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7 ways to make middle school less…middle school

Par Jennifer Brookland

[/vc_column_text][/vc_colonne][/vc_row][vc_row][largeur vc_column = »2/3″][vc_column_text]Memories that fall between the fun of childhood and the accomplishments of young adulthood are sometimes ones we’d rather not relive. Those middle years are, for many, a complicated and trying time punctuated by awkwardness and anxiety.

Students at this age are in physiological, emotional and cognitive transition. They face new academic and social challenges, and the stakes for both are higher. And this all happens at a time when support from classmates, enseignants, schools and parents often drops off.

These middle school years can be more than something we survive—and they have to be: In many countries, increasing numbers of students who drop out of school begin their adult lives lacking in the skills and attitudes necessary to join the workforce, cope with life pressures, and contribute to society.

“People say ‘this too shall pass’ instead of seeing it as the best opportunity to encourage young people,” says Eric Rusten, a Senior Associate with Creative Associates International’s Education for Development Division. “Middle school is a wonderful opportunity for us as educators to help these young people shift their trajectory in more positive ways.”

So here, from Rusten and two other Creative experts who have worked with adolescents in Morocco, Jordan, Brésil, Indonesia and Mozambique, are seven ways to take advantage of this period of transition, and make middle school a time of opportunity and positive growth.

1. Demand more

Quand 3,344 Jordanian students answered survey questions about how they felt in school, only about half of them said their teachers set high expectations—the same amount who said their teachers cared about them.

Mais expecting students to be high achievers is a self-fulfilling prophecy. It builds their self-esteem, increases their confidence, improves their performance in school and even increases their motivation.

In Indonesia, Rusten listened to a 15-year-old girl explain that becoming a student support technician for her school’s computer system, with the responsibilities it entailed, actually changed her life.

She was responsible for preparing computers for class, maintaining and repairing them and updating software. She was also asked to manage the maintenance budget and train student technicians for the next year.

"Avant, I hated school and was a poor student,” the girl said. "Maintenant, I come early every day and am at the top of my class.”

2. Smile!

When students in Jordan were asked what changes they would bring to their school if they were principal for a day, they said things like: “Make a rule against teachers hitting students”; and “ask the teachers to just talk to students and respect them and to stop yelling and abusing us.”

One 14-year-old girl simply said, “I will ask all the teachers to smile at the students and to call them by their names.”

Rendre l’environnement scolaire plus convivial, un lieu plus stimulant n'est peut-être pas quelque chose que les enseignants considèrent intrinsèquement comme leur travail. Mais cela contribue grandement à un environnement d’apprentissage plus efficace pour les étudiants et à une confiance accrue qui se traduit par une réussite scolaire et sociale.. Cela peut également rendre les enseignants plus heureux et accroître leur satisfaction au travail..

3. Agrandir la classe

L'apprentissage se fait également à travers des activités non académiques. Pensez aux équipes sportives, club de théâtre et de débat, ou service communautaire en milieu scolaire. Mais de nombreuses écoles sont dépourvues de ces opportunités pour les enfants.

Au Maroc, 21 Pour cent des collégiens interrogés ont déclaré ne pas se sentir partie intégrante de leur école..

« Nous avons besoin et souhaitons que les élèves jouent un rôle majeur dans la vie scolaire.,» dit Abdelkader Ezzaki, qui dirige le projet de collège de Creative au Maroc. Cela signifie en partie impliquer les jeunes dans des activités où ils peuvent développer leurs responsabilités., collaboration, et les compétences psychosociales qui leur seront utiles en classe et à l'extérieur.

Et ne pensez pas que l’environnement social et d’apprentissage du collège s’arrête à l’extérieur de la porte.. Plutôt, mosquées, les entreprises et autres institutions communautaires peuvent jouer un rôle important en aidant les élèves à se sentir plus positivement à l’égard de l’école..

