Introduction to Middle Level Education

Description

Introduction to Middle Level Education is written in an engaging, first-person voice by an experienced middle level teacher. It examines the full range of topics relevant to this group of students, from student development and diversity to the structures of middle level education, curriculum instruction, ongoing assessment, advisory, service learning, the learning environment, and more. Photos, vignettes, and professional practice opportunities follow the stories of nine focus students and nine teachers, inviting readers into the world of today’s middle school classrooms.

The 4th Edition is a compelling look at the current issues and topics affecting young adolescents, their teachers, and their schools. It includes a new chapter on promoting citizenship and civility in the middle grades, and enhanced discussions of 21st century knowledge and skill requirements. Every chapter now includes letters from outstanding teachers that illustrate how they connect with their students and foster supportive learning environments.

1. Middle Level Education Philosophy and History
2. Development of Middle Level Learners
3. Diversity among Middle Level Learners
4. Societal Context of Middle Level Education
5. Structures of Middle Level Education
6. Middle Level Curriculum
7. Middle Level Instruction
8. Assessment of Middle Level Learners
9. Planning for Teaching and Learning
10. Maintaining a Positive, Productive Learning Environment
11. Citizenship and Civility in the Middle Grades
12. Relationships and Realities of Middle Level Education

Hallmark features of this title

• See How They Grow features allow readers to get to know 9 real students as they progress through 6th to 8th grade.
• Professional Practice features present real scenarios from the lives of the 9 focus teachers and 9 students. Accompanying questions mirror the Praxis II exams.
• Diversity issues are highlighted in each chapter.
• Extensive coverage on bullying, including the bully, the bullied, the bystander and cyberbullying.
• Social media teaching and learning strategies and Common Core State Standards content are integrated throughout the text.
• Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE) Teacher Preparation Standards are addressed in context to reinforce the standards for teacher candidates and to help programs demonstrate their standards adherence.

About our author

Sara Davis Powell is a teacher, from the middle school classroom to teacher preparation as a professor, and chair of education at Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina. She is a young adolescent advocate who writes about middle level teacher preparation, emphasizing a balance of developmentally responsive and academically rigorous practice. Actively involved in local classrooms and the middle school community through the facilitation of professional development, supervision of clinical interns and research and writing about middle level issues, she is also a frequent speaker at regional and national conferences, where her enthusiasm for middle level education is contagious. Powell’s most recent book is Your Introduction to Education: Explorations in Teaching, 4th Edition (Pearson, 2019). Married with 4 sons, 4 daughters-in-law and 3 grandchildren, she enjoys watching lakeside sunsets at home with her husband, Rus, and spending time with her sons and their families.

New and updated features of this title

• NEW: Making the Teaching and Learning Connection letters from outstanding teachers and middle-level leaders are included in every chapter. Each letter illustrates a strategy, style, or personal ethos the educator uses to foster a healthy, supportive learning environment.
• NEW: Chapter 11, “Citizenship and Civility in the Middle Grades,” explores the ways that teacher candidates can help teach citizenship, civic engagement, and civility in their classrooms. Topics include civic knowledge and skills across the curriculum, current events, elections, global citizenship skills and civic skills related to the Common Core.
• NEW: Concepts and emphases have been added to each chapter, including middle level education philosophy (Ch. 1), social-emotional learning (SEL) (Ch. 2), executive function (Ch. 2), issues revolving around gender and gender identity, including dilemmas involved with childhood gender nonconformity and transgender youth (Ch. 3), substance abuse (Ch. 4), the necessity of sleep (Ch. 4), common planning time (Ch. 5) memory capacity (Ch. 6), neuroscience research (Ch. 7), formative assessment, common assessments and more.