Reaching and Teaching Middle School Learners: Asking Students to Show Us What Works

Enhance classroom practice by promoting an open and shared process with your students! Middle school students have much to say about the quality of their schooling experiences and can provide rich insight into what works for them and what doesn′t. Educators Penny A. Bishop and Susanna W. Pflaum demonstrate how to enhance classroom practice by inviting students to offer feedback on pedagogy, learning styles, and their individual preferences and needs. Written for new and veteran teachers of grades 4-8, the unique framework of this book takes its cue from the students themselves by using their own words and drawings, combined with the authors′ action research, insightful analysis, and shared experiences. Highlights of this powerful resource include: Instructional strategies and content-area learning Social interactions within the classroom that promote or inhibit learning Learner insights into their own engagement and disengagement in the classroom Student drawings, reflective questions for teachers, mini-lessons, and frequently asked questions about consulting students and honoring their insights Reaching and Teaching Middle School Learners focuses on the learning needs of adolescents as identified by the students themselves. By promoting an open and shared process with your students, you can meet the unique challenges of working with middle school learners and create a positive schooling experience for all.

Table of Contents:
Foreword by Chris Stevenson Preface Acknowledgments About the Authors 1. The Case for Consulting Students 2. The Social Lives of Schools and Classrooms 3. Choice, Action, and Relevance in Curriculum 4. Math Is the Measure 5. Reading in School 6. Inquiring and Communicating in Science and Social Studies 7. Consulting Your Students References Index

About the Author :
Penny A. Bishop is Assistant Professor and Director of Middle Level Teacher Education at the University of Vermont, Burlington. She earned a doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Vermont, and her dissertation on middle grades partner teams received the 1998 Distinguished Dissertation Award from the National Association of Secondary School Principals. Before joining the field of teacher education, Penny was a middle school teacher and an assessment consultant for the Vermont Department of Education. She currently consults with teachers and administrators in the areas of school organization, interdisciplinary and partner teaming, and school change. She is the coauthor of The Power of Two: Partner Teams in Action and coeditor of Living and Learning in the Middle Grades: The Dance Continues. Her articles have appeared in Middle School Journal, Research in Middle Level Education Online, Current Issues in Middle Level Education, and Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy. Susanna W. Pflaum began teaching in Newton, Massachusetts, in 1959 and has taught Grades 3, 4, and 6 as well as undergraduate- and graduate-level teacher education in various locations. She earned degrees at Radcliffe College (AB), the Harvard Graduate School of Education (MEd), and Florida State University (PhD). She was a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago; Professor and Dean of the School of Education at Queens College CUNY; Dean of the Graduate School, Bank Street School of Education; Fulbright Professor in Namibia, Africa; and full- and part-time faculty at Vermont College. She authored The Development of Language and Literacy in Young Children, edited Aspects of Reading Education, and coedited two Corwin books, Experiencing Diversity: Toward Educational Equity and Celebrating Diverse Voices: Progressive Education and Equity. She is the author and coauthor of thirty-five articles and chapters. She has led workshops and given many presen­tations over the past forty-five years. Recently, she cofounded a nonprofit organization that works to support African projects for vulnerable and AIDS-orphaned children, CHABHA: Children Affected by HIV/AIDS.