Effective Assessment (Ch.8)

Abstract:
The basis of this chapter is how to create an assessment that the students can use as a tool for promoting their learning, rather than just seeing what they know. The assessment should further the work they have already done, yet show how far they have come and demonstrate their learning. The suggestions that the chapter makes for the things to include to make the assessment effective are defining clear goals for the student, an activity that is rigorous and motivating, something that focuses on essential knowledge from the unit, it should use multiple disciplines, it should indicate the students' knowledge, should be a source of reliable information, use various formats, and best of all it should be easy to grade. The chapter explains the importance of each of these elements and gives a lot of encouragement on how to make this assignment worthwhile for the teacher and the student.

Reflection:
I really enjoyed this chapter because something I have sort of feared as a teacher is having assignments for the students that I simply wouldn't want to review and grade. This chapter encourages the use of many different kinds of assessments and the many ways that it can be made worth while. It is so important to assign something that the students are willing to engage themselves and their time in, or else the best work will not be put forth. The suggestions in the chapter were really helpful as far as the different things to include within the assignment and how to set things up grading wise for such a multidimensional assignment. It is so important to me to look at the success of the students in these ways rather than in the forms of tests and quizzes. I want to always know that students can truly apply and access the information that we are looking at.

Differentiated Instruction - Fitting the Lesson to the Learner (Ch. 7)

Abstract:
This chapter focuses on the importance of differentiated instruction in the classroom. Differentiated instruction is basically teaching all students at all levels in ways accommodated to that particular student so that they can successfully process and learn the information provided. The chapter gives a few characteristics of a teacher that are helpful in implementing differentiated instruction. Some of those are, being organized, staying flexible, being resourceful, having empathy, and being able to collaborate. These qualities are really important in teaching, especially for differentiated instruction. Incorporating every students' learning needs into lessons to bring everyone to the same level of understanding is a very difficult task. The chapter explains that it can be done and learning the skill early on will prevent any instances of looking back and knowing if you had used differentiated instruction for a certain student it would have made a huge difference.

Reflection:
This chapter really brought me back to the practicum days of examining all different ways I could access learners. It is so much work to do this in any lesson, but in the end it is worth while because the chances of having to go back and revisit information are far less. If the subject can be taught in a way that students will understand and really take in then it is worth the extra mile for creating another angle on the lesson. This is one of the most important, but most difficult parts of teaching in my opinion and it is something I think I will have to work very hard with to get the hang of. It is something that I also feel is to be learned on the basis of experience, the more practice I have, the easier it will be implement.

Accountability for High Standards (Ch. 6)

Abstract:
This chapter is about the accountability of teachers and students in the classroom. The main focus is encouraging teachers to help students be held accountable for their work and effort in positive ways, but the chapter also talks about teachers being held accountable for updated/new information and also being sure that the students are developing into lifelong learners and not just "learning" for a test or assignment. The chapter suggests some ways to help hold students accountable are showing examples of good work to help students understand the expectations, avoiding any type of reward, allowing them to display their work publicly so they will work a little harder, allowing for corrections on their work rather than giving definitive grades, and even setting up the rubric so that it is perfectly clear what they are expected to do. Because the chapter is suggesting that teachers should be held accountable also, some suggestions for that are to be sure that all of the material is relevant and useful, be sure you're not teaching to any test, giving formative assessments to track progress, constantly thinking outside the box, and even just the basic idea of making sure students understand before moving on. The chapter helps demonstrate the importance of these practices and shows how both the teacher and student play a role in support one another.

Reflection:
This chapter was really a wonderful reminder of one of the many ways that teachers and students depend on each other for success. The teachers need to be held accountable because it is their job to get the students to where they need to be academically, which is why the students need to be held equally accountable. I had always loved the idea of students taking control of their education, but this chapter is a solid reminder that no matter what, I will never be out of a job, because the students need us, just as we need them to move us forward in our own learning and teaching. It was a cool chapter to read, with all of the idea intertwining and showing a very deep and important connection between the teaching and learning that occurs in a classroom.

Parents As Partners in Twenty-First-Century Learning (Ch.15)

Abstract:
This chapter focuses on using technology to open the communication lines between teachers and parents in really effective and innovative ways. It suggests using programs that can log assignments and grades as access points for teachers, students, and parents. The chapter explains that this sort of site not only helps the parents stay informed and connected to the child's education, but it also keeps the students even more accountable for their own work and aware of the assignments due, coming up, and how they have done on them. The chapter touches on the idea of also using email and other digital communications to make connections and touch base with parents. Although all of these things can be incredibly useful and step up the levels of communication all around, the chapter encourages us to consider the fact that not all families will have computer access. This concept needs to be understood and worked around. Even with digital communication, the importance of face to face communication in meetings and conferences will always be significant and should be used continuously regardless of other types of communications.

