Penny A. Bishop

Student Perceptions of Reading Engagement: Learning From the Learners

This article presents the results of qualitative research into how middle school students experience school reading. Students from grades 4 through 8 from four different schools were asked individually to draw and then to talk about specific times of their choice when they were and were not engaged in learning. The combined method of drawing and talk encouraged deep reflection on the part of the students. The results indicated why students generally found silent, independent reading to be motivating and engaging and offered evidence that, for the most part, students disliked oral reading, not only because of qualms about audience but also because it hindered their comprehension. The students did not perceive that there was much instruction in reading strategies in school. The reading these students perceived as school reading differs from recommendations in the literature. In addition to considering these differences in the implications we draw for educators, we include suggestions about the usefulness of inviting students to draw and talk about the process of reading and to talk about their experiences of school reading.

Young Adolescent Voices: Students' Perceptions of Interdisciplinary Teaming.

Abstract Interdisciplinary teaming in middle schools has increased dramatically over the past few decades (McEwin, Dickinsen & Jensen, 2003); nevertheless, students have rarely been consulted as important sources of insight into this practice (Dickinsen & Erb, 1997) of two or more teachers sharing the responsibility for instruction, curriculum, and assessment of a common group of students (NMSA, 1995). The purpose of this study was to describe and analyze young adolescents’ perceptions of effective interdisciplinary teaming. Qualitative methods were employed to describe, analyze, and interpret the perceptions of 77 middle level students from three middle schools. A multi-genre approach was used to represent the findings, including analytic writing, student-produced photographs, narrative vignette, and poetic transcription. Findings indicated that students felt like trusted members of a community, viewing themselves as self-disciplined and self-directed learners. Students perceived themselves to be growing in confidence, independence, and tolerance, gaining leadership and collaborative skills, and belonging to a family. Data indicate that when schools are organized to support multi-year teams, and when students are invited to collaborate in team governance and learning, many students report positive personal growth.

Middle School Students’ Perceptions of Social Dimensions as Influencers of Academic Engagement

Abstract This qualitative study investigates rural middle school students’ perceptions of academic engagement. Participant-produced drawings (Kearney & Hyle, 2003), integrated with a series of semi-structured interviews (Patton, 2002), served as the primary data collection techniques. Twenty middle school students participated, stratified for socioeconomic status, grade level, gender, history of academic achievement, and school type. Findings indicate students strongly perceived the social conditions of the classroom as influencing their academic engagement, positively through an authentic community and leadership opportunities; and negatively through distraction and the judgment of peers.

Middle Grades Transition Programs around the Globe.

Transitions into and out of the middle grades can be challenging for many reasons. Students need to acclimate to new policies, practices, and buildings; teachers require accurate data about their new students’ capacities; and families must navigate relationships with new personnel. All school transitions present different and, at times, puzzling terrain to traverse. Some students find the move between schools so difficult that they “unlearn” skills and content, beginning a potential spiral toward being retained or even dropping out. Galton, Gray, and Ruddock (1999) estimated that seven percent of 11-yearolds unlearn reading, mathematics, and language skills during their first year of secondary school. However, others have noted that secondary school dropout rates are significantly lower in school districts that have clear

The Intersection between 1:1 Laptop Implementation and the Characteristics of Effective Middle Level Schools.

Abstract The number of middle level schools adopting 1:1 laptop programs has increased considerably during the past decade (e.g., Lowther, Strahl, Inan, & Bates, 2007; Storz & Hoffman, 2013; Texas Center for Educational Research, 2009). The cornerstone practices of the middle school concept (National Middle School Association, 2010), therefore, often serve as the backdrop for 1:1 implementation. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the intersection between 1:1 program implementation and the characteristics of effective middle schools associated with the middle school concept over a four-year period. Through ongoing participant observation, individual interviews, focus groups, and reviews of digital student work and documents, we explored the implementation of a 1:1 program by one middle school team that also espoused the middle school concept. We begin by providing perspectives on 1:1 programs and on the middle school concept from research and theoretical lenses. We then describe the qualitative methodology we employed to conduct this study. Next, we present an analysis of our findings, illustrating the opportunities, tensions, and trajectories that appeared when we examined 1:1 implementation alongside the characteristics of effective middle level schools. Finally, we explore the implications of these findings for middle level educators, school leaders, and other stakeholders as they adopt 1:1 programs in schools for young adolescents.

