Humanities 7
The
design of Humanities 7 is based on four sets of standards developed by the
National Council of Teachers of English, the National Council of Social
Studies, the
Research
additionally shows the importance of student involvement in their own learning.
In the words of the National Middle School Association, “Curriculum is relevant
when it allows students to pursue answers to questions they have about
themselves, content, and the world. (…) Student-generated questions may lead to
more demanding study, particularly when the prescribed curriculum is too often
preoccupied with answers to questions young adolescents never ask. (…) Almost
any aspect of a school’s curriculum may be relevant to a young adolescent when
developed with reference to students’ questions, ideas and concerns.” (NMSA, p.20-21)
If the level of study is more demanding with an approach rooted in
student-generated questions, then it would stand to reason that students
educated in such a fashion would be able to achieve at a higher level. Indeed,
this is what the research shows. James A. Beane, in his book A Reason to Teach,
states that “Research on teaching methods associated with democratic practices
consistently shows that they are associated with success on standardized
tests.” (Beane, p.46).
So we
know what the research tells us middle school students need to know how to do,
and we know what the research tells us about how to help them acquire that
knowledge. How does this happen in practice in
The
students begin by writing questions in two different areas, “What do I want to
know about the world?” and “What do I want to know about myself?” (based on
Beane, pp.24-25) These questions are shared with the class and classified under
general areas of inquiry. We require students to design units in the areas of
history, world cultures, psychology and aesthetics, and we encourage and help
them to identify other areas of inquiry which may emerge from their questions
such as economics, political systems, or sociology. Within these areas of
inquiry, the girls work to group their questions together, finding common themes
and discovering the essential question which will unify and drive the unit. For
example, for a unit in the area of psychology last year, students wrote the
essential question “Why do people sometimes act different from who they are?”
Once the
girls have their unit themes chosen, we work to connect those themes to a list
of required genres of presentation which includes common formats such as
research papers, literary and compare/contrast essays, and persuasive speeches.
Together, we decide which genre of presentation is most appropriate to which
topic. We ensure that all required genres are covered, and consider what else
the students may wish to attempt.
The
final step is to match literature to each unit theme. Beyond literary
discussions among the whole class and in small groups, there are daily “morning
readings” in support of the unit. For example, right now in the 1940’s decade
study, the girls are reading Lily’s Crossing which offers a window into
what life was like in the northeastern
As the
girls work through each unit, they learn to research efficiently. They learn to
analyze, synthesize and evaluate ideas. They learn and practice the five steps
in the process of writing. They work on improving the mechanics of their
writing. They learn and practice the habits of good readers as they build their
vocabularies. They learn about literary analysis and other critical thinking
skills. They learn how to work on their own and within a group. All the while,
they are building their awareness of and developing their own power as
students.
Over
2000 years ago, Aristotle stated that “All learning begins in wonder,” and that
remains as true today as it was back then. The philosophy behind
Advisory
Stoneleigh-Burnham’s advisory program is
rooted in research that says that young adolescents learn best when all aspects
of their development are engaged by the school – that academic achievement
actually rises when appropriate attention is paid to emotional, behavioral and
physical development as well as intellectual development. Two years ago, we won
a grant from the National Middle School Association to examine our program in
light of the principles of This We Believe, and our advisory program was
one of the two main areas of focus in the second year of the grant. As part of
this process, we surveyed the students and asked them to list reasons why the
school has an advisory program. By combining their ideas, we were able to come
up with the following mission statement:
The purpose of Stoneleigh-Burnham's advisory
program is to provide a core support base at school which allows students to
connect with themselves, their teachers and their peers as they build
confidence, develop skills for success in school and in life, monitor their
progress, and have fun.
It is wonderful
to note that the girls instinctively touched on all three areas of self-esteem
identified by the research of psychologist JoAnn Deak: connectedness, confidence, and competence.
There are many components to our advisory
system. One component involves goal-setting, where the girls think about what
they’d like to accomplish during the year, how they can form connections to
support them toward that end, and how they can deal positively with challenges
and distractions. These goals are examined and revisited at regular intervals
through the year.
A second component involves preparing for
student-led conferences on Family Weekend. The girls reflect in writing on
their progress and challenges in each aspect of the program, and collect these
self-reflections along with sample work into a binder which they share with
parents. In This We Believe, it states that “Student-led conferences are
especially valuable in achieving the goals of an assessment and reporting
program.” (NMSA, p.28) and this seems particularly true with this age group.
A third component, new this year, is
“Thinking About Tomorrow Today.” This program has been developed by the Human
Capital Education Corporation in collaboration with the New England League of
Middle Schools. It looks at what we know about the kinds of attributes that
lead to success in school, the workplace, and throughout life, and offers a
variety of activities accompanied by online journals for self-reflection to
build awareness of, and skill with, these attributes. Examples include
communicating, maintaining high standards of personal behavior, taking initiative
to solve problems and make effective decisions, and working cooperatively. We
are happy to have been selected to be one of 25 model schools to implement this
program.
These components take priority, but there
is ample time for using other activities or even creating our own, both in
support of these same goals and simply to have fun. After all, there is a place
for simple, pure fun, whether playing a game such as “Apples to Apples” or
enjoying strawberries dipped in chocolate, which creates its own kinds of
connections and bonds among members of an advisory group.
Service
Learning
The goals of advisory are meant to extend
beyond the confines of that program, and service learning is one area where
this happens. Through time, we have forged strong ties with several community
agencies such as the Pioneer Valley Humane Society, the Food Bank, and the 21st
Century After-School Program. We’ve acquired a reputation for being friendly, willing
and steady workers, and these places are explicit in their praise for the
difference we make to their work. When our students hear this, and see the
positive results of their work, much more happens than the admittedly important
goal of learning to get outside oneself and develop empathy for others – a
sense of connectedness. The girls are also developing a sense of competence as
they see the value of their work, and a sense of confidence that they can make
a difference in the world. Again, these three elements – connectedness,
confidence, and competence – are what contribute most strongly to building true
self-esteem in girls, which in turn connects back to academic success. As the
NELMS motto says, “It’s all about the learning.”
Beane,
James. A. A Reason to Teach. Heinemann,