Reflection:
I think this chapter was really helpful in remembering the importance of keeping the parents on the same page as the student and the teacher. The three sides make the whole triangle. Each person is a huge piece of the education that the child is working to receive and so each should be a part of big decisions, goal setting, hitting benchmarks, and working hard. The communication digitally is such a cool resource that we have now and I think it should be utilized. For me, one on one conversations and communications will still be very important, but communicating via email and school website will help me stay as connected the with parents (and students) as I would really like to be. In an ideal situation, each family would have computer/internet access and I would make honest efforts to stay connected in that way when conferences and meetings were not possible. In reality, the luxury of those things is not in every home, which I was happy the chapter reminded me of. There are many ways to stay connected and this chapter helped me remember the relevance of that.

Boys and Girls Learn Differently

I thought this presentation was really fun and interesting. First of all, the site where all of the information was posted was unreal, such a good job putting together a website that everyone could easily access and refer back to. The quiz that we took in the beginning served a really cool purpose and got me thinking about the brain and the way I thought and what not! It was a little bit tedious, but things like that just are, so overall I thought it was a good way to get things started and there was plenty of positive encouragement in the room which I thought was helpful of the presenters. The Rite of Passage activity was my favorite (especially because I got to color). It was an interesting way to learn about what was going on with each station, have social interaction, and like you guys said it was a cool little feeling of accomplishment in the end. Each of the presenters did a great job sharing their parts of the book in their own ways and I thought all together the presentation came together really nicely and in a perfect order!
I felt like I learned a lot about the complication, differences, and similarities that come with teaching girls and boys from the presentation. The entire concept was interesting and it got me curious about the book for sure. The group did a great job! Thanks Guys!

Involving Parents and Communities (Ch.9)

Abstract
This chapter, like many others, alludes to the importance of involving the community in the classroom and in the educational efforts of students. The beginning of the chapter explains that this type of involvement has immense efforts for students including higher grades, better attendance, fewer special education placements, better attitudes, higher graduation rates, and greater post-secondary education enrollments. As for the school, the benefits mentioned are improved teacher morale, more support from families, better school reputations with the community, and even high ratings of teachers by parents. All of these benefits encourage student success within the educational system. The chapter includes multiple suggestions for including community in the effort of the school and classrooms and ways to get around the difficulties that tend to arise in the beginning efforts of involving parents and families. Getting students involved in the community is also a large portion of this chapter, encouraging teachers to help the students really connect with the people involved in their community. These types of connections and involvements can further the students education immensely and help them make similar kinds of connections in the future on their own.

Reflection
A lot of the suggestions in this chapter were incredibly useful. I felt like a lot of it would be really helpful for a principal making these types of plans, or for teachers to plan together to put plans in place for large community involvement efforts. A lot of it felt like it would be too much for one teacher to handle, but could be easily implemented by the efforts of more than one or two teachers. I think the community involvement is such an important part of education. Students can learn so much by speaking to someone outside the classroom, or taking a course that helps them learn a lifelong skill or trade. Sometimes this type of thing is overlooked, and I think it never should be. Because students learn so differently, it is so important to have this type of program within the community incorporated into the curriculum to ensure the success of all students. The benefits of community involvement and successful implementation of parent involvement and support are truly endless.

A Safe and Healthy School Environment (Ch.8)

Abstract
This chapter focused on the influence that a healthy school environment can have on students throughout their education. There was a lot of stress on the idea that students who feel more connected to their school, teachers, and community have much lower risks of submitting themselves to self harm, drug use, alcohol use, or early sexual activity. All of these behaviors can be caused by (or made worse by) a disconnected feeling in relation to the school environment. The chapter gave many suggestions for classroom management and discipline policies, supportive group efforts, dealing with multiple cultures, conflict resolution and management, as well as basic efforts for healthy school environments. Health education for students is a huge part of all of these suggestions and efforts. The chapters explains that at this middle school age, many students will choose their future health standards and efforts by beginning those lifestyle changes now. The emphasis in the chapter lies on the importance of supporting health efforts within the school systems to make students and their families well aware of the risks and dangers of an unhealthy lifestyle, as well as the benefits welcomed by a healthy lifestyle.

Reflection
I actually really enjoyed this chapter! I was very interested to see how health education was worked into the curriculum in a way that involved the community and inspired healthy lifestyles for these young adolescents. I particularly liked the idea of a "health club" in the middle school that allowed the students that were uncomfortable participating in after school sports or physical education classes to come into the school a couple nights a week for aerobics classes and gym nights! The fact that those students were able to get involved in a way they were comfortable with was very cool and the fact that their parents were coming also was an even better improvement. I think health education at this age is incredibly important. I feel like if we can reach the students at this age and assist them in developing healthier mindsets, that will only improve throughout their lives, and hopefully cause enough of a health-kick wave that the nation's unhealthy numbers and statistics can decrease dramatically. At this point, anything we can do to encourage healthy eating and exercise is an incredible feat!

