consistency of their schedules.
• Others appeal to the competition amongst peers and rather not collaborate.
• Some teachers do not believe in the exploratory approach, they truly believe in subject matter and mental development.
• Many teachers may not feel comfortable with the use of technology in the classroom, due to their lack of knowledge.
Teachers will fight back and seek support from their unions. Just like students, teachers also require motivation. Perhaps an incentive can be offered to the teachers; paid workshops.
I believe the greatest challenge will be maintaining student’s attention and motivation in class. It’s a huge adjustment for both teacher and student. A junior high teacher is used to lecturing for 45-55 minute periods and most students can deal with it. But extending the period to 80-90 minutes can be very boring if the teacher doesn’t spice it up. Therefore, workshops and team teaching are both necessary and important tools that will help make this challenge less challenging. Additionally, it’s crucial that both principal and committee provide teachers with support, guidance and all the tools they will need for the change; the transition will definitely hit a few bumps, but reach its goal.
Victoria Castro
ReplyDeleteBlog Response #2
Some schools may blur the area between middle schools and junior high schools, but what makes them distinct is the schools philosophy, structure, and format. The transition from a junior high school to a middle school is a huge change; one that can benefit the school by having the school board and administrators evaluate the entire instructional program. The principal would have to start by first dividing the responsibilities among the administrative team, so that all of the teams could focus their energy on monitoring and encouraging improvement in all areas of the school. According to Loretta Shimniok, committees would have to be formed to examine everything from academic expectations and evaluation policy to self-esteem and the emphases of the extracurricular and athletic programs. Two resources that could be used to help evaluate the schools instructional program are the New Jersey Department of Education www.state.nj.us/education and www.teachingchannel.org. These websites offer excellent information on how to form a curriculum by following the core curriculum content standards.
I believe the greatest barrier in accomplishing this goal is to get the entire educational staff in agreement with what the new policies will be. If the health teacher does not want to cooperate and change her curriculum, then the whole transition may be affected. Also, the principal must be patient with all the teachers, who may already seem overworked.
The greatest barrier for the teachers would be to work together throughout all the changes. They would have to create a new vision to do everything: test, evaluate, assign homework, schedule, remediate and integrate instruction while making school more engaging, raising expectations, and simultaneously fostering self-esteem.
Michelle J.
ReplyDeleteTransforming a school from a junior high to a middle school is a big change but it can be done. The first thing I would do is suggest that each member of the committee do some research on the differences between the two types of schools. This information can be found online, through others schools and districts websites and in the CCS. We first need to know the differences in order to be aware of the tasks that lie ahead. Not only will the learning curriculum change but the physical building and the staff will change. I went online and I did some research to see some of the differences between the two schools and these are some of my results:
Junior High
1. Subject-centered
2. Emphasis is on cognitive development
3. Organizes teachers in subject-based departments
4. Traditional instruction dominates
5. Six to eight class periods per day
6. Provides academic classes
7. Offers study hall and/or homeroom
8. Classrooms arranged randomly or by subject or grade level
Middle School
1. Student-oriented
2. Emphasis is on both cognitive and affective development
3. Organizes teachers and students in interdisciplinary teams
4. Experiential approaches to instruction
5. Allows for block and flexible scheduling
6. Provides exploratory, academic, and nonacademic classes
7. Offers advisor/advisee, teacher/student opportunities
8. Team classrooms in close proximity
I see the greatest barrier to accomplishing this goal is the people. People don’t respond to change easily. We have to take into consideration the parents, the staff, the community and the students. Since we are going from junior high to middle school, there are grade levels that are going to have to be added. Generally, middle schools have grades six through eight. Whereas, junior high schools only have grades seven and eight. The new coming six graders are going to have to learn how to interact with the upper graders. This is not going to be an easy transformation being that they are used to being the upper grade in the junior high school. Another issue could be the parents of the students. The parents of the six graders may fear that their children are not ready to be integrated with higher grades due to the fear that their children will be subject to bullying and/or peer pressure. There are a lot of factors that come into play when considering this change.
