I thought that the most important information in chapter one was in figure 1.3 with the definitions of general characteristics of young adolescents in many important categories. This information (then followed by suggestions of how to cater to these characteristics) is vital to understanding the middle school student and what they are going through at that time in his or her life. Though the information was not new or surprising, I think adult educators can easily forget their own experiences with middle school, and so this table is extremely useful to remind them of the unique group middle school students really are.
I was also surprised to learn the differences between a Junior High and a Middle School. I personally attended a Middle School under the name of a Junior High, so I had not previously realized that they were completely different ideas.
I also did not know that there was a difference in Junior High and Middle School until I read this chapter. I always wondered why my Junior High was called Junior High.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with you that educators seem to forget why we learn about the characteristics of middle schoolers. It has been pounded in my head so many times that sometimes when I come across the characteristics I don't pay attention to them.
I too did not know all of the many differences beween junior high and a middle school. Gina, my situation was the opposite of yours - I attended a middle school that operated much more like a junior high. Until yesterday's reading, I had really thought nothing of it.
ReplyDeleteI also like table 1.3 - yes, it's mostly information we are familiar with or could assume, but I'm a fan of charts, graphs, and diagrams. It's a nice way to put all of the information on a related subect together and it makes it a nice way to go back and reference certain ideas as we continue working toward our teaching certificate.