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Blogs on Middle (6-8)

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1
The Digital Lives of Teens: Revolutionary "Bliss"?
Matt LevinsonMay 22, 2013
Tags Education Reform, , Student Engagement, Middle (6-8), High (9-12)

English novelist and playwright E.G. Bulwer-Lytton once wrote, "A revolution is a transfer of power." We might just be on the brink of a revolution when it comes to kids, technology and schools.

High school student Jeff Bliss' recent, public and viral rant about his teacher has unsettled the minds and hearts of every teacher working with kids right now. At the drop of a hat, a student can go public with dissatisfaction or disgruntlement, unleashing a torrent of response and reprisal.

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Nine Strategies for Reaching All Learners in English Language Arts
Hassan MansarayMay 22, 2013
Tags After-School Learning, Alternative Scheduling, Comprehensive Assessment, Differentiated Instruction, Teacher Development, Middle (6-8), English Language Arts, Massachusetts

Not satisfied with students' progress on district- and state-mandated tests -- and after careful deliberation by administration and staff -- the Edwards Middle School implemented the Massachusetts Expanded Learning Time (ELT) Initiative in the 2006/07 school year. ELT has since become an integral part of the school day, where students receive an additional 60 minutes of support instruction in some core academic classes like English and math, and 90 minutes of electives in arts, sports and music, and other enrichment activities.

In order to maximize the benefits of ELT for students, I looked for ways to fine tune my approach to teaching individualized learning in my English language arts classroom. One of the instructional models that informs my approach to teaching individualized learning is the Readers and Writers Workshop. This approach proved very helpful in optimizing ELT. Read More
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Special Ed Best Practices Inspire Successful Expanded Learning Time for All Students
Craig HaasMay 21, 2013
Tags After-School Learning, Alternative Scheduling, , Urban Schools, Middle (6-8), Massachusetts

In assembling the plan for expanded learning time (ELT) at the Edwards Middle School, we drew inspiration from our own special education department. Too often, special education is viewed as a place or a static state, when the truth is that special education is a series of interventions, modifications, and accommodations afforded to students who are unable to access a curriculum under routine circumstances. ELT, too, is a series of interventions, and so, in applying some special education principles, we gained some valuable insights.

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Implementing Expanded Learning Time: Six Factors for Success
Amrita SahniMay 21, 2013
Tags After-School Learning, Alternative Scheduling, Community Partnerships, Curriculum, Middle (6-8), Massachusetts

In the fall of 2006, Clarence R. Edwards Middle School ("the Edwards" as it is known locally within Boston Public Schools) became one of the first schools in the state of Massachusetts to implement the Expanded Learning Time (ELT) Initiative. The reasons why were simple: we were not making Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) and we wanted to make significant academic gains with our students. As it turned out, making our school day longer was one of the best things we could have done to help reform our school model and improve student outcomes. Our statewide exam scores, student enrollment, daily student attendance rate, community and family engagement, and time for team teaching/collaboration all improved as a result of ELT.

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2
Zombie-Based Learning -- "Braaaaaaains!"
Andrew MillerMay 17, 2013
Tags Curriculum, Project-Based Learning, Student Engagement, Middle (6-8), Visual Arts

You read that correctly: Zombie-Based Learning. When I started learning about it, my inner geek squealed with joy. I've always loved zombies. I've watched all the movies and even read the original Walking Dead Comics before it became a hit series in the classroom.

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Rethinking How We Use Calculators
José VilsonMay 16, 2013
Tags Classroom Technology, Technology Integration, Middle (6-8), High (9-12), Math

If ever you come across a set of math teachers, whether at a common planning meeting or a bar during happy hour, bring up the conversation of calculators and watch the sparks fly. The arguments for and against calculators have the spirited vigor of a Red Sox vs. Yankees game without the animus. One side argues for the use of efficient and available technology in the classroom, while the other argues for numeracy and fluency to the highest order.

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The Digital Lives of Teens: Code Switching
Matt LevinsonMay 1, 2013
Tags Classroom Management, Digital Citizenship, , Middle (6-8), High (9-12)

Recently, NPR launched a new blog entitled Code Switch to examine the "frontiers of race, culture and ethnicity." Blog host Gene Demby explains: "We're looking at code switching a little more broadly. Many of us subtly, reflexively change the way we express ourselves all the time. We're hop-scotching between different cultural and linguistic spaces and different parts of our own identities -- sometimes within a single interaction."

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A Year at Mission Hill: Like a Family and Behind the Scenes
Amy Erin Borovoy (aka VideoAmy)May 1, 2013
Tags Community Partnerships, Parental Involvement, Primary (K-2), Professional Learning Network (PLN), , Upper Elementary (3-5), Middle (6-8), Massachusetts

The video series A Year at Mission Hill has continued to encourage discussion, gather support, and inspire offshoots of wonderful new content, like "Line One, Page One," a compelling and poetic video produced by UK Filmmakers Veez Nixon and Christian Britten for Ashoka's Start Empathy Initiative, as part of a video series to complement Mission Hill. And if you haven't seen it yet, it's also worth a visit to the excellent Prezi on Mission Hill, which continues to expand as more chapters are released.

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Social, Emotional Learning: Instructional Support Goes Online
Maurice EliasApril 30, 2013
Tags Primary (K-2), Professional Development, Teacher Development, Upper Elementary (3-5), Middle (6-8)

The community of implementers of SEL and related programs is growing. And the capacity of individuals to leave their workplaces to congregate for extensive training and sharing opportunities seems to be diminishing. These and other realities are creating an imperative to use the Internet as a vehicle for providing support for instruction and other aspects of implementation necessary to sustain and reinforce instruction.

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Stove Project Sparks Global Youth Action
Suzie BossApril 29, 2013
Tags Global Education, Teacher Development, Technology Integration, Middle (6-8), High (9-12)

Separated by thousands of miles, middle-school students in suburban Massachusetts are teaming up with peers in Brazil, Africa, and India on a project with lifesaving potential. By designing and building efficient cook stoves, students are learning about energy and humanitarian engineering.

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