Effective Teachers at the Middle Level
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University of Massachusetts Amherst ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014 1-1-2000 Effective teachers at the middle level. Amy R. Gelinas University of Massachusetts Amherst Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_1 Recommended Citation Gelinas, Amy R., "Effective teachers at the middle level." (2000). Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014. 5388. https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_1/5388 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014 by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. For more information, please contact [email protected]. EFFECTIVE TEACHERS AT THE MIDDLE LEVEL A Dissertation Presented by AMY R. GELINAS Submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Massachusetts Amherst in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF EDUCATION September 2000 School of Education © Copyright by Amy R.Gelinas 2000 All Rights Reserved EFFECTIVE TEACHERS AT THE MIDDLE LEVEL A Dissertation Presented by AMY R. GELINAS Approved as to style and content by: Kenneth Parker, Member 0 JX ailey W. Jackson, De hool of Education DEDICATION This project would not have been accomplished without the love and support of my family. My husband, Al, my best friend and biggest fan for 25 years. Your unwavering confidence in me made all the difference. I would not have done this without you. I love you. My children, who have had take-out for more nights then I could count, and have urged me to do my ‘homework’ while they did theirs. They were always supportive, and never complained. Thank you Sarah, Jake, Meagan, Mary, and Jason. My nephews, who joined the family for the last leg of this project, and joined the rest, encouraging me to finish! Thank you Joe and Sean. My parents, who taught me I could do anything I put my mind to, as long as I wanted it enough. (They did not tell me it would be so hard or take so long, though!) Thank you Mom and Dad. My mother-in-law, Ellen, who has always treated me as one of her own, and bragged that I could do anything. Well, Mom - you are great! Thank you. My sisters, bright and open thinkers, who generously gave me their time so I could bounce ideas off of them; their encouragement helped greatly. Thank you Danielle and Judy My son-in-law, who has become an integral part of the family, has encouraged me with his additional support. Thank you, Andy. Jim and Kate, Laureen and Dave, your support and encouragement helped more than you realize. Thank you. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to acknowledge the help and support of the following people: The staff at Searles Middle School. These people showed professionalism and courtesy ever step of the way. They have been supportive during all the years it has taken me to complete this huge project. Their participation and encouragement helped make this possible. The staff at Nessacus Regional Middle School. These people welcomed me to their staff and allowed me to pursue my goal with their encouragement and support. They became involved at the end of this project, and assisted in making this a reality. Ellen Owens and the members of the Hawaiian Alliance of Middle Schools. Your insight and wonderful comments were not only helpful, but inspiring as well. Special thanks to the principals of the two schools where I have worked during this project: Jane Furey and Jim Stankiewicz. And to my friend, Jim Armstrong, who was a wonderful sounding board and advocate from the beginning. Rosemary Larkin, my student teacher and an inspiration to me, and Jim Culliton, whose technical advice saved many hours of valuable time. Thank you. Thank you to Dr. Allan Feldman and Ken Parker, who have been my advisors throughout. Their insight has been essential, and compelled me to see the 'trees for the forest'. v ABSTRACT EFFECTIVE TEACHERS AT THE MIDDLE LEVEL SEPTEMBER 2000 AMY R. GELINAS, B.A., NORTH ADAMS STATE COLLEGE M. Ed., NORTH ADAMS STATE COLLEGE Ed. D., UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST Directed by: Professor Allan Feldman What are characteristics of exceptional teaching in terms of academic, social and emotional growth as determined by middle school teachers and students? An effective middle grades teacher transmits a core of common knowledge to his or her students. An effective middle grade teacher makes his or her students feel they are a part of a community, and provides a meaningful and challenging educational experience. The effective middle grades teacher takes the time to talk with his or her students about academic matters and personal problems, and makes the student see that he or she has value and is a success, with a promising future. (Turning Points, 1989). Are pre-service teachers prepared to teach at the middle level? The purpose of this study was to determine if effective middle school teachers share certain characteristics, and if so, how could they become