Designing Instruction to Improve Teaching and Learning (Ch.4)

Abstract
This chapter focuses on the importance of building a successful curriculum to ensure the learning of all students. The idea of "all students" furthering development, understanding, and really learning the content in a way that can be used in the future is stressed throughout the chapter. It encourages the setting of high expectations to assist in the encouragement of students. The focus on instruction throughout the chapter showed three main types of instruction: Authentic Instruction (construct & produce knowledge, deep thinking/questions, more than grades); WHERE (Where are we headed, Hook the students, Explore the subject and equip the students, rethink our work and ideas, evaluate results; and Differentiated (changing product, process or content based on students needs/abilities). These three forms of instruction are meant to further understanding and support all learning styles and abilities of students. The chapter also incorporates the importance of using technology in the classroom as a tool for learning among a few other specific teaching ideas and strategies.

Reflection
The majority of this chapter felt like review. It was really interesting to see these three particular methods of instruction sort of measured up to each other in a lot of ways. I am not sure which teaching method I feel is most effective for the results being discussed in the chapter, but I feel as though it must change according to each class. In a lot of ways I feel like I will base my methods of instruction off my students and the ways they learn best and respond best to the new information. If something works for one class or one topic or lesson, it may not work the same way for the others. The incorporation of all three of these methods, among others, seems important to me. A variety is always good when in doubt and this chapter reminded me of that with it's many ideas and philosophies.

Becoming A "Wiz" At Brain-Based Teaching

I really enjoyed learning about this book from you guys! At the beginning of the presentation, I had hard time because without more background knowledge about the brain, it is difficult to understand the complexities you were referring to. What is tough about it is in this kind of presentation, there is no room for elaborate studying of what the ideas are, but it is something that cannot be briefly touched on to permit understanding either. Because of this, it was definitely useful the way you guys delivered the information. I have no real advice on how that portion of it could have been different because it was such a challenging piece of the presentation. However, it was useful the way you created a relationship between names of animals and the parts, that did help! You handled that portion of the presentation well! The rest of the presentation was also excellent. There were so many engaging and cool activities for us to do and learn from at the same time. It was a rich presentation with a lot of things that got me thinking about myself as a teacher an role model. The overall energy of the presentation was also something I was very impressed by! Everyone was positive and helpful in presenting the information. The group work worked out well by separating into pairs to deliver the information we learned in the first section. It was important to break it up that way so that we could all clearly communicate the information and understand easily. It worked much better than the way we did our jigsaw-ish group work in the first book presentation.
Overall the presentation was incredibly informative and fun! You guys did a wonderful job sharing the information, explaining the book, and promoting it's ideas and topics! Thanks a lot!

Brain Research Applied to Middle School (Ch.3)

Abstract
The chapter gave a lot of information about students' brain studies, related mostly to memory. It encourages teachers to teach with all of the senses to create a more memorable learning experience. It talks about the different types of memory and ways to extend the amount of time students are focused and thinking about the topic at hand. For further understanding and better memory, the chapter talks about repeating concepts and skills for permanent knowledge rather than teaching, testing and moving forward. Some of the studies within the chapter indicate positive findings in using social interaction in lessons as well as chunking, which stores all different concepts and understandings under one main topic area. Some other useful and successful techniques discussed in the chapter are good hydration for the students, teaching the most difficult content very first (because they are wired to remember the most of the first told information), using summary and reflection, using metaphor and analogy, as well as practicing Bloom's Taxonomy. Teaching students to reason was also a main part of the chapter. If they cannot apply their knowledge, it may not be worth it. The reasoning is a very important piece.

Reflection
This chapter was actually incredibly interesting. There were a lot of new ideas and concepts that I was impressed by. I found myself highlighting and taking a ton of notes. Usually Meet Me In The Middle is sort of a refresher text, but this chapter was definitely new to me. A lot of the techniques and ideas in the chapter were really cool and well recieved by me. I think it makes so much sense to pay close attention to actual brain activity and patterns in students, because it really is crucial to how they are learning. We can only improve their experience when we follow their needs more closely. Overall, I gained a lot of cool ideas and information from this chapter.