The greatest challenge for the teachers, I believe, would be the change in the curriculum. . Junior high traditionally focuses on teaching subject matter, while middle school is more concerned with teaching students social and organizational skills in addition to academic information. This adds on to the role of the teachers. Not only will they be teaching academics, but they will now be responsible for teaching their students social and organizational skills. This puts a damper on their lesson plans because they now have to go back, revamp and revise their lessons to include the additional skills. Middle school uses a teamwork curriculum, where teachers are divided into teams and assigned students. This is a huge difference from junior high where students were randomly assigned to teachers. Now the teachers have to collaborate and work together and this can cause problems when you have teachers who are already set in their ways and are not interested in reformation.
A. Miklowcic
ReplyDelete1.Some of the resources I would suggest are:
•Studies that show what age groups should be together in schools.
•Looking at schools that have transition from junior high to middle school.
•Looking at the academic results of schools that have made similar transitions.
2.What do you see as the greatest barrier to accomplishing the goal?
•Disagreements between the administration and the board of education.
•Facility size.
•Parents
•Teachers that don’t want to be moved to a different school.
3.What do you believe will be the greatest challenge to the teachers in transitioning to a middle school?
•Teachers getting used to a different age group.
•The new changes can lead to an increased work load on teachers
•Teachers and they can feel overwhelmed.
•Class schedule
•Class size
Natasha Bucknell Pryce
ReplyDeleteDuring a major transition like this, all staff and faculty have to be supportive and be open to the dramatic changes that will occur. Teachers will need to be trained on the new method of teaching. In Junior high students were randomly assigned to any teacher who taught a required subject, but In middle school the curriculum approach is different. Middle school uses an interdisciplinary teamwork by dividing teachers into teams and assigning students to a particular team. So necessary training is needed to ensure students are being transitioned to the new curriculum. Also there will be a change in the amount of students. Junior high tends to have older students while middle schools have younger grades. Junior highs generally only have seventh and eighth grades, while middle schools are more likely to include sixth through eighth grades. So this also would be an adjustment, perhaps having a seminar on how to welcome our younger students will get students, staff, and faculty excited about the change. Also I think guidance counselors will be helpful to help with the change and guide students having difficulty adjusting.
I believe the greatest barrier to the transition from a junior high to a middle school will be changing the curriculum and executing it effectively. Junior high traditionally focuses on teaching subject matter only, while middle school is more concerned with teaching students social and organizational skills in addition to academic information. Teachers that have a particular way of teaching that conformed to the junior high curriculum may be upset with having to change their lesson plans to accommodate the new middle school curriculum. Junior high students go to the same six to eight class periods each day, Education.com says. Middle schools usually have block scheduling, where students attend classes on alternating days; for example, they might divide their eight classes into four longer classes per day. So teachers will have to learn how to teacher younger students, create longer lesson plans, and change the way they teach.
I think there will be several difficulties for teachers during the transition. Junior high traditionally focuses on teaching subject matter only, while middle school is more concerned with teaching students social and organizational skills in addition to academic information. Teachers will have to get more personal with their students and really help them, not only on their academics, but also on how they organize themselves. Junior high centers on helping students with cognitive development, or memory and information processing. Middle school combines cognitive and affective development, which focuses on assisting students with emotional and personality formation as well. This can all be overwhelming for a teacher but with training, the proper resources, and practice I think the transition will be a success.
Jaros, Natalie
ReplyDeleteTo change a school from a junior high school to a middle school entails a lot. The difference between the two basically is that a junior high school is subject base oriented, and the school is a 'junior' high school with eight periods and teachers are categorized in departments according to subjects. A middle school is more student oriented, where there homeroom is offered and advisors and counselors. Taking a school from subject oriented to sstudent oriented would probably be much harder than one could imagaine.
Many resources woukld have to be used, like the principal could look into statistics and see if this is a positive and beneficial change to the students and faculty, and school district. Also, a survey could be given to the parents. The principal could outweigh the pros and cons, and see if this change will help the students learn better now that the focus is more on them. A great barrier will be the parents, and their cooperation and also the students and their reaction to the change and if they can adapt. Also, this will be hard for the teachers, because at the junior high stage they are categorized into departments according to their subject matter, and now they will be in charge of homeroom or a different subject they may not be used to.