integrated into a teacher education program. vi Teachers of middle school students, pre-service teachers, middle school students, and middle school administrators participated in this study about effective middle school teachers. Surveys, interviews, and questionnaires were administered to participants in order to determine what is exceptional about them. The data was then used to identify characteristics or methods which effective middle level teachers have in common. The results were grounded in adolescent development theory. The research may help determine teacher characteristics or methods that are most suited in terms of academic, social, and emotional growth for a middle level student. Vll TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.v ABSTRACT.vi CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION.1 Purpose.3 Adolescent Characteristics Affect Learning.4 Middle School Philosophy.5 Middle Level Teacher Qualifications.6 Adolescence.7 Glossary.8 2. LITERATURE REVIEW.10 Physical Development of Early Adolescents.10 Cognitive Development of Early Adolescents.13 Psycho/social development.23 Social/Economic Factors Affecting Adolescent Development.26 Characteristics of Effective Middle Level Teachers - What Teachers Say.32 Characteristics of Effective Middle Level Teachers - What the Students Say.39 Characteristics of Effective Middle Level Teachers - What Administrators Say.42 Characteristics and Philosophy of Middle Level Schools.48 Certification Requirements for Middle Level Teachers.52 3. METHODOLOGY AND RESEARCH DESIGN.58 Purpose.58 Descriptions of Data Sources.58 Methodology.59 Phase One.59 Phase Two.62 4. DATA RESULTS.64 Content.72 General Content.74 Relevance.75 viii Subject Knowledge.78 Motivation.78 Relevance.79 Humor.80 Enthusiasm.81 Hands-on Activities.83 Work Ethic/Modeling.84 Caring as Motivation.85 Caring.87 Academic.87 Personal Relationship.88 Management.91 Discipline.92 Flexibility.93 Teaming.94 Adolescent Characteristics.95 Ranking of Words.97 5. SUMMARY AND IMPLICATIONS.104 Content.107 General Content.107 Relevance.109 Subject Knowledge.Ill Motivation.112 Relevance.112 Humor.113 Enthusiasm.114 Hands-on.114 Work Ethic/ Modeling.116 Caring.117 ix Caring 118 Academic.118 Personal Relationship.119 Management.122 Discipline.122 Adolescent Characteristics.125 Implications.127 Limitations of the Study.132 Future Studies.134 Middle Level Teacher Education Program of the Future.135 APPENDICES.137 A. CONSENT FORM.138 B. PRIMARY SURVEY.139 C. SURVEY.140 D. FOCUS GROUP PROTOCOL.143 REFERENCES.144 x LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Stages of Cognitive Development.15 2. Erikson’s Stages of Psycho/social Development.18 3. Bruner’s Stages of Cognitive Development.21 4. Developmental Tasks of Adolescence.23 5. Selman’s Five Stages of Social Perspective Taking.25 6. Variables That Influence Our Environment.29 7. Six Personal Qualities Identified by the National Middle School Association.33 8. Strategies for Bonding with Students.35 9. Personal Characteristics of Teachers.40 10. Professional Characteristics of Teachers.40 11. Middle Level Teacher Attributes as Preferred by Principals.43 12. The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards: Teacher Essentials.46 13. Middle School Teaching Tasks.47 14. Characteristics of Developmentally Responsive Middle Level Schools.48 15. Elements for Pre-Service Training of Middle Level Teachers.53 16. State Teacher Certification Requirements (1995-1996).54 17. Format of Data.65 18. Results of Effective Middle School Teacher Study.66 19. Essential Characteristics for Effective Middle School teachers...100 20. Format of Data for Discussion.106 xi CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION If you want to see an outpouring of energy equal to a space shuttle launch, spend a day in a local middle school. Instead of paying money to the local thespian group to observe the entire range of human emotion, from the pits of despair to the heights of ecstasy, spend an hour at a middle school in your town. To view the latest in fashion, from make-up to clothing, or to catch up on the most recent episodes of current TV shows, movies or music, drop in on a middle school class. The adolescent of the 00’s is a highly energized being, with a budding awareness of social values and his or her place in society. The young adolescent of today has pressures and demands that far and away exceed those of past generations, for instance the pressures of high drug/alcohol abuse, child abuse, and unconventional family structures. Society is also demanding that our youth keep pace with the increasing technical knowledge and its usage. Many adults turn to a child for help with the programming of their VCR or computer. Many young people are as comfortable with e-mail or Internet as adults are with the postal system or the telephone. When you look closely at the early adolescents of today and consider the fast rate of change in their lives, also consider the education these young people receive.