EDUC676 Liberty University Middle School Needs and Piaget Analysis Instructions and rubric are attached Part 1: Complete a chart or graphic organizer tha

EDUC676 Liberty University Middle School Needs and Piaget Analysis Instructions and rubric are attached

Part 1: Complete a chart or graphic organizer that depicts the cognitive characteristics of middle school students as related to Piaget’s concrete operation stage to the formal operation stage.

Part 2: In 4–6 pages, briefly summarize your findings, as recorded in your chart or graphic organizer. Secondly, based on your research, briefly discuss the implications of middle school student’s cognitive development on the design of your curriculum and methods. Finally, describe a particular curriculum issue related to cognitive development which may arise for middle school students, and the method or methods you would employ to compensate for cognitive variances.

You must include 3 citations from scholarly sources.

Candidate creates a chart or graphic organizer that depicts the cognitive characteristics of middle school students. The chart or graphic organizer addresses most of the following:

The cognitive characteristics of middle school students
The cognitive characteristics of middle school students as related to Piaget’s concrete operation stage to the formal operation stage

The candidate summarizes his/her research on the cognitive characteristics of middle school students by addressing all of the following:

Summarize findings, as recorded in your chart or graphic organizer
Discuss the implications of middle school student’s cognitive development on the design of your curriculum and methods
Describe a particular curriculum issue related to cognitive development which may arise for middle school students
The method or methods you would employ to compensate for cognitive variances.