A Whole New Mind

I really enjoyed this presentation a lot. I was very impressed by how well it was put together and how easily it flowed! I liked being able to follow along with the wiki while we moved through all of the different activities. At first I needed a little more help with the concepts of right and left brain, I was hoping the presentation would have defined that a little more clearly in the beginning, but once we got into the activities I really began gaining an understanding of the differences. Each of the activities was not only a good way to help us understand the book and its concepts, but also to the relay the messages of how these things could be worked into our own classrooms. The activities also did a great job of reaching all of the different types of learners, I could tell the group put great thought into doing that! The writing activity was one of my favorites because it really brought out the creativity we were talking about throughout the presentation. Everyone had a chance to contribute and work together, it turned out to be really fun! After the presentation, I have been become interested in the book and would like to learn more about the main concepts. I thought I could have used a handout for the right brain and left brain differences, for purposes of personal memory - trying to get a better handle on all of these things we talked about throughout the lesson and how they apply. I would have also liked to hear a little more about the connections to some of the things we have read and done in class. Overall, I really loved the presentation and thought they did an excellent job engaging us and relaying the information! Wonderful class!

Outdoor Adventures (Ch.13)

Abstract
This chapter is promoting the use of outdoor activities and interaction in relation to the learning community. The benefits of this are personal autonomy as well as physical, emotional, and intellectual self improvement. The chapter also suggests that experience these types of activities can help students see adults as more than just authority figures, but it can help them close the gap and allow for students to view the teachers as more human and approachable, as "fellow travelers in life's journey." The chapter provides some examples of useful activities that teachers can use as a guide for any outdoor excursions they might pursue with their students. Each of the ideas is tied to a basic content area, showing the use of this type of activity in almost all subjects. All of the activities have possibility of academic benefit for the students. The author was truly inspired by the experiences that he has had with his students in these situations.

Reflection
I think this was such a cool chapter. Although at first I questioned the practicality of all of these crazy adventures, I am not one to dwell on that, and ended up really loving all of these ideas. It sounds like a camp experience where students can get the most fair and important balance of activity, social interaction, and learning on all levels, including the academic. The many ideas that the chapter displays relate directly to content areas and presented some cool projects and suggestions that could work with or without the extreme activity condition. Outdoor writing would be in every one of my lesson plans if I could make it work that one. I have always loved the concept and the many connections it brings to the students. This chapter gave some awesome ideas on that particular activity and made me really excited to embark on these kinds of adventures, while incorporating something relatively basic, but substantially exciting and beneficial.

Active Learning (Ch.4)

Abstract
This chapter explores the idea of incorporating some type of physical activity into the curriculum on a regular basis. It urges the reader to consider the content that must be taught, so that the activities can be tied directly into the curriculum. It explores ways to do this based on the content and what parts of the body relate and such. The chapter gives a basic list of activities that could be used including simple ones such as letting the students get up to pass in their papers (rather than collecting), Simon Says with content as the words, designing a rap song that involves the content (something they can move to a bit). The list also includes more complex examples such as using sidewalk chalk to draw a massive human heart in the school parking lot and letting the students walk through when you explain the blood flow, representing terms and concepts artistically- allowing for movement and interactions, academic Olympics, or using skits within the lessons. All of the ideas get students up and moving and more hands on with the content than usual.

Reflection
I think so many of these activities could be useful and exciting for students. I loved the idea of drawing the human heart, what a cool way for students to get to know the parts AND understand the different functions of what they are learning. By seeing and doing, I do agree that the students could benefit greatly from the extra mile the content would be taking. I have a few ideas, but was having a hard time applying all of this action into English. The chapter makes it feel possible for every subject, and I've always thought getting the students physically involved would help the content, now there is a chapter in support of that.

Curriculum and Assessment to Improve Teaching and Learning (Ch.3)

Abstract
This chapter in Turning Points 2000 focuses on the building of curriculum around the standards we are all so used to. The idea that the students will be most likely to succeed with a standard based curriculum is an idea that is repeated several times throughout the chapter. It also alludes to the importance of responding properly to the changes in students' and the ways they are learning from the curriculum. Most of the chapter is relaying advice on how to modify the standards and create a curriculum around them that best supports the students and the teaching methods that are most effective. By giving tips on how to work with the standards, it gives the reader a better look at how they can be best incorporated. Backwards Design was also a big part of the chapter, because of the standards being worked into the curriculum. It is a common and effective way to build this kind of curriculum.

Reflection
I found this chapter to be a bit of a refresher, but packed with good information none the less. There is so much information out there on ways to build curriculum and teach for the students' needs and change things when they do or do not work out as expected. This chapter highlights some really great points and gives a lot of useful information including assessment for the different types of changes for curriculum. This is basically practicum in a chapter. It was nice as a refresher, but at times it feels like it is being drilled a little with the repeat information. Always a good resource to go to is a book that spells out such good techniques and ideas as this one does.

