Today's Middle Level Educator

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6/29/2009 The Students are SOAR-ing (10:39) Kim Campbell, a classroom teacher and member of the NMSA Site-Based Services Cadre, talks about the SOAR program with NMSA's Assistant Executive Director, Jack Berckemeyer. The SOAR program has been used at Kim's school to help deal with the achievement gap. Jack and Kim share practical ways to introduce SOAR and provide concrete examples of the program's impact in the lives of young adolescents. Resources: Research Summary - Student Achievement and the Middle School Concept Student Achievement in New Literacies for the 21st Century by William Kist (MSJ, Sept. '03) On Target - Student Achievement: What Works to Improve Student Achievement

 

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6/4/2009 Formative Assessment: Debunking the Myths (21:13) Formative assessment is a verb, not a noun. A process whereby students and teachers maintain ongoing conversation about learning, formative assessment is key to student achievement. Kate Garrison, manager of products and services for professional development with Measured Progress, debunks 5 myths about formative assessment in the first of this 2-part discussion. Resources: Formative and Summative Assessments in the Classroom by Catherine Garrison & Michael Ehringhaus Effective Classroom Assessment: Linking Assessment with Instruction by Catherine Garrison, Dennis Chandler, & Michael Ehringhaus Using Formative Assessments to Individualize Instruction and Promote Learning by Juliann M. Kaftan, Gayle A. Buck, & Alysa Haack

 

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5/13/2009 Student Voice and Student Choice (22:06) In this episode, Jack Berckemeyer, assistant executive director for National Middle School Association, talks with middle level expert and member of the NMSA Site-Based Services Speakers Cadre Nancy Doda on the issues of student motivation. Nancy shares information about the power of student choice and the impact of allowing students to have a voice in the classroom. Resources: Kid to Kid: Guiding Our Students Toward Self-Confidence and Personal Power by Marcia Rogat Listening to the Voices of Young Adolescents by Nancy Doda and Trudy Knowles Tranforming Ourselves, Transforming Schools: Middle School Change by Nancy Doda and Sue Thompson

 

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4/16/2009 Building Community and Business Relationships (14:28) Join Jack Berckemeyer, assistant executive director for National Middle School Association, and Dr. Santo Pino as they discuss the importance of community involvement and business partnerships within the school. Jack and Santo also share ideas on ways to involve businesses in your school and the issues and concerns schools might experience. Resources: School-initiated Family and Community Partnerships Success with IEP's: Lessons Learned From Implementing the Middle School Model by Santo Pino and Dena Hook Education—Industry Partnerships Make a Mark by Sandra H. Harpole and Lori Hill Kerley

 

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3/13/2009 Cyber-Citizenship for Young Adolescents (20:23) Jill Spencer, a member of the NMSA Site-Based Services Speakers Cadre, has a discussion about cyber citizenship and its issues with Jack Berckemeyer, assistant executive director for National Middle School Association. Jill explains what it means to be a good cyber citizen. She elaborates on appropriate actions for young adolescents when dealing with technology, and shares some great examples for classroom teachers to use. Resources: School-initiated Family and Community Partnerships Success with IEP's: Lessons Learned From Implementing the Middle School Model Education—Industry Partnerships Make a Mark

 

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2/17/09 Voices of Teens: Writers Matter (12:15) Michael Galbraith and Bob Vogel, authors of the new books Voices of Teens: Writers Matter and Voices of Teens: In Their Own Words tell NMSA director of publications April Tibbles how they engaged, even empowered, students through reflective writing. Together, Michael and Bob crafted a magical program for the middle school classroom based on Erin Gruwell's Freedom Writer's Diary. Resources: Voices of Teens: Writers Matter (Teacher Edition) Voices of Teens: In Their Own Words (Student Edition) Listening to the Voices of Young Adolescents by Nancy Doda and Trudy Knowles (MSJ, Jan. '08).

 

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10/3/2008 Podcasts and the Science Classroom (21:45) Features Todd Williamson, a 7th grade science teacher who employed student-created podcasts to enrich a science unit on human body systems. He explains how producing the podcasts helped students improve science, literacy, and technology skills and understanding. Resources: Todd Williamson - Sunfish Podcast Project

 

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9/19/08 Wikis in the Classroom (21:45) Features Erica Roberts, interviewed by Mary Henton, NMSA director of integrated media initiatives. When Erica used wikis as the format for an annual social studies curriculum project, her students were engaged and learned. Resources: Technology to Improve Learning: Strategies for Middle Level Leaders

 

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9/5/2008 Bridge Building with Skype (19:46) Features Bill Ivey, interviewed by Mary Henton, NMSA director of integrated media initiatives. Bill tells the story and shares insights about how students in his humanities class, in Massachusetts, used Skype to collaborate and learn with students in New York City. Resources: Hot Technologies for Education: What's Happening Now and Later? Educator's Podcast Guide

 

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8/15/2008 Questions from the Undergrads (23:22) Features three middle school principals taking questions from undergraduate students. At the April 2008 gathering of the Collegiate Middle Level Association, students preparing to teach in the middle grades had an opportunity to pose questions to three seasoned middle school principals.