Transition Years

 Sixth Grade and Freshmen Year

Adolescence is a tough time for students, but teachers can be a lifeline for their students. Often students feel that their teachers do not care about each student’s particular education, which is why many will expend less effort in school. “So many students still go into a slump when they enter middle school. They exhibit large declines in academic motivation, in perception of their own academic abilities, and in achievement after they leave elementary school” (Dolgin, 2011, p. 311). Teachers can combine social aspects alongside science, social studies, English, and math, to allow adolescents to feel engaged and invested in their learning. 

The same can be said for freshmen in high school. These transition grades are difficult for all students because of the change in school, environment, and teachers. There is a whole new world to learn to the rules of survival for.

What can you do?

 Support the Students

•      Middle schools are generally larger and more impersonal than the elementary schools students come from (Dolgin, 2011, p. 311). Often students do not feel centered and comfortable in the school or, consequently their life.

•      As a teacher, help students feel comfortable in the classroom by creating an atmosphere of learning

•      Students need to feel connected, especially in school. Many adolescent students are constantly fighting self-certainty versus self-consciousness. Students are becoming more self-aware and will need help feeling confident in themselves (Dolgin, 2011, p. 158). Forming a connection will help student feel more self-aware.

 Make the Transition Easier

•      Coming from an elementary school, where you are “top dog,” to a new school at the bottom of the food chain is difficult.

•      Get to know the students individually, try not to bog them down with too much homework at the beginning, and, most importantly, don’t let them get lost in the shuffle of adolescent life.

•      Dolgin (2011) suggests that with a task mastery structure, which is less competitive than a performance goal structure, adolescents experience fewer problems in school and come to value the subjects taught (p. 311).  Which means, have students compete against themselves, instead of others.

Reference

Dolgin, K.G. (2011). The adolescent: Development, relationships, and culture (13thed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.

"Treat people as if they were what they ought to be,

and you help them become what they are capable of becoming."

- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Struggling Readers

By middle school it can be difficult to interest students in reading, especially students who are already reading under grade level. The article "Boost Reading Skills by Summer," by Jennifer L. W. Fink, offers suggestions on how to help catch students up.

1.      Get Graphic - Using graphic novels will appeal to older students, even struggling readers, and is a great way for them to build reading skills. Plus, it will not be obvious that the student is reading a graphic novel that is below the their grade level.

2.      Build Confidence - Middle school struggling readers often have a defeatist attitude toward reading. Build confidence by praising their progression, even with books under grade level, use contests, rewards, or incentives.

3.      Develop Effective Routines - Make reading a part of their day. For example, challenge your students to complete an independent reading project.

Students who are struggling or have identifed disabilities often have negative self concept and have a more difficult time devleoping a positive self-image (Dolgin, 2011, p. 156). According to Dolgin (2011), current research braching off of Piaget’s theories of cognitive development state that the central feature of adolescent cognitive development is that older adolescents control their own learning and thinking, and are more likely to succeed at cognitive tasks (p. 129). The same can be said for students who are struggling; if they do not focusto control their thinking and learning because they feel at a disadvantage or behnd their peers, they will not learn. As the saying goes, you can do what you put your mind to. Using the above tips, you can help convince your students who are struggling readers that they can, in fact, succeed.

References

Dolgin, K.G. (2011). The adolescent: Development, relationships, and culture (13thed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.

Ward, Jennifer L. W. Fink. (2012). Boost reading skills by summer. Scholastic Instructor. Spring 2012, 52-54.

"What sculpture is to a block of marble
education is to the human soul."

-Joseph Addison

Availability



           Remember to make yourself available to your students. As time passes, allow your students to make a connection with you. Not every student is going to be your best friend, but being available for the students who need a mentor, friend, shoulder to cry on, or just an ear to listen is important. Dolgin (2011) discusses the main factors that lead to the development of a positive self-concept, which include a significant other, parents, socioeconomic status, race, gender, disabilities, and stress (p. 154-6). When one or multiple of these factors becomes a barrior for positive self-concept development, students develop low self-esteem and may make poor decisions. One of the most common reasons adolescents begin using drugs is to relieve tension or anxiety, escape problems, or to be able to deal or face those problems (Dolgin, 2011, p. 392). For students who are depressed and lost, possibly contemplating harming themselves, you could be their lifeline.

Tips

• Choose the time that you want to make yourself available for students: before/after school, lunch once a week, study hall, etc.
• Make sure this time is consistent to avoid having students come anytime during the day.
• Set a time limit.
• Take notes after talking to a student. In situations where there is abuse at home, having notes of incidents is helpful for DCFS.
• Don't judge. Your students came to you, the least you can do is listen without judgement.
• Seek advice yourself. If you ever feel unequipped to help a student, consult with your mentor, school social worker or psychologist, they are there to help you as well as the students.

Reference

Dolgin, K.G. (2011). The adolescet: Development, relationships, and culture (13thed.). Boston, MA: Pearson. 

"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you."