Teacher Advisories - A Proposal for Change (Synthesis) (Ch.12)

This chapter focused on a new way of thinking of and using teacher advisories. Rather than meeting during school, or a single lunch a few times a year, this chapter proposes the idea of having full day advisory activities in which the students are stepping outside of the academic realm and working solely on building relationships with adults and peers, as well as personal development. These days could include some type of physical activity or exciting adventure in which the students would have a chance to shine in other aspects of life outside of academics. Opportunities like this can be really rich for those students that are not particularly outstanding within the basic subject areas and have more abilities in areas of physical activity or simply in social interactions. These programs set up the chance for teachers to get to know students and gain a level of comfort in the relationship that could benefit the student in any case of struggle in the future. Advisories also extend a helping hand in getting students to interact with other classmates outside of their normal circle of friends, quite possibly forging some unexpected friendships. This new form of advisories could be extremely beneficial to students while they work on becoming more well-rounded and accepting individuals.


As a class, the general consensus in our blogs was that the advisories (when properly implemented) would be a positive addition to classrooms and schools where the students could truly connect with other students and the teachers. It was mentioned that having the groups rather than a one on one meeting could be effective because of the obvious extra benefits group activities pose. In the middle school, activities outside of school will keeps students engaged and excited when they are used properly. The increase of comfort levels between students and teachers would be such a nice attribute in the classroom, especially at these grade levels, where things can be awkward and uncomfortable for certain students. A general suggestion throughout the blogs was that homeroom periods, or just basic meetings were never very successful in our previous experiences. They serve the purpose of attendance, declaration of grades, and possibly even social time. A better structured program could help these short meetings be more useful. If the students and teachers took time to take trips or outside of the classroom activities, the bonds that are forged could be a useful tool in the shorter meetings that would occur. A couple of students worried about taking away from academics with these programs, so maybe the best suggestion could be an after school program, or a Saturday morning program to get the ball rolling if the concerns about losing out on academic time was a concern. Overall, these teacher advisories could be a new way of reaching out to students and assisting them in all aspects of their development.

Planning for Block Scheduling (Ch.9)

Abstract
This chapter consists mostly of information about the benefits of block scheduling. By using block scheduling teachers can plan with longer periods of time and have more room for proper assessments. With more time, there is space for varying activities, which are proven to cause higher scores on sorts of vocabulary and translation tests. The author alludes to the idea that some students that are usually average can benefit largely from the extra time that is provided with block scheduling. For teachers, the author explains that the reasoning becomes "I can maintain the learning momentum and integrate more than one objective into my lessons." This can be incredibly beneficial, possibly even moving the students forward quicker with learning that is considered more in depth in all dimensions. This chapter also calls attention to the importance of the variety of assessment types. Formative assessment and summative assessment are both demonstrated with a few ideas and examples throughout the chapter. In block scheduling, it is easier to incorporate both. The author also provides some thorough lesson planning examples that use the time of block scheduling effectively.

Reflection
This chapter was helpful in providing examples and ideas as well as basic information of the benefits of block scheduling and what it can bring to the classroom and the students. I especially thought the section on Planning Sequence for Extended-Period Classes was useful for future reference and for the basic scheduling. The ideas on it were basic but intricate at the same time and I found it to be a nice outline that was informative. Overall, the ideas of block scheduling are generally familiar to me, we always had this type of scheduling in my schools through middle and high school. Even though I am familiar with the practice of it and the techniques, it was still nice to read some solid information on why students benefit from it and how it can be used in the most successful and effective ways.

Organizing Relationships for Learning (Ch.6)

Abstract
In this chapter of Turning Points 2000 the authors go into much detail on how important it is to build and maintain meaningful relationships throughout the school. In middle school, it is incredibly important for students to have a solid and positive relationship with the teachers and as the chapter points out, students with these types of relationships are far more likely to succeed in the school environment. Because of the importance of such connections, the chapter suggests that middle schools maintain low numbers of enrolled students. This is not possible in all areas, especially in overpopulated urban areas, so there comes a backup plan. The suggestion made in the chapter is when the enrollment numbers are slightly higher than preference, that the schools form smaller alternatives within the large school. These alternatives can be called "houses" in some instances. These types of arrangements can allow the students to still maintain those close relationships with teachers without getting lost in an overpopulated school system. This type of focus and connection can be incredibly beneficial to students throughout the middle school years. Teamwork is an essential part of making these types of situations useful and effective.

Reflection
I think it makes perfect sense for students and teachers to maintain healthy relationships throughout the years. It is even more of a success if the students and teachers can continue that connections while moving through other teachers' classrooms. I find it vital for these young students to have an adult to look up to, seek help from, and depend on. Where some of the students might be missing these connections in other parts of their lives, a learning environment is a perfect place to make and keep those important relationships. Successful students will come from a comfortable and positive work and learning environment, I truly believe that! Also, the concept of keeping student group numbers down by separating overpopulated student body, can definitely be beneficial to students. The attention and detail required for middle school team teaching and the learning that should be building each year are only going to be attended to if their are a feasible amount of students in the classroom. An overpopulation can cause some students to get lost among the crowd and slip behind without notice. It is more effective to keep the student to teacher ratios to a reasonable rate where all of the students can receive equal attention and their needs can be met.

