Three PPPs: History of MCE; A (brief) Overview of Young Adolescents; Advisories: What are they? How do they work?

The final submission for EDM 341: Rotation 2 is a series of three power point presentations which I created in 2017 specifically for Rotation 2 interns to introduce them to several aspects of middle school and adolescent life that might be new to them. The first power point is The History of Middle Childhood Education which is a logical next step in the CREATE program to follow Rotation 1 (where our interns received a broader introduction to education). The second power point is titled, A (brief) Overview of Young Adolescents and is a playful (but realistic) look at the young adolescent as a specific population of humans who require particularized engagement to learn best and teachers who understand their constantly shifting developmental phases and stages. The third power point is Advisories: What are they? How do they work? Should I use them in my classroom? In a “true” middle school, each morning before classes begin, students would go to their assigned classroom and teacher for an advisory. Sometimes students are assigned to the same teacher/classroom for ½ year; sometimes for an entire year, but the teacher becomes an advocate for those students who have been assigned to her/him. Instead of having some type of home room – which most schools have summarily removed and replaced tutorials to practice reading and math for standardized tests – students would go to their advisories (which would last anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes, with no interruptions (no bells rung, no announcements over the loud speaker, etc.). The teacher ands students (together) plan what their advisory should be (a talk session where kids can talk about problems in school, at home, etc.? A play session where some kids play games, some kids draw or read and some kids talk to their teacher/advocate? A time for kids to plan special projects? Although there are virtually no true middle schools in Cleveland and/or surrounding areas, I think it’s important for our interns to understand that part of the focus of a middle school teacher is to advocate for their students and help them become as full and rich a human being as possible. That is the purpose of the advisory.