Essentials Skills for Success: Preparing Middle School for the Future

Essential Skills for Success

Preparing Middle School for the Future

The Westview Middle School program was created in 2004 to fill a need for students aging out of the elementary program but still wishing to continue in an academic program that would provide the social and emotional support needed through Grade 8. Since its inception, the program has continued to expand and improve. Last year, our program boasted over 36 students in five homeroom classes - an enrollment record for middle school. In 2022, Westview had twelve students who successfully completed the Middle School Curriculum, all of whom will be beginning high school in the fall. Ten of the twelve students completed all of their middle school years at Westview.

In the last two years, Westview has made numerous upgrades to the middle school program to ensure that our students are prepared for life after Westview. Kori Spurgers has been a part of Westview since 2016 as an instructional assistant and the lead teacher of Language Arts last year. Kori shared her insight on the intentional ways Westview staff work to set our students up for success.

How does Westview support students in becoming more independent?

Once students move to middle school, teachers immediately begin the work of building student independence. This includes developing time management skills and taking responsibility for managing their schedule and materials. Each middle school student has a unique schedule of classes. In the first weeks of school, middle schoolers learn to read their schedule and move between classes while allowing themselves enough time to gather materials needed for each class which may require a trip to their locker. This can sometimes be a challenge for our students, and early in the year, you will find middle school teachers in the hallways, answering questions, helping with the transition between classes, and reminding students entering class, "Do you have what you need?" Time management and personal responsibility for schedules and materials are essential skills as we prepare students for life after Westview.

Critical thinking and problem-solving are essential skills for future success. In what ways does the middle school program help students develop these skills?

It is essential for students to be able to think critically and solve problems on their own. Supporting students as they attempt things on their own is a priority for us. We want our students to be comfortable grappling with a problem, that is how they learn.

Reflecting on their success or challenge is also important - this is what I tried, what did not work, and what I should try next—being comfortable with failure and being able to reflect on something that didn't work and look at alternative solutions are some of the building blocks of critical thinking.

How is Westview using technology in the classroom? How has having this technology transformed the middle school program?

Two years ago, Westview Middle School became a 1:1 campus where every student was issued a Chromebook. Many of our students will say, "I am great at technology," but that may mean they are great at using an iPad or playing video games. Students transitioning to middle school are supported in acquiring computer skills like logging into websites, using word processing programs, or remembering passwords. These technology skills are usually picked up very quickly by our students.

Technology also plays a significant role in supporting collaborative work within our middle school classrooms. Our Middle School classrooms have started using Google Classroom for both inclass assignments and homework. This technology helps to support the collaborative learning piece. Students can easily connect with peers in the classroom on an assignment. They can work together, take advantage of peer editing, and ask for advice from peers before requesting help from a teacher.

Another positive of a more technology-rich classroom is the timeliness of teacher feedback. For example, when a student turns in an assignment via Google Classroom, the teacher can immediately review, add a comment, and return it quickly back to the student. The student receives immediate feedback on their work, which makes them more connected to the assignment.

The use of Google Classroom gives parents insight into what is happening in the classroom - how and what kids are doing. The above have been big wins in preparing students with the technology skills they will need in high school and beyond.

We recognize that Westview students learn at different paces and need individual support. How does Westview support the unique learning differences for students in middle school?

Differentiation is the standard in Westview classrooms, and middle school is no different. We take the skills necessary for learning at the chronological grade level and find ways to teach those skills that are more geared to the student's abilities and interests. For example, poetry is a typical part of the seventh-grade curriculum. While a public school may teach Emily Dickenson, our focus is for the student to learn the skill, so we may choose a poem by a different author on a topic that may be of interest to the student that will improve focus and attention on the subject. There is a concerted effort to incorporate student interests into assignments to ensure they are learning the skills they need for their appropriate grade level while using materials that are engaging and accessible.

The transition to middle school can be socially challenging for any child. How does Westview support students in building positive relationships with peers?

Personalized schedules and switching between classes have been a huge boon for friendship building in middle school. We see that students can recognize and get to know a variety of students aside from just their academic peers. For example, one student may be on a sixth-grade level while another is in eighth grade, but now they cross paths in ancillary class. They get to know each other, interact, and realize they have much in common. We are giving students more opportunities to build friendships based on shared interests instead of just being in the same grade level.

Collaborative learning is another significant part of the middle school program. Working in a group helps improve student relationships and helps to teach perspective taking and learning to manage different personalities. Students began working in small groups and with partners, which can sometimes be challenging for many of our students. Sometimes there are communication issues between peers, and many students prefer to work independently – wanting the work done in a particular or preferred way. Collaborative learning provides an opportunity for students to practice flexibility and compromise.

When students are rigid on collaboration, we will sometimes discuss in a large group, having each student voice ideas before starting an assignment. Allowing everyone to share their opinions and thoughts ensures that individuals feel heard. As they transition into smaller groups for work, this translates into students becoming more comfortable speaking about their roles but learning to recognize the strengths of their peers. We want the students to work on communicating within their group about their role and responsibility and to start understanding their role in relation to someone else in the group. As students develop the skill of perspective-taking, this improves positive social relationships with peers.

Typically, by the time a student transitions to middle school, they have spent a lot of time learning the skills and role-playing scenarios with teacher support. In Middle School, we encourage them to implement those learned social skills. Students learn quickly that sometimes things don't work as anticipated when it comes to real-life conflict. Seeing strategies fail can sometimes be just as important as success. Students may prefer one type of conflict resolution tactic, but inevitably there are times when the tried-and-true method doesn't work. It is important to learn that not every conflict will resolve the same way. Letting students have those experiences is critical to building their conflict resolution toolbox. Our middle school teachers support them in using the skills in their toolbox. One of the biggest challenges is students wanting to fall back on the teacher to resolve conflict, which is the easier path with less confrontation. But we want our students to get more comfortable handling conflict independently. Teachers are always at the ready to lend support and offer guidance or coaching.

Westview is proud of the program in place for middle school students. Our students are learning independence, critical thinking, problem-solving, and how to collaborate. Combined, these skills will serve them well in high school and beyond.