Candidate uses correct grammar and punctuation, spelling, and sentence structure throughout and stays within the 4-6-page limit. The chart or graphic organizer is not counted as part of the 4–6-page requirement. Chapter 2 Young Adolescents—Development and Issues Objectives After reading and thinking
about this chapter on young adolescents, you should able to explain the need to consider the
tremendous diversity (developmental, cultural, sexual orientation, social class, and gender)
among young adolescents; explain issues such as general health, diet, and eating disorders;
alcohol, drug, and tobacco use; AIDS, STDs, and teenage pregnancy; peer pressure; and how
these issues affect young adolescents’ physical, psychosocial, and cognitive development; list
and describe young adolescents’ physical, psychosocial, and cognitive developmental
characteristics and explain the relationships among these domains; name several authors who
have written about young adolescent development and list their primary contributions; explain
why middle school educational experiences should reflect young adolescent development; and
name several sources of additional information that will assist you in understanding 10- to 15year-olds’ development. Scenario— Ms. Ortega Reflects When Ms. Christina Ortega, a language
arts teacher on an interdisciplinary seventh-grade team, shared her thoughts about teaching, she
explained what an eye-opening experience her first year had been. “We talked about diversity in
my college classes, but I didn’t grasp what that meant until now. Within our team, we have early
maturers and late maturers, fast-maturing girls and slower-developing boys, socially outgoing
students and some too shy to speak, independent students and some needing constant attention,
and both abstract and concrete thinkers. “Then there are gender and cultural differences. It
seemed so easy back in college. I was sure that I would not stereotype my students, but now I see
that girls and boys do appear to learn differently. Also, there are the cultural differences to keep
in mind. Who likes collaboration and who prefers competition? “And I can’t forget about all the
developmental problems. After a great beginning, academic achievement took a dip in
November, and peer pressure continued to take its toll on attitudes and behavior. Three of my
students were caught smoking. A rumor spread about a pregnant student in another cluster. Is
Heather anorexic or just a little too slim for her age? Is there some reason Lamont can’t stay in
his seat in class? Did La Shawn really understand what she was doing when she put revealing
pictures on Facebook? My list of concerns could go on and on. I know middle school is supposed
to be different. But how can I deal with the diversity among the students that I teach and meet all
their needs? I know my subject matter, but I realize now that content is only part of teaching. If I
am going to be a successful middle school teacher, I really need to focus on the students I’m
working with. And that means I need more information about them.” Overview Christina Ortega
is facing a problem shared by many middle school educators. Today’s 10- to 15-year-olds differ
significantly from the individuals found in this age group 30 or 40 years ago. Contemporary
young adolescents develop faster—physically, they mature earlier; cognitively, they know more
(although their cognitive experiences might not be the type that contributes to school
achievement); and socially, they communicate with text messages and tweets, and share
information on Facebook and YouTube. They also face issues such as dieting and eating
disorders; alcohol, drugs, and tobacco; AIDS and STDs (sexually transmitted diseases); peer
pressure; and physical and psychological safety concerns that previous generations might not
have confronted at this age. Whether you are a beginning teacher like Ms. Ortega, an
experienced educator, or a student in a teacher education program, there is a wealth of detailed
information on 10- to 15-year-olds’ developmental characteristics to help you work with middle
school students. In this chapter, rather than reading lists of young adolescents’ developmental
characteristics, you will be able to look briefly at the physical, cognitive, and psychosocial
development of 10- to 15-year-olds and focus on the issues facing young adolescents as they
develop. Then you can examine some ways that middle school educators can provide educational
experiences that reflect young adolescent development. Generalizations About Development—
The Need for Caution Teaching a subject would be easy if there were no need to worry about
learners’ individuality. However, it is impossible to overlook the uniqueness of the students and
still be a good teacher. Only by matching instruction to the needs and capabilities of individual
learners can we provide developmentally appropriate and responsive education. In middle level
grades, more than in any other, the emphasis needs to be on whom we teach rather than on what
we teach. As Schmakel (2008) found, motivational support is just as important as effective
instructional design and delivery. This is not to say that curriculum and instruction are
unimportant. Rather, middle level boys and girls are complex. The middle level years are a time
of growth and development, with changes occurring in individual students on a daily basis. What
makes working with 10- to 15-year-olds challenging is realizing and accepting those changes.
Although developmental characteristics can be listed with considerable certainty, any objective
discussion of young adolescents must emphasize that change is a constant and that diversity is
the hallmark characteristic of young adolescents. The wide range of physical developmental
characteristics can readily be seen: Some 12-year-olds look like 16-year-olds whereas others
resemble 8-year-olds. Other characteristics are more subtle. Psychosocially, some young
adolescents place priority on friendships and socialize at every opportunity; others continue to be
somewhat shy and even avoid social opportunities (Burk & Sass, 2008). Cognitive development
is even less evident, with some young adolescents performing formal and higher level thinking
and others continuing to think in concrete terms. Every young adolescent is growing up, but each
is taking a different road and going at a different speed on his or her journey from childhood to
adulthood. Young Adolescent Development Many studies, such as Tanner’s (1962) classic work,
have looked at the physical, psychosocial, and cognitive developmental characteristics of young
adolescents. Although it is important for you to know and understand these characteristics, we
think it is also important to look at these characteristics in light of the issues that today’s young
adolescents face. Not only are they changing developmentally, they are faced with new academic
and social expectations coming from their peers, parents, education stakeholders, and
government (Whitehouse, 2009). Thus, we believe that to understand middle school students,
educators have to look at young adolescents and the ways they develop in light of what we call
their communities. As each young adolescent develops, he or she undergoes many changes—
both internal and external. One middle school librarian mused, “I just stand back and watch the
