Watching children learn is impressive as they often seem to absorb information effortlessly. Learning changes at different ages, and schools must create the best environment for each age group. Much is documented about how elementary and high school students learn and develop, but one age group that is often overlooked is middle school students. So, how do middle school students learn best?
Middle school students learn best when they experience engaging material in a way that suits their learning style. Teaching strategies must take the middle schooler’s attention span into account. Learning is facilitated by ensuring they have a positive self-image and opportunities to experience success. Finally, teachers and parents should help middle schoolers to regulate their emotions and lead a balanced lifestyle.
The teacher is responsible for creating an environment and teaching style that allows middle schoolers to learn in the best way possible. Keep reading to discover the factors determining a student’s capacity to learn and the best practices to enhance their learning.
How Do Middle School Students Learn Best?
Here are seven steps to think about and implement to help middle school students learn best:
- Identify their learning style.
- Help them to understand their learning style.
- Match the instructions and the duration of teaching to their attention span.
- Ensure that they have a positive image of themselves as learners.
- Ensure that they experience success.
- Help them regulate their emotions
- Promote a balanced lifestyle
Identify Their Learning Style
In previous decades, it was assumed that there was only one way to learn. In the 1960s, the concept of students learning in different styles was proposed. The fact that individuals learn differently makes sense considering everyone has varying strengths and weaknesses.
The primary learning styles are visual, auditory, reading and writing, and kinesthetic. Other experts suggest additional styles depending on their research.
It is important to note that middle school students (or any other age group) seldom fall into only one learning style, and there is usually a learning profile with one dominant style and several skills.
Identifying a middle school student’s learning style can be easily accomplished as there are many online tests available. If the parents prefer a formal assessment, they can take their child to consult an educational psychologist.
Here are some online learning style tests:
Most middle school students will enjoy taking the test to find out about their learning styles.
Help Them To Understand Their Learning Style
Middle schoolers are entering an age where they are more self-aware and can think about their thought processes (metacognition). This skill is vital in achieving self-knowledge and accelerating the ability to think critically.
Knowledge is powerful for children, and middle schoolers would benefit from a lesson on how individuals learn differently. It helps them recognize that if they do not understand the information in one format, there are other ways to access the same material.
There are many useful resources to assist parents and middle school teachers in explaining learning styles to their children. Discover Your Learning Style is an excellent video that gives an overview of learning styles in language middle school students will understand.
Once the student is aware of the learning style they most associate with, it is essential to guide them on how to make the most out of the way they learn. Some middle school students may be capable of generating ideas for themselves on techniques they can use to maximize learning in their style.
Other children may still struggle with lateral thinking and need assistance or scaffolding to discover learning methods that support their learning style.
How Can Teachers Include All Learning Styles?
Including all the different learning styles when delivering a lesson is challenging. Teachers often have their own dominant learning styles, which influence how they teach. They approach the material the way they feel is most logical and how they would best absorb the content.
Good teachers strive to rise above their own preferences and provide all middle school students with the best learning opportunity. Initially, this may be demanding, but providing different routes for learning will be met with enthusiasm from students and achieve better overall results.
Here is an example of teaching using different learning styles. The material to be taught is from a Science lesson and related to the structure of a plant or animal cell.
- Visual learners will enjoy a diagram showing a cell’s structure, with individual parts represented by different colors. In addition, a video that shows the function of each component will further reinforce the learning.
- Auditory learners benefit from oral explanations. The information can be explained in a story form assigning characters to the different components of a cell. Each character would describe their form and function, and the information could be performed as a role-play.
- The reading and writing learning style focuses on written information. Learners that favor this approach will prefer to acquire knowledge through researching and note-taking, so assigning an age-appropriate book or website related to the structure of the cell should be a practical learning task.
- Kinesthetic learners will benefit from an activity where they actually build the cell out of clay or rearrange objects (like Lego bricks) to represent the cell structure. The learning can be reinforced by asking students to physically act out the function of each component.
The whole class can participate in each activity as students benefit from exposure to different presentations of the same material.
Learning will be maximized as students take ownership of their learning by accessing the information through their particular dominant (and supportive) learning styles.
Initially, teachers may find this approach challenging, but with practice and collaboration with colleagues, they should see that planning becomes more effective as they inadvertently differentiate the lesson to make it accessible to all.
Match The Instructions And The Duration Of Teaching To Their Attention Span
Although middle school students are taking leaps in maturity from elementary, they still have a shorter attention span than high school students and adults.
This factor must be taken into consideration when teaching and planning tasks. A teacher should aim to present the information in ten to fifteen-minute segments, depending on the age of the middle schoolers.
This may seem like a relatively short time to get across all the necessary material for that lesson. But keep in mind that the instructions should be delivered in segments, so the information can be spread across the lesson rather than conveying it all in one go.
Tasks should also be designed to take around ten to fifteen minutes, with a change of activity or a ‘break break’ occurring in between.
For example, if the task involves spelling practice, the first task on the worksheet could be to repeat writing the words or filling in the blank spaces. This should not take longer than ten to fifteen minutes. Then, a second task involving a word search or crossword puzzle would allow students to think differently, which would be a welcomed change.
Kinesthetic learners and children with attention deficit disorders may need a physical break between tasks. They should have the opportunity to stand up, stretch, and move around for five minutes.