“Think bigger about science”: Using Twitter for learning in the middle grades

Abstract This article examines the use of Twitter as a learning tool in a middle grades science classroom. Relevant research, the direct experience of the teacher leading this unique initiative, and the invaluable perspectives of his middle level students are included to inform interested stakeholders. Following a discussion of open versus closed digital environments, a rationale for why open forms of social media, like Twitter, can be appropriate for middle grades students is explored. The ways in which one author integrates Twitter into his teaching is then described before student outcomes are explained, including the voices and perspectives of students themselves. Finally, the challenges teachers might face in using Twitter with students are discussed and recommendations are offered for those considering integrating social media into their pedagogy.

Disaffiliated Boys: Perspectives on Friendship and School Success.

School safety and violence continue to be at the forefront of national concern. Yet, America’s adolescents are decreasingly victims and perpetrators of violent crime; both the violent crime victimization and offending rates for adolescents have declined by 74% and 78% respectively, over the past decade (Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics, 2004). At the same time, however, America is arguably more concerned than ever with school safety, as evidenced by the millions of dollars in grant funding for “safe schools” initiatives and even by the general popularity of the award-winning documentary, Bowling for Columbine. This seeming contradiction is perhaps linked to the fact that only one type of school violence has increased since 1980: cases in which adolescents use guns to shoot teachers and students, in seemingly random fashion (Sadowski, 2003). In the 28 school shootings that have occurred in the past two decades, the profile of the young people committing the violence is remarkably similar. All shootings but one have occurred in rural or suburban settings; all shooters are male; and all but two of the boys are white (Sadowski, 2003). Media reports of the incidents reveal that bullying, teasing, harassment, and hazing contributed to a sense of disaffiliation from school, setting the stage for the majority of these juvenile offenders. What might disaffiliated boys say about their schooling experiences, if invited to speak? And, what might educators learn from these messages?

The Work of Effective Middle Grades Principals: Responsiveness and Relationship.

Abstract Findings from research studies suggest that school leadership accounts for fully one quarter of total school effects on pupils, making it second only to classroom instruction among school-based factors affecting student achievement (Leithwood, Louis, Anderson & Wahlstrom, 2004). While a considerable body of research has analyzed effective school leadership in general, remarkably few studies have examined the leadership of middle grades schools in particular (Anfara, Roney, Smarkola, DuCette, & Gross, 2006), despite the fact that students’ performance in the middle grades has been linked to later life success (Balfanz, 2007). The purpose of this study was to describe and analyze middle grades principals’ perceptions of effective school leadership. We focus within this article on leadership dispositions in particular, in the interest of space and because the domain remains particularly unexamined within the middle grades literature. We begin with a brief overview of related research and the theoretical framework that grounds our study. We then describe the qualitative methodology employed to pursue our purpose. Next we examine two key areas of our findings on middle grades leadership dispositions: developmental responsiveness and relationship. Finally, we consider the implications of this work for policy, practice and future research.

Using Personal Memoirs of Early Adolescence to Prepare for Teaching in the Middle Grades.

When thinking back on my middle school experience I am met with mixed emotions. I do not necessarily remember going through puberty, getting taller, or my voice dropping. I do, however, remember the associated awkwardness. I became very introverted during this time. I lost friends that I would later regain in high school. I was angry all the time. In short, I was a real jerk. The most confusing aspect of all of this is that I hadn’t the faintest idea why. My home life was good. I had friends, good grades. My only hope at that point was to plead insanity—to tell my friends and family that the reason for my inclement attitude was the poison of testosterone veins and, like Houdini, escape the shackles of my former self and emerge before the cheering crowd of my senior year, homecoming king of my school, and I might add, an all around likeable guy.

Collaborative action research for middle grades improvement

Technology’s rapid evolution applies constant pressure to educational organizations, suggesting a need to continually re-envision schools for the digital age. Yet educators often struggle to understand the growing chasm between students’ out-of-school and in-school technology lives. This gap is particularly noticeable during the middle grades years, when home technology use increases dramatically. The purpose of this research was to examine the experiences of teachers and students engaged in collaborative action research for middle school improvement in technology-rich settings. We begin by outlining our theoretical framework, emphasizing Fletcher’s Ladder of Student Involvement. We then describe our case-study design and methods. Findings are organized by action research components and a discussion of key themes follows. Finally, we consider the implications of this study for action research as a means of student involvement and teacher learning.