Teacher Advisories - A Proposal for Change (Ch.12)

Abstract
This chapter begins with a beautifully written story of a teacher advisory adventure had by a middle school classroom. The experience was shared to reflect the different lessons learned by students in that single day of outside adventure that involved community and physical activity. The students gave some examples of what they received from the experience and the general consensus was a vast benefit for the students, especially with learning something about themselves. The chapter then moves into an explanation of advisory programs and how they have evolved in recent years. Full-day advisory has taken the place of separated advisory meetings only scarcely throughout the weeks with the students and only amounting to about an hour or so of time. The newest idea of full-day advisory gives the students, volunteers, and teachers a chance to have a real experience that most likely involves service, physical activity, reflection, and a social aspect. This is very beneficial to the relationships of those involved as well as the personal triumphs that can be achieved in that single day. A chance to learn something about oneself and those surrounding you should be taken advantage of, and this experience allows that opportunity.

Reflection
I have always loved the idea of learning outside of the classroom. I think it is such a cool thing when students and teachers get to share an experience like the one described in the text. Some kids simply need a little bit of a lifeline, a group of people that they can work on relationships with and get to know. The students benefits out of these advisory days extend beyond some of the things they can learn in a classroom. In the case in the book the students learned a little bit of survival, a lot about themselves, and even more about their classmates. Those connections and realizations sometimes need outside forces to make an impact, which makes perfect sense with these types of days. The chapter provided a lot of helpful hints for these kind of activities that I will be checking back on to come up with my own similar adventures. My classroom will always be a place for comfort and positive experience, but these types of trips will help me show the students they can find that everywhere if they work at it.

Teaming (Ch.11)

Abstract
In this chapter the author goes into many encouraging details of the positive outcome of team teaching. Beginning with subject integration, the basics of the reasons for incorporating team teaching are explained throughout the chapter, as well as the most efficient ways to use these strategies. In subject integration, teachers can work together to create a more even workload among the different subjects so that the students avoid an overwhelming workload. To do this type of planning, the teachers need to create some topics within each subject that can be overlapped in a productive manner. The Core Values section explores ways to develop a solid union where all of the teachers involved are making a true commitment to the team and are all in understanding of the core beliefs and goals of the union. This establishes balance and connections across the team and care help when problems arise. The chapter also suggests celebrating achievements, using a teacher assistant team, and proper planning for the meetings to make the most of the teachers' time. All of these aspects are helpful in creating a successful and effective team teaching experience.

Reflection
I want to team teach. This chapter was unreal! Paragraph after paragraph I was excited to learn all different things about team teaching and hear my beliefs on learning reflected in the text. The process of becoming a solid team may be a difficult one, but the amount of success that this type of team would have made me super excited to try out all of the strategies! I especially liked the ideas on planning for the meetings and having appointed days of the week for certain topics. That type of organization can be key for all of the people involved to get the most out of the small amount of time allotted to the meetings. Collaborating seems like such an interesting and challenging task I could not help but be excited to look further into the best methods and more advice on the best ways to integrate among the subjects and work with other teachers as developing a curriculum that the students would enjoy and thrive with.

The Importance of Middle Level Education

(Pages 1-7)
I found these few pages incredibly interesting. Although I have recently been reflecting on my own middle school experience, a lot of large things stuck out in my mind rather than the smaller changes I was undergoing. I forgot how challenging these years can be in relation to the changes in your body, or your pressures from your friends, etc. Having an adult that you can count on and go to outside of your family is incredibly important if it is someone you can trust. On the last page, I truly agree with all of the statements used to describe the ultimate goal of success and the different goals for the middle schools. I can't help but think this would be such a wonderful movement to be a part of. To change the face of middle schools is a large task that is truly already in the making, but hearing all of this information is incredibly new to me and I am still amazed by the power these changes could have.

(Pages 9-19)
Moving through this book gives an inspiring outlook on teaching middle school. In this book in particular, I cannot help but notice the to-the-point satisfaction the author uses to demonstrate the wonderful attributes of teaching these grade levels. In these particular pages, the discussion is mostly involving the first few steps in building a successful middle school. The first step noted is hiring the correct professional staff for the position. This part is slightly intimidating, I was reading it and asking myself if I fit the bill for the ultimate middle school employee. The standards and stakes in this situation are incredibly high. The expectation is to reform and reorganize these schools to a point of inevitable success. The qualities that are mentioned are all very strong and necessary building blocks for the proper team structure that will ultimately make the school what it needs to be. These types of people will contribute to making the most safe and effective school environment possible, which will also lead to success. To take it the next step and involve the community and engage everyone in active learning is just another block on the pile. All of these pieces are required to make the middle school what these authors are talking about. I cannot help but agree and hope that I can contribute to such a cool movement sometime in my own career. I am honestly reminded of the Maine Teaching Standards more and more each page and wondering if their is a similar author. I'm proud to be a part of a learning environment that is promoting such an intricate plan of success. The more I learn about it, the more excited I seem to get to apply and execute the entire system.

