Chapter 15: Dispositional, Relational, And Practical Aspects Of Professional Learning For Middle Level Educators

I sat in the back of the classroom as Nick (a pseudonym), the student teacher I was supervising, taught a 90-minute world geography lesson about economic systems. The lesson was captivating—to me. However, few of the seventh grade students who surrounded me appeared to share my interest and enthusiasm for the topic. From the lectern and dry erase board at the front of the room, Nick talked about the differences between communism and capitalism, provided examples and illustrations of concepts, and posed occasional questions to the five rows of students seated in front of him. After the students departed the portable classroom and headed to their next class, Nick and I sat together at two desks in the center of the room to debrief. Students had littered the floor around us with paper projectiles that some of them launched at unsuspecting targets during the lesson. “So, how did it go?” I asked. “I’m not sure they got it,” Nick replied. I opened a file containing Nick’s long-range plan and brought to his attention a section in his classroom management plan where he wrote: “These students are young adults and I expect them to act accordingly.” I seized this teachable moment to help Nick reflect on the nature and needs of young adolescent students and the kinds of developmentally appropriate instructional practices that engage them in learning.