"Il ne s'agit pas seulement de l'école ou des enseignants," déclare l'associé principal Jeffrey Coupe. « Si nous mobilisons ces ressources et trouvons un adulte ou deux ou trois adultes qui se soucient de chaque enfant, cela contribue grandement à réduire les facteurs de risque.

4. Écoutez

Les collégiens sont ceux qui sont les plus en danger, are most concerned about their futures, and are most unsure. Yet it is teachers and administrators who control resources and time, and do most of the talking and deciding, Rusten points out.

He says adults can only enable young people to be autonomous and purposeful by consulting with them and engaging them in authentic and meaningful ways.

“It’s a really powerful experience to actually listen to young people," dit Rusten, who believes they truly want the guidance and feedback adults can provide. “They actually want to be walked through the thought process and test their ideas out. But you can’t get to that part without first listening.”

Coupe agrees that letting young people take charge of their lives will overturn the way adults view them.

“As you see changes in children and youth, you’ll start to change your world view," dit-il. “And I think that’s really a good place to start.”

6. Give in

Rusten is always shocked when teachers ask how to motivate young people.

In his experience, youth are exceptionally motivated—given the right conditions, that is. They want autonomy, they want to master skills and they want to live with purpose. When they can control their own lives, are good at something and do things that matter within an open, safe and respectful environment of inquiry and care, they will be motivated, il dit.

Le problème, bien sûr, is that adults don’t like ceding control, especially in a school environment where they feel responsible. But by recognizing that they can’t control young people’s lives, adults can act as facilitators.

“Think of young people as assets,” Rusten suggests. “Realize it’s not about us, it’s about them. This is their future, their lives. Our job is to help them shift the trajectory of their lives just a little bit.”

Those who do are sometimes surprised at the positive results.

One astounded coach in Morocco told Rusten, “I knew that these young people were good with us, now I realize that they are so much better without us.”

6. Make learning useful, and personal

At a workshop Rusten helped organize in Mozambique, a 16-year-old girl and orphan was outraged when she heard NGO workers blame poverty for students dropping out. “We didn’t leave school because we were poor,” she declared. « Nous sommes partis parce que l’école ne fournit pas ce dont nous avions besoin. »

En Jordanie, huit sur 10 les collégiens ont déclaré qu'ils passaient au moins la moitié de leurs cours de mathématiques à mémoriser des formules.

Les enfants comme ceux-là qui n’acquièrent pas les connaissances et les compétences qui leur seront réellement utiles dans leur vie peuvent facilement se désintéresser., ou ne voient aucune valeur à rester à l'école.

Rendre leur apprentissage utile et personnalisé peut faire la différence dans leurs attitudes et leurs performances., d'autant plus qu'un déficit scolaire peut souvent engendrer un déficit comportemental selon Coupe.

Plus facile à dire qu’à faire…. mais possible et nécessaire.

« Je ne pense pas que des croyances culturelles profondément ancrées viendront facilement, mais si vous commencez par développer une philosophie de comportement et de feedback positifs, over time positive change will convince people,” Coupe says.

7. Change from within

When middle school teachers in Morocco resisted a reading across the curriculum approach, Ezzaki had them create the content for it.

Enseignants, who had ownership of the new approach, created a more engaging and motivating class environment, and were shown how to help struggling students.

For their part, students become more autonomous in their learning as their reading improved. Not only did they test higher in reading and other subject areas, but they dropped out of school at significantly lower rates as compared to the national average.

Le programme, appelé Améliorer la formation pour l’avancement de la qualité dans l’éducation nationale, was institutionalized by the Ministry of Education into pre-service and in-service teacher training. Finalement, it was scaled up and funded by the government as Creative’s new RASID program.

“Change does not need to happen from outside,» dit Ezzaki. “It can happen from within.”[/vc_column_text][/vc_colonne][largeur vc_column = »1/12″][/vc_colonne][largeur vc_column = »1/4″][vc_widget_sidebar sidebar_id= »barre latérale-primaire »][/vc_colonne][/vc_row]