让孩子在中学取得成功并热爱中学的9种行之有效的方法

贝琪·兰格(中学历史)

Middle school parents know that it’s just not realistic to expect their sixth-graders to sit still, 保持安静和专注, 听老师讲课50分钟. 在Waynflete, we know that middle schoolers need a special kind of classroom—one based on realistic academic, 社会, 以及对他们发展阶段的行为预期. 他们也需要喜欢教同龄孩子的老师, 谁能找到不用说“嘘”就能管理课堂的方法,” and who teach the essential skills that help students organize their work, 他们的想法, 最重要的是, 自己.

Here are a few examples of essential classroom techniques and skills that help kids thrive in the rite of passage known as middle school:

1. 学生参与:吸引孩子注意力的最佳方式

在Waynflete, middle school has evolved from the “junior high model” to one that rewards student energy, 订婚, 积极参与, 而不是良好的行为. Students are introduced to middle school with a real archaeological dig, where they get their hands dirty and learn the painstaking methods of historical detection. They take a virtual cruise up the Nile—with stops at “The Crocodile Café”—and examine online data from real archaeological sites. There is often a hum in our classrooms—the sound of students who are excited about learning.

2. 通过设计让每个人都参与进来

A class depends on the combined energy, creativity, and intellect of the group. We organize our classrooms in small pods of desks where students can collaborate easily in small groups and respond to each other as well as to the teacher. 因为所有的学生都要参加, 新巴黎人注册网站为每节课创造机会，帮助大家安静下来, 沉默寡言, 或者焦虑的学生成功了. 小班授课与舒适的教室相结合，有些教室还配有壁炉, 地毯, and sofas—make it easier for students to raise their hands or stand in front of the class to speak. We want all our eighth-graders to be comfortable in situations where they are asked to lead a class, 参加辩论, 或者讨论内容.

3. 合作与小组作业

在Waynflete, students are shown the difference between mere group work and true collaboration. They learn how to contribute—not to be the one who does all the work (or the one who sits by and lets others do it). We give middle school students chances to collaborate across all content areas. Students brainstorm about the best way to solve a math problem, for example. 它们也会成群结队地从附近的池塘里收集标本, and then individually examine and identify what they observe through a microscope. Collaboration is a great way to channel the natural chattiness of your average middle schooler, 这在工作中是一项很有价值的技能.

4. 不要害怕无聊:组织工具

韦恩弗里特的教育者喜欢教有趣的东西, but they don’t neglect the old-fashioned skills that are essential to learning and developmental growth at this age—planners, 绑定, 以及它们的现代等价物, 谷歌应用程序. One author describes the weekly planner as “the radar” that helps middle schoolers navigate the world. 对于这个年龄段的人来说，组织是一个真正的挑战. That’s why the school day at Waynflete begins with homeroom advisors helping sixth-grade students organize class notes, 施舍, 还有用三环活页夹夹的作业论文.

Studies suggest that organization and good routines reduce student stress and enhance their readiness to learn. 新巴黎人注册网站每节课都花时间培养良好的工作习惯. 学生们填写每晚的家庭作业, 写下或设置提醒自己具体的截止日期, 为长期任务填写月历. Sixth-graders learn and practice these skills and then refine them in seventh grade. 到了八年级，他们可以在没有监督的情况下使用这些技能.

5. 记录:整理证据

Recording information as you read from a text or take part in a discussion is an essential organizational skill. The act of note taking not only deepens students’ understanding of what they’re studying—it enables them to use it to form arguments and support them in class discussions. 在Waynflete, 新巴黎人注册网站教线性记笔记的方法, in which students are asked to identify and “chunk together” key words and ideas. They practice this format in history and Latin classes and quickly learn that the format required for science labs is actually another version of linear note taking.

在这个坚实的基础上工作, students learn how to write topic sentences and five-sentence expository paragraphs—eventually leading to the creation of a research paper with a thesis, 支持点, 还有令人信服的证据.

6. 记忆与回忆

Absorbing, cataloging, and retrieving information is essential for mastering material. 在Waynflete, 新巴黎人注册网站在课堂上讨论新巴黎人注册网站偏好和风格, then teach students to employ techniques that will maximize individual success. 新巴黎人注册网站的学生学会将材料形象化, 创建助记设备, 制作老式的卡片. 八年级的时候, 新巴黎人注册网站用歌曲背诵宪法的章节, 写说唱和圣歌来新巴黎人注册网站骨骼系统中的骨骼.

7. 注意线索/焦点

中学生喜欢他们的电子设备. But recent research warns that devices may be making it difficult for today’s young students to concentrate. 因此，专注是所有教育者最关心的问题. 在Waynflete, teachers are constantly evaluating the balance between screen time and “old school” paper-and-pencil skills. Our sixth- and seventh-graders take research notes on index cards while eighth-graders learn to use digital note cards. Educators use verbal cues to help students transition to classroom conversation, emphasize the significance of making eye contact with a classmate who is speaking, and stress the importance of being still so a presenter can focus on their topic instead of a fidgeting classmate.

8. 教他们自学

How many times have you been told that your child asks too many questions? We all want our kids to learn on their own and to discover that they can teach 自己. 问问题是第一步. 事实上，最好的教案通常以好问题开始.

9. 最大化时刻，节奏和基调

Middle school was historically seen as the stepping stone to high school. But middle school can be designed to allow 11-to-14-year-olds to develop at the right pace. Waynflete’s middle school teachers know that this is a time to allow for joy. 他们教导学生花时间做自己的重要性. They focus on the moment, not on the transitional nature that “the middle” can be.

Waynflete’s entire middle school meets in a weekly assembly to celebrate accomplishments in the community, 分享音乐, 表演短剧, 发布公告. 集会也是一个停下来，呼吸，一起享受时光的时刻. 新巴黎人注册网站想把注意力集中在“中间新巴黎人注册网站者”的体验上,而不是总是准备继续前进的学生.