(Pages 19-34)
In this section of the book the author reviews many aspects of teaching and the most effective ways to reach students through a strong curriculum. It reviews the ways the curriculum should be constructed as relevant, challenging, integrative, and exploratory. All of these concepts seem like a review to me, mostly from our assignments in practicum. I enjoyed the thorough ideas and clear statements that the author makes about each aspect. These suggestions on how to make the curriculum challenging, how to make the curriculum relevant, how to make the curriculum integrative, exploratory, and fitting for the 21st century were all useful suggestions and well thought out. However, I was not blown away by any of the innovative ideas, because they are things that are a refreshment for me in a lot of ways. I still think, as I have always thought, that all of these concepts fit together so nicely and create a well constructed base for students and teachers in a learning community. All of these things are necessary and useful in a planning and teaching situation. Rereading them all assured me that I am getting to know the most beneficial aspects of planning and creating for the curriculum and the students.

(Pages 35-51)
As an overview for the book, and a strong list of examples for how to incorporate these ideas into any curriculum and school, this chapter has a really strong place in this book. It reemphasized all of the key points about the previous pages that help give the reader a guideline for how to use all of the good ideas that are presented throughout the chapters. I really like how the advice and suggestions pieces are broken up into different sections for the different types of people that would be involved in implementing the plans. All of the different roles have different advice and I found myself really interested in the ways they all intertwined and contributed to one another. This setup makes the ideas easy to follow as well as giving a reminder that all of the different members of the educational community have to work together to implement such dramatic changes and keep the ball moving in a positive direction. It is good to remember the different ways everyone can continue contributing. At the end of the chapter, the characteristics of young adolescents section serves as a healthy reminder for the main reason that we are all working for, to better the futures of these promising students.

The Truth About Middle School Students (Ch.17)

Abstract
This chapter is a conclusion to the author's thoughts and concepts throughout the book. He uses the conclusion to make a powerful and lasting statement about middle school students being denied positive reinforcement in public media settings. The chapter reinforces the idea of the misconceptions that the public and media have about middle school students and their lack of development and even importance. The points made in the chapter revolve around the idea that these students are just as important as all others and are making incredible achievements each year. Added into the final plea for more positive reinforcement for these kids, are quotes from the kids themselves that are randomly written on the author's classroom bulletin board. These quotes, jokes, and sentences are simple reminders that the students are still growing and learning, but are intelligent and funny; they are worth our time and effort is the message of the chapter.

Reflection
I found this chapter to be really moving. The passion that the author has for the students comes out in his voice throughout the different chapters. This particular chapter showed him really fighting for the help with extra effort to recognize the kids that deserve it and to treat all of these students with respect and care. Like chapter 2, I appreciated the extra feature of the kids' voices and quotes. Those additions always help me remember the character of the students in question and make me laugh. They are intriguing and give the subject matter a strong example and reminder for the reader to take them seriously while laughing. This chapter was pretty inspiring and it made me want to get to know the age group and these different and special kinds of children. That is a pretty incredible thing for an author to get the reader to be interested in.

Motivating Young Adolescents (Ch.2)

Abstract
In this chapter the author gives the audience some realistic advice about how to motivate adolescents in the classroom. The advice is set into a series of questions and then each question is answered and supplemented with a series of suggestions that could be use to accomplish the main goal of that particular answer.
The questions used as guidelines were: Are you interested with knowing & being with your students? Have you created a classroom where students feel safe enough to share their emotions? Are your lessons vivid? are you enthusiastic about your subject? Do you build suspense by giving them something to look forward to? Do your lessons take into account the varied learning styles of students? Can all students succeed in your classroom? Is the material relevant to your students' lives? Do your lessons maintain momentum? Do you clearly communicate instructions and expectations? Do your students know why they are learning certain concepts and skills? Are assessments authentic? Do the students play a role in the teaching and learning? Do your students have proof of your belief in their ability to learn?
These question topics serve as headlines and subject of suggestions throughout the chapter. Among the information were also a few student perspective paragraphs floating on the sides of the first couple pages. These paragraphs also handed out some good advice to activities or settings that really set students up for success and are truly memorable to them.

