Teaming Reflection

Teaming, the idea of teachers collaborating together to serve the wide-ranging needs of young adolescent students, is what sets the middle grades structure apart from the junior high school system. Traditionally, students of that age group attended and approached their middle years of education just like they would during their high school years, which is now proven to be misappropriate when it comes to fulfilling their needs as human-beings, as well as students. Teaming allows for students to grow more personal relationships with the teachers, which encourages greater student involvement and participation within the team community, as well as the school community. Teaming brings a sense of belonging to student, for they are able to identify with a team and this allows them to be reassured they are a part of something meaningful. When students at this stage in their development feel as though they have a basic sense of acceptance within one particular community, they are more likely to broader their horizons and participate in other activities within the school, as well as making a difference at a young age in their respective communities. This is just one way that teaming can promote life-long learning at a young age. Students in the middle grades structure, when implemented successfully, feel more comfortable to learn and grow independently because of the reassuring sense of community they naturally feel by their peers and teachers when they are interacting within the team community on a daily basis. 

Advisory Reflection

After reading about middle school teaming, it appears the core of this whole practice of the middle grades structure revolves around the integration and implementation of advisory programs, or programs alike. Advisory programs in middle schools not only provide organizational structure for both the teachers and students, but also serves the daily needs of a student. This time period allows for middle school students to interact with adults in more of an informal way, something that is developmentally crucial for students of this age. This time period also gives students a break from the school day, a schedule that can be monotonous to a middle school student. Students also have the opportunity to catch up on work during this period that they may have missed, as well as work on engaging projects. Teachers can find ways to academically reach their students in their advisory by spending so much time with them and work with students to provide meaningful learning experiences in this block of time. This time can allow for social interaction between a close-knit groups of students, and can build a family-like attitude, an idea that will keep middle school students from falling into isolation. What really struck me following the readings was the importance that advisory and other times not in the regular classroom setting has for students in middle school. At first glance, and if not implemented correctly, advisory can only serve for the students’ academic needs, but when implemented properly by the individual teacher, it can meet their social and emotional needs on a daily basis.