Current thinking among developmental psychologists and educators is that children in the middle school grades face intense psychological demands due to major physical, social, emotional, and cognitive changes, and that these changes call for a particular type of school environment. Describe the changes that middle school students typically experience and the type of educational environment that

Question

would best meet their needs.

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Middle school students are in early adolescence and are undergoing major physical changes related to puberty, social changes related to the desire to conform to the norms of a peer group, emotional changes related to the hormonal changes of puberty and the continued influence of egocentric thought, and cognitive changes related to the refinement of concrete operational schemes and the beginnings of formal operational schemes.
Because early adolescence is characterized by an increased need for autonomy, an acute self-consciousness, the developing awareness of others' feelings and the importance of peer acceptance, concerns about self-image, and the capacity for abstract thought, school environments should stress the following characteristics: students should be allowed to make decisions about such things as classroom rules, where they sit, and time spent on various tasks. Teachers should strive to establish a friendly, supportive, and caring relationship with students; stress small-group and individualized instruction and deemphasize whole-class instruction and ability grouping; use predetermined standards for grades rather than grading on a curve; and emphasize discussion and group problem-solving activities rather than copying information from textbooks or filling out worksheets.