Reflection
I found this chapter to be incredibly helpful. At the beginning, when I was answering the questions, I found that was answering yes to the majority, but that it was things that I wanted, not that I could necessarily say that I have (considering both that I do not have an actual classroom, and that I was unsure of how to achieve the results). All of the suggestions were helpful, whether I felt them to be useful or not. These ideas brought up and encouraged a lot of my own ideas and expectations for my future classroom. I was excited to hear so many of my hopes in writing being supported by very realistic suggestions and ideas for the success of the execution of the particular strategies. I also found the student suggestions on the side of the couple of pages helpful and interesting. I am hoping those blurbs continue throughout the book because they show great support for the presentation of the authors materials in the chapter. I really enjoyed this chapter and it's helpful hints!

Stoking The Fires Within (Ch.1)

Abstract
In this chapter the author begins by motivating the teachers in the audience. He gives insight into the perception of teachers and how that can be changed simply by a healthy and positive attitude. The author gives advice on how to maintain that positive attitude and how it will improve the efforts and even feelings of your students. He comments on the differences between a mediocre, good, superior, and great teacher, showing that the difference is generally the end result of putting forth an extra effort to do right and eventually inspiring the students. Towards the end of the chapter the author also makes the reference to the importance of listening to colleagues, students, and even yourself to make the adequate connections that will get you towards your goals, as well as others towards theirs.

Reflection
I found this chapter incredibly honest and a good starting point for any book. At the end I was excited to read on. The concepts of personal attitudes and inspirational teaching were catchy and interesting to me. He is describing the kind of teacher I would like to be, the kind of student relationships I would love to have. The chapter made me reflect a little on my views thus far of teaching and my actions throughout my education. The teachers that inspired me the most were truly the positive and encouraging ones. I love structure and freedom all at the same time and the teachers that could listen and appreciate that were the ones that I certainly learned the most from. Beginning a teaching career is more and more nerve racking for me, the closer it gets. Though I am confident in my abilities and I am more than excited to begin, after reading this chapter I know that my best and most useful accessory will be a positive attitude. With that, even just starting out, I know I will be able to inspire, even just a little.

A Design for Improving Middle Grades Education (Ch.2)

Abstract
The second chapter of Turning Points 2000 begins to highlight the reforms made to the concepts and plans to the original Turning Points. These changes are a result of the past years spent implementing and reviewing the results in schools all over the country. This chapter emphasizes the number one goal of the entire project, which is to help middle schools work to encourage a “whole” child in each individual. That child would be a student who was to “think critically, work industriously, to contribute to their communities, to care about other, and to care about their own physical and mental health.”(p. 23) The chapter clearly makes the recommendations for reforms and then supplies each change with a description of the ultimate purpose for changes and the reasons behind them that support the new ideas. This structure provides a certain confidence in the way these changes could truly show results closer and closer to the number one goal.

Reflection
This chapter clearly explained the changes in ideas between the first developments of this movement and the reasons why reforms need to be made. The way the changes are setup in the text and explained was incredibly easy for me to understand and process and therefore put me in a nice place to really think about the changes and the way they could each work and where the new ideas stemmed from. The “system” that the chapter discusses was an entirely different and interesting concept. It got me wondering whether the book would go into further detail of the interconnectedness of each of the new recommendations and how that could create an even stronger jumping off point for the implication of this program. It seems like a simple connect the dots concept, but with all of the questions and ideas presented in that section of the text, I was baffled to whether this type of system would even work without changing to be completely interconnected, given all of the ways each section throws off another. Knowing how this could work or does work will come with time and possibly in more pieces than just one large interconnected section.

A Decade Later (Ch.1)

Abstract
Chapter one begins by given some overview information about the Turning Points’ original goals, ambitions, and ideas. Using examples such as student teams and common planning, the chapter touches on a few areas that the implementation of the concepts within Turning Points has made a positive impact within middle school systems. The chapter gives a slight overview of some of the reasons that reform is helpful in these particular school systems and what kind of guidelines Turning Points recommends to implementing schools. The focus on the period in the adolescent’s life and the different changes that period includes is bringing a personal and important new way of teaching into these schools. The outlining of the reformation of the schools gives a great overview of how these changes could be made as well as supplying justification for the different actions being suggested.

Reflection
This chapter brought a whole new way of thinking for me. I sort of always viewed middle school level classrooms as a time for repeating basics and skills in these young adolescent lives (as it mentions in the chapter). This chapter turned that upside down by delivering knowledge of what the teens may really be experiencing and how their abilities to learn to change at this point in their lives is far higher than I expected. It comes together and makes perfect sense that this time could be serving as groundwork for an entire lifestyle because of the high chances for soaking up knowledge, tasks, actions, and other important aspects of a more successful life. The earlier we begin with the students on an adult-like level of learning, the more likely the students are to continue that type of learning and develop their own skills and adaptations to that. With the influential age group being directed in middle school, it makes sense to go the extra mile and provide them with the proper resources including team efforts and extra help to achieve goals early and begin setting more.