-B.B. King

Looking Past the Surface

As Dolgin (2011) very accurately states, “Sometimes, adolescents who are angry or unhappy turn outward…sometimes the anger or unhappiness turns against the self” (p. 354). Either result can be extremely damaging to the adolescent and the people in his or her life. Adolescents are going through emotional, physical, and mental changes, and are often not equipped to appropriately deal with all of these major changes. For some adolescents, running away seems to be the only option; some develop severe depression and contemplate suicide; others turn to eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia; some break laws serious enough to become juvenile delinquents and/or join gangs; still others turn to drug or alcohol abuse (Dolgin, 2011). There are very real choices that adolescents are faced with.

It is our job as teachers to see our students as more than a seat filler. We need see our students and human being with ever changing feelings and emotions. Because we have the unique opportunity to see our students on a daily basis, often time more than any other adult sees them, we are able to notice the signs of something wrong. Adolescents are working on developing and refining their decision making skills. According to Ross, there are five skills to decision making, most of which focus on alternatives and their merits (Dolgin, 2011, p. 134). Unfortunately, young adolescents may not recognize an alternative course of action, especially when they are depressed and feel lost. Consequently, adolescents can then make poor decisions, some of which may negatively affect the course of their life.

School is more than a place to learn math, literature, history, or science.  Don’t fail your students; see and hear what they aren’t saying and you could be their champion.

Reference

Dolgin, K.G. (2011). The adolescet: Development, relationships, and culture (13thed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.

"Tell me and I’ll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I’ll understand."
-Chinese proverb

What Do Teachers Make?

I stumbled across this Taylor Mali Youtube video when I was in college and its message has stayed with me ever since, I highly recommend it. The video is a mantra for teachers everwhere. If you ever come across someone that minimizes your career choice, think of this video. Mali challenges the misconceptions about teachers and shows how very much more there is to being a teacher than just the teaching part. 

Enjoy!

Taylor Mali's What Teachers Make 

"A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops."

-Henry B Adams

Adolescent Changes

         As adolescents’ bodies change through puberty, body image becomes important to both young boys and girls, specifically physical attractiveness. According to Dolgin (2011), there is research showing that adolescents who are “ranked as physically attractive are also rated by teachers and by themselves as having better peer and parent relations than are adolescents who are not considered as attractive,” as well as directly effecting an adolescent’s self-esteem (p. 98). Because of the images that the media have portrayed as the “perfect” body type, young girls of all racial diversities are unhappy with their own body, which eventually becomes dissatisfaction with one’s self, resulting in lower self-esteem (Dolgin, 2011, p. 99). As adolescents bodies change and develop, they become more aware of their gender roles than they have been. Adolescents, specifically girls, develop anxieties regarding whether boys find them attractive (Dolgin, 2011, p. 170). This can then effect identity formation because girls will limit their career choices by shying away from careers that are not "feminine" to align with society's view of a woman's role (Dolgin, 2011, p. 170). 

       Teachers are placed in the unique position to help guide their students during this important time in their lives. Students spent an abundant amount of time at school and their teachers become an important part of students’ lives.  It is extremely important to teach math, English, science, and history; however, educators have the ability to constantly remind students of the importance of healthy eating habits, exercise, nutrition, and the need for sleep.  Educators have influence over how students begin to view themselves and others, offering an opportunity to ease adolescents’ minds as they go through these physical changes. English teachers can choose reading material that deals with some of the issues adolescents experience and create a dialogue with their students to work through their own issues and concerns, all under the guise of a book discussion. Overall, all teachers should show an invested interest in their students and allow for students to feel safe opening up and discussing any major problems he or she is experiencing. Sometimes a teacher is the only adult an adolescent has available to him or her to talk to.

Remember:

1. Adolescence is a struggle in some way for every student.

2. Look back on your time as an adolescent to relate to your students.

3. As a steady influence in your students' lives, you can help them cope.

References

Dolgin, K.G. (2011). The adolescent: Development, relationships, and culture. (13thed.). Bostin, MA: Pearson.

"Give a high school student ten days, and the student will mirror you."

-Charles Galloway

What’s Your Status?

             A major factor influencing an adolescent’s mental and emotional growth is socioeconomic status (SES). As Dolgin (2011) states, “Awareness of different levels of SES influences adolescents’ self-perceptions as well as their perceptions of the external world” by comparing themselves with others and being found lacking (p. 55). Because of low SES, limitations on a student can occur, such as limited alertness, helplessness or powerlessness, deprivation and hardship, and insecurity (Dolgin, 2011, pp. 56-7). Students from minority ethnic groups are often targets of prejudice or hostility, specific for students: bullying (Dolgin, 2011, p. 60). If adolescents are not dealing with enough because of their changing bodies and minds, and the emotional baggage this time of their life comes with, many young boys and girls live in a low socioeconomic status environment and/or are a racial minority. As adolescents begin to develop their identity, it is common for adolescents who come from a low socioeconomic status to also have lower self-esteem and a poor self-concept, in the respect that the adolescent is doing poorly because of their economic situation instead of viewing themselves poorly (Dolgin, 2011, p. 154). Often, adolescents from a low socioeconomic background have reduced parental support, and often do not have the latest fashions or are able to join the same clubs/organizations for financial reasons (Dolgin, 2011, p. 154). Erickson notes that identity formation is the major goal of adolescence (Dolgin, 2011, p. 150) Yet, both of these factors can lead to negative identity formation.


