Following the introduction of the middle school in the 1960s with its advocacy of a 5-8 or 6-8 grade configuration, no comprehensive statement appeared to crystallize the educational beliefs inherent in this emerging educational reform effort. This paper is not just a revision of the 1982 position statement, but a "re-vision" of middle…

Public schools have created the position of the Technology Resource Teacher (TRT) in an attempt to establish a technical and instructional support system at the school level to assure the proper usage of technology (particularly computers) by both teachers and students. This study explores the roles and responsibilities of the Technology Resource…

The development of oral language and literacy skills and the development of portfolio management strategies to assess these skills is reported. Data are from a longitudinal study involving sixth and seventh grade students in an English as a Second Language (ESL) urban middle school classroom. Portfolios were originally introduced to 13 sixth…

Drama and role playing are effective ways for teachers, school counselors, and other individuals who work with young people to teach and discuss sensitive issues. The eight plays in this publication are designed to help middle school students develop critical-thinking, problem-solving, and logical decision-making skills. The eight scripts use a…

Problem-based learning (PBL) has been used in medical education and has been extended to the preparation of educational administrators. PBL should improve education at the elementary and secondary levels because it can be a vehicle for integrating curriculum, constructing alternative assessments, accommodating instruction for longer blocks of…

Extending over a 14-week period, this study examined the effects of a program designed to enhance the self-esteem of at-risk students by developing an internal locus of control in the students. The program consisted of six major components: (1) a specified vocabulary and format; (2) goal identification and description by students; (3) student…

This guidebook discusses cooperative learning at the middle school level and provides lesson plans that use cooperative learning techniques in various subject areas. Part 1 details three classroom organizational options and the elements of cooperative learning; examines the major types of cooperative learning; reviews the importance of developing…

This document reports the results of The Oregon Mathematics Teachers of Middle School (TOMTOMS) project focused on improving the curriculum and the teaching of mathematics in middle school in support of recent calls for mathematics education reform. Twenty seventh-grade teachers, representing the geographic regions in Oregon, were chosen from a…

A cooperative program conducted by the Logan (Utah) City School District and IBM Corporation used computers in the classroom to develop new teaching and career guidance approaches while enhancing students' process writing skills. The program included units designed for student and teacher awareness of the impacts of technology, the need for a new…

This paper describes some aspects of a collaborative project between elementary school teachers and university faculty in anthropology, bilingual education, and mathematics education. The project goal is to develop classroom-teaching experiences that make use of the resources and experiences of students and their families. Most of the students…

Management of the California Demonstration Program in Reading, a project designed to give educationally disadvantaged students at the junior high and middle school level a second chance to learn basic reading and math skills, is described. Material is divided into 18 sections covering program goals, instructional strategies, personnel,…

This guide presents the "minimum teaching essentials" published by the New York City Board of Education for grade 6. Covered are the following subject areas: (1) art; (2) bilingual education; (3) career education; (4) health education; (5) library media; (6) mathematics; (7) music; (8) physical education; (9) science; and (10) social…

THIS BULLETIN PREPARED FOR THE ASSOCIATION FOR CHILDHOOD EDUCATION INTERNATIONAL (ACEI) PROVIDES GUIDELINES FOR TEACHERS, ADMINISTRATORS, CONSULTANTS, SUPERVISORS, AND OTHERS WHO WORK WITH CHILDREN TO PROMOTE AND DEVELOP EFFECTIVE LEARNING EXPERIENCES FOR CHILDREN IN SCIENCE. THE PUBLICATION IS BASED ON THE PREMISE THAT EXPERIENCES THE CHILD HAS…

This paper discusses a study that examined whether 20 typical sixth-grade students and 4 students with special needs in a Strategies Intervention Model (SIM) classroom developed more positive academic and social perceptions over the course of the school year when compared to 22 students in a regular classroom. The SIM is described as a curriculum…

One innovative course for prospective middle school science teachers, theoretically grounded in pedagogical content knowledge, was taught by an instructional team of scientists, science educators, and practicing teachers who utilized discussion and experiential learning. Data from discussions and observations indicated that students were…