“The quality of the relationship between teachers and students is the single most important aspect of middle level education.” - Van Hoose (1991, 7)
For adolescents, middle school can be a time of confusion, stress, embarrassment, and isolation. As educators, it is our responsibility to create an environment where each student has a strong and caring relationship with a superior in order to reduce or eliminate these negative aspects from their middle school experience. As said by Van Hoose, "The quality of the relationship between teachers and students is the single most important aspect of middle level education." A supportive and trusting relationship with an advisor can be the key to success for a middle school student. How can we insure that each and every student has access to and attains this critical relationship? And why are teaming and advisory programs such an essential piece?
In their article, Organizational Structures that Support Meaningful Relationships and Learning, Deborah Kasak and Ericka Uskali discuss the benefits that teaming can have for both students and teachers. The teaming structure creates small and personalized learning communities that not only allow for flexibility within learning, but also provide students with a sense of belonging. According to Kasak and Uskali, some of the most important characteristics of effective teams include:
- A clearly defined purpose
- Specific and measurable goals for student learning
- A commitment to defined norms that guide how the team operates
- Effective communication
- Parental contact and involvement
- Sufficient common planning time
These fundamental characteristics, combined with the dedication from team members and support from administrators, creates the key for a strong, successful, and highly functioning middle school team.
Advisory is an important aspect within the teaming system. Ross Burkhardt and Thomas Kane discuss the benefits of advisory in their article An Adult Advocate for Every Student. According to Burkhardt and Kane, it is an educators responsibility to guide, support, listen to, and advocate for their students. During middle school, young adolescents are forming the values, ideas, and mentalities that will stay with them for the rest of their lives. As teachers, we have the unique opportunity to work with them at this critical time. Providing adequate support for our students through advisory programs will allow them to adjust more easily to their new set of responsibilities and freedoms. Advisory also provides students with the opportunity to be respected, valued, and understood. Well implemented advisory programs have been proven to decrease the amount of isolation and depression felt among middle schoolers as well as decrease the number of disciplinary issues within schools. According to Burkhardt and Kane, a strong advisory program is one that has a clear mission and direct administrative support. It is also important for advisors to fully understand their responsibilities and to look upon these responsibilities with a positive attitude. One last important aspect of an advisory program that Burkhardt and Kane stress is that the relationship between a student and their advisor must shift from one based off of authority to one based off of caring and understanding. Adolescents need us to be their support, their confidant, and their cheerleader which is all possible through a strong and well implemented advisory program.
The benefits that can come out of successful teaming and advisory programs are numerous for both teachers and students. We must work to implement these successful programs into each and every school so that all adolescents have the opportunity to grow and learn in a safe, supported, and developmentally appropriate environment.
For more information about Teaming and Advisory Programs, check out the following articles.
It sounds like there is a lot of overlap between our class and your Middle Level class. Please share the connections you are making!
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