Chapter 1: Introduction: The What and Why of Teacher Pupil Planning

In volume one of our series on the middle grades curriculum (Roney & Lipka, 2013) we focused on the work of Beane and Lipka (1986) and their self-enhancing school model. Specifically, we addressed the 17 dimensions of schooling which they submitted would help schools deal with the affective side of schooling by moving from the perspective that schooling is one dimensional (teacher-centered), to the perspective that schooling is a back-and-forth flow between students and teachers. Recognizing that the 17 dimensions of the self-enhancing school model were meant to work in sync, we questioned whether or not such a school existed today. We asked the contributors for volume one to discuss the cost of keeping schooling tightly prescribed by standards to that which is based in authentic experiences.