Enhancing Student Learning in Middle School
By Martha Casas
Routledge – 2011 – 16 pages
A comprehensive introduction to middle school teaching, this textbook focuses explicitly on instructional strategies that encourage adolescents to become active participants in their own learning within a world of accountability and standardized testing. The author, an experienced middle school teacher and teacher educator, takes a constructivist approach to teaching that considers the whole child, including the emotional, psychological, social, and cultural variables uniquely associated with adolescence. The text examines the full range of middle school topics, from the development and diversity of middle school learners, to the structures, curriculum, and management of the classroom itself.
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"Enhancing Student Learning in Middle School is a remarkably insightful and unique text for both aspiring and practicing middle grades teachers. Casas offers realistic, relevant, and well-grounded approaches for promoting engagement and addressing the academic and affective needs of young adolescents. It is a must read for teachers who wish to improve their teaching and student learning."
--Micki M. Caskey, Professor, Middle Grades Education, Portland State University
1. Rationalizing the Middle School Concept
2. Theoretical Frameworks
3. Motivational Theories and Early Adolescence
4. Effective Classroom Management
5. What is Antisocial Behavior?
6. Designing and Enacting the Curriculum
7. Using Multicultural Education to Enhance Student Engagement in Learning
8. Assessing Student Learning
9. Instructional Strategies for Developing Higher-Level Thinking
10. Enhancing Student Engagement in the Content Areas
11. Parental and Community Involvement
Martha Casas is an Associate Professor of Teacher Education at the University of Texas at El Paso.