Persuading a reluctant middle school student to study for ten to fifteen minutes is far easier and less daunting for the child. They are more likely to have deep concentration during that time, knowing they will have a change of activity or a break afterward.
The same practices can be applied to studying at home, where middle school students are expected to complete homework assignments, often after a busy and tiring day at school.
Ensure That They Have A Positive Image Of Themselves As Learners
Middle school students have had enough years at school to have developed an impression of themselves as learners. They may have had negative experiences and will have discovered that some subjects are easy while others are harder.
The teachers’ and parents’ interpretation of the middle school student’s performance will also influence their perception of their learning abilities. This self-image is critical in the student’s learning approach and their success.
In some parts of the world, including the US, intelligence and learning ability are seen as innate, static abilities present in the individual to varying degrees. The general view is that some students are clever, and some struggle to learn.
Teachers and parents should challenge this view. In Eastern culture mostly, intelligence is not viewed as a static ability. Hard work, determination, and continued education are seen as factors that can improve intellectual ability.
There, students do not view themselves as ‘dumb’ or unable to learn. They strive to learn, knowing that if they apply themselves diligently, they will ultimately achieve their goal.
If middle school students can be encouraged to have this ‘Growth Mindset’ point of view, their attitude to learning will improve, and they will experience more success. A student that believes they are incapable of learning – a fixed mindset – will seldom succeed at tasks.
Middle school students can benefit from knowing that their brains are still maturing. Understanding that a difficult concept will be easier to comprehend later in the year because of natural growth will offer reassurance.
In this approach, the middle school student does not experience the struggle to learn the material as a failure or a judgment of their intellectual ability. They can move on from it and still have a positive attitude when approaching the material later in the year.
Ensure That They Experience Success
Success breeds more success as well as enhancing a positive self-image.
There are many different personalities and academic abilities in a class of middle school children. Unfortunately, this leads some children to compare themselves unfavorably to their peers. The result is that these students develop an erroneous self-image, affecting their learning ability.
Each middle school student should have the opportunity to succeed in some area. This is easier for some children that are gifted artists or athletes as they naturally experience success in those areas.
Students with no apparent gifts in other areas can experience success by becoming ‘specialists’ in a subject they are interested in. For example, a student interested in coding should be encouraged to learn as much as possible about this field and really hone in on the skill.
Both the teacher and parents should work in conjunction to promote these special interests. The student can be called on as the ‘coding expert’ to identify and explain how coding works to others in the class.
The middle school teacher can also facilitate the special interest by allowing students to complete projects that include their area of interest. If a student is obsessed with a particular basketball team, for instance, they can demonstrate their understanding of math concepts by finding out the area and perimeter of the basketball team’s court.
An awareness of the fact that everyone has strengths and weaknesses is vital. It allows middle school students to accept themselves and others without judgment or false perceptions.
Weakness is not considered a fixed, all-encompassing characteristic that blackens a student. It is merely something the student needs extra help with or needs to learn how to compensate for.
Help Them Regulate Their Emotions
The age range of middle schoolers is a critical time for developing brain connections. Neurological pathways are established, and the brain still has a relatively high degree of plasticity. Neurological development and maturation often cause some emotional instability in middle school students.
In addition, middle schoolers are having their first dose of changing hormones which is enough to cause emotional dysregulation in anyone. On top of this, they are experimenting with humor, developing their personalities, and dealing with the effects of peer pressure.
Understandably, middle school students may be prone to emotional outbursts, difficulty controlling frustration, and generally unstable emotions during this time of change. This irregularity in emotional status is an unhelpful platform for learning.
Parents, teachers, and school counselors can explain to middle schoolers why they may struggle emotionally. They can also help students to learn techniques to regulate their emotions, like breathing techniques or keeping a journal to document and reflect on their feelings.
Many resources are available to help parents and teachers learn how to help middle school students regulate their emotions and improve learning. Here are two:
Ten emotional regulation activities for kids
Emotional regulation activities for Tweens and Teens
The need for emotional regulation learning is underlined by brain structure and function. Emotions, learning, and memory are all regulated in the cingulate cortex. Unbalancing one element processed in this area is sure to affect the others.
Promote A Balanced Lifestyle
Middle school is a time of change for students. Coming from primary education, where the academic and social pressures are far less, there is now a great cognitive leap to learn abstract concepts while creating and maintaining new relationships.
Students must cope with these changes, and many teachers and parents forget the need for students to unwind and ease some of this newfound pressure.
It is vital that middle school students still have the opportunity to play and pursue non-academic interests. Physical exercise and play create a relaxed brain that is receptive and ready to learn. Students who struggle to concentrate will cope better after using up energy on the playground or a sports field.
Play is also important for emotional regulation and allows students to engage socially, which is also essential for growing brain connections.
Therefore, teachers should be mindful of the amount of homework they assign. Generally, homework should not exceed 15 to 20 minutes per subject per night, and should be clear and purposeful.
Conclusion
Middle school students face many changes as they develop and grow. Making the move from elementary, they must deal with differences in school and a significant alteration in the material they learn.
If teachers can help students identify and understand their most effective learning styles and help them to build a positive self-image with opportunities to experience success, they will be laying the groundwork for students to learn in the best way possible.
If you are considering becoming a middle school teacher (maybe making the switch from elementary school), be sure to check out other related articles.