Stuck in the Middle: Strategies to Engage Middle-Level Learners
The Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement

Keeping middle school students focused and engaged in the classroom is quite a challenge amidst all of the complex changes-physical, intellectual, emotional, and social-that they experience during this phase of their lives. Youth aged 11 to 13 years-a period sometimes called the 'tween years -are characterized by a growing desire to think and act independently while at the same time caring deeply about being accepted by peers and being part of a group (Caskey & Anfara, 2007). Add to those dynamics the feelings of vulnerability and self-consciousness that come with puberty, and educators have an imposing set of forces to consider when designing strategies to effectively reach middle school students.

Literature about middle school reform acknowledges the importance of an academically challenging and supportive environment to engage young adolescent learners. Student motivation, a meaningful curriculum, and student choice also are important factors for engaging middle-level learners (Caskey & Anfara, 2007; Newmann, Marks, & Gamoran, 1995; Learning Point Associates, 2005). This month's newsletter addresses student motivation and illustrates three strategies that can help create a meaningful curriculum to engage middle-level learners. The strategies draw from effective classroom practices across grade levels as well as from research about the social, emotional, and physical development of middle-level learners.

Click here to read entire newsletter outlining the strategies:
http://www.centerforcsri.org/files/TheCenter_NL_May08.pdf

Click here for the Center's website:
http://www.centerforcsri.org/