            Teachers are able to offer opportunities to many students who would otherwise not have the opportunity to experience, including field trips to the zoo, theatre, guest speakers (especially for career days), and viewing movies. As an educator, keep in mind that not all students come to school with the same background knowledge and experiences. Take time to step outside the curriculum to bring some invaluable experiences to the students. Help open the eyes of all your students to the world around them to reduce prejudices, racism, and bias. It could be through you that a student begins to form a positive identity and their self-esteem will begin to grow. What could be more important than that? 


So, remember: 

• Low socioeconomic status plays a role in a student's identity formation.
• Often low socioeconomic status results in low self-esteem.
• Forming an identity is the goal of adolescence, according to Erickson.
• You can introduce new experiences to all students and begin to fight unfair prejudices of the students. 

Reference

Dolgin, K.G. (2011). The adolescet: Development, relationships, and culture (13thed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.

"Schools should be built better and kept up better than banks because there's more wealth in them." -Martin Haberman

High Expectations

          As the old adage says, the cream always rises to the top. Your students will rise to the expectations that you set for them. Harry K. Wong (2009) states in his book The First Days of School, “Give your students more than they expect, and you will get back more than you ever expected” (p. 40). It is important to never underestimate your students because they will rise to the potential that you set for them. If you set your expectations too low, you run the risk of your students losing interest in your class, which can decrease participation, homework completion, and their class grade. Set high expectations and, as Wong said, you will be pleasantly surprised. “Student success is limited only by adult expectations” (Wong, 2009, p. 40). Do not underestimate your students, challenge them, within reason. During adolescence your students are developing cognitively; they are learning to think differently, to reason and inference (Dolgin, 2011, p. 132). Stay aware of these developing changes and help your students understand and utilize their new thinking skills. Remember to adjust your expectations as students reach the original ones. Students will learn as little or as much as their teachers expect (Wong, 2009, p. 42). Research shows that students acquire a more developed academic performance when their teachers set and communicate high expectations than students whose teachers set low expectations (Wong, 2009, p. 42). Show an interest in your students’ learning, show an interest in your students. Their achievement in your class will carry them through to adulthood.

For more information on teacher expectations and student achievement, or TESA program, visit http://streamer.lacoe.edu/tesa/.

References

Dolgin, K.G. (2011) The adolescent: Development, relationships, and culture (13thed.). Boston, MA: Pearson. 

Wong, Harry K., Wong, Romsemary T. (2009). The first days of school: How to be an effective teacher. Mountain View, CA: Harry K. Wong Publications, Inc.

"Each child is living the only life he has - the only one he will every hadve. The least we can do is not diminish it."

-Bill Page

Let’s talk about Technology!

The use of the internet and cell phones has become an everyday activity; not just a part of a student’s life, but an integral piece of their social medium and the primary way to access information.  As Dolgin (2011) states, “About 60% of American teens say that they connect to the Internet at least once per day; about one-third say they get on several times per day” (p. 10). Prensky (2001) coined the phrase "Digital Native" for this generation because these adolescents have always had technology integrated into their lives. It is important to keep technology integrated into the classroom as well.

Your students are going to think that they are clever enough that they can text on their cell phones without you noticing; that they can play games on the Internet when they should be researching. However, YOU are a part of the technological generation. You had a cell phone long before them; you used the internet way before they knew what it was. As a technologically savvy teacher, integrate technology into your daily lessons. This will play to the students’ interests and you’ll have their attention.

Technologically educational ideas: Team up with a school in another city, state, or country and allow students to bring “pen pals” into the twenty first century. The students could email, blog, or Skype with each other, bridging cultural distances and, as Dolgin (2011) notes, contribute to a “global youth culture, with universal tastes and values” (p. 10). You can create a classroom blog and allow students to comment and provide feedback for daily lessons (with supervision and monitoring!). This way your students will feel invested in your lessons and you can constantly improve your teaching by taking the students’ opinions into account. Creating and keeping up to date a classroom website is a way for students to access daily assignments and keep up with missed work when absent. Twitter doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. Students can Tweet questions or comments (again, with supervision and monitoring) about projects or assignments.  These online ideas also allow for students who generally do not volunteer to talk in class the opportunity to communicate with his or her peers and you in a more comfortable format.

If you happen to have a student who is out of school due to a hospitalization or the like and the student would like to keep up with classwork, VoiceThread offers a great medium for presentations. Students can create a PowerPoint presentation and voice or video narrate, which would be similar to an in class presentation. Also, this technology is great if you are out sick, which happens to all first year teachers, because you can still connect with your students.

I would suggest waiting to implement these technological ideas until you have established a rapport with your students. It is up to your judgment if the students can use the internet appropriately, trust your instincts. Stressing that the use of the internet is a privilege that can easily be removed will prepare the students to be on their best cyber behavior.

References

Dolgin, K.G. (2011). The adolescent: Development, relationships, and culture (13thed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.

Prensky, Mark. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon, 9 (5), 1-6.