hormones at work.” That thought was echoed by a teacher who said, “My job is to help my
students maintain some order in their lives and perhaps learn a few things while the hormones
take over the control of their bodies.” Certainly, physical changes are a major part of the
development of young adolescents. However, the environment, or communities, in which a
young adolescent lives tempers the final effect of these changes. As Figure 2-1 shows, these
communities include the family and its socioeconomic group, the neighborhood (including the
school), the ethnic/racial/religious community, and young adolescent peers. Each of these groups
and their approach to the issues of contemporary society impact the development of a young
adolescent, with family and peer groups exerting the most influence, especially in support and
leisure activities (Arnon, Shamai, & Ilatov, 2008). Often these communities exert conflicting
influences on young adolescents. Expectations of an ethnic community may be different from
those of peers or the school, whereas family expectations may conflict with neighborhood or
peer norms. Girls might, for a variety of reasons, seek to avoid success because they may feel
that success, which results from competition, conflicts with their sense of connectedness with
others (Kiefer & Ryan, 2008); excelling in a male-oriented school system might result in
unpopularity or outright Theory into Practice 2–1 Understanding and Supporting Young
Adolescents Although many young adolescents “successfully navigate the increased challenges
of early adolescence” (Hamm et al., 2010, p. 344), others have “academic difficulties, strained
relations with teachers and problematic behavior, social roles, and peer affiliations” (p. 344). The
researchers studied the effects of school-based professional development activities to help
educators understand, support, and work with young adolescents. The program focused on
“providing teachers with a structured format for organizing and starting class” (p. 348),
implementing instructional activities, developing “proactive and effective classroom behavior
management strategies” (p. 349), and developing teachers’ “awareness of early adolescent
classroom social dynamics” (p. 349). The researchers found that in schools where the educators
participated in the program, student achievement increased, students valued schooling more, and
the “social and affective context of classrooms and school” (p. 361) improved significantly.
Although the researchers worked only in rural schools with White and Native American
populations, they believe that the results are “applicable to teachers of early adolescence,
regardless of school configuration, student body composition, or other aspects of diversity” (p.
372). Source: Hamm, J. V., Farmer, T. W., Robertson, D., Dadisman, K. A., Murray, A., Meece,
J. L., & Song, S. Y. (2010). Effects of a developmentally based intervention with teachers on
Native American and White early adolescents’ schooling adjustment in rural settings. The
Journal of Experimental Education, 78(3), 343–377. ridicule; and success will portray them as
less feminine and less popular with boys. African, Asian, and Hispanic Americans and American
Indian/Alaska Native students often differ in their learning styles as well as in their perceptions
of school success and motivation (Hilberg & Tharp, 2002). This can lead to some unique
pressures on middle school students. Theory into Practice 2–1 supports the belief that it is
important for middle level educators to understand the development of all young adolescents and
provide appropriate educational experiences. Realizing that the four communities exert
tremendous pressures on the young adolescent, we want to look briefly at the characteristics of
young adolescent development and then explore the relationships that exist between adolescent
development and the realities of contemporary society. Although we look at physical,
psychosocial, and cognitive development separately in this chapter, we stress in Figure 2-2 the
interconnectedness of these developmental characteristics. For example, adult-like behavior
brought on by physical development can be strengthened or tempered by psychosocial and
cognitive development, just as psychosocial development plays a role in cognitive development.
Although we realize that we may be glossing over some very complex topics that are often
explored in detail in adolescent development or psychology texts, we provide references and
resources for further exploration. Remember, just as a team approach is basic to the middle
school concept, so is the need to rely on a variety of resources to build your knowledge as a
middle level educator.
Throughout all areas of young adolescent development, change is a constant, as are individual
differences among students. Development, changes in family structures, the pressures and pitfalls
of school, and societal pressures are community forces that place all middle school students at
risk at one time or another. However, at-risk conditions affect youngsters in different ways or not
at all. Although two students may be experiencing similar situations, one may develop
unacceptable behavior, whereas the other may function capably. Thus, middle school educators
must use great caution when trying to determine who is and who is not at risk for a certain
condition or as a result of a specific situation. Physical Development Early adolescence, the
developmental stage between childhood and adolescence, was recognized as a separate
developmental period in the 1970s and has received less research examination than other
developmental stages. Still, some researchers have provided important information on physical
development. Tanner offered significant contributions to the research in his Growth at
Adolescence (1962) and his studies of 12- to 16-year-olds published in Twelve to Sixteen: Early
Adolescence (Kagan & Coles, 1972). He focused on several areas of physical development, such
as the sequence and tempo of growth; diversity and variations; the onset of puberty; the trend
toward larger body sizes; early and late maturers; and how physical growth affects mental
growth, emotion, and physiological development. Selected Physical Developmental
Characteristics As a result of the work of Tanner, and others, we now realize that physical
development during early adolescence includes a number of changes, each with the potential for
having powerful effects on young adolescents and their daily lives. First, young adolescents
experience a growth spurt with a rapid increase in body size and obvious skeletal and structural
changes. During an approximate 2-year time span, 9 to 10 inches of growth for boys and 7 inches
for girls may occur. Girls sometimes weigh more than boys do because girls reach their growth
spurt peak at around age 12 and boys reach their peak at around age 14. Second, puberty, a
period of physiological changes that include the development of the sexual reproductive system,
begins in young adolescence. The first outward sign of puberty is the rapid gain in height and
weight known as the growth spurt (Burke & Sass, 2008), Although considerable diversity exists,
88% of girls and 83% of boys reach puberty by age 14. Third, young adolescents experience
gender-specific physical development. For example, girls’ physical development is often slow
and gradual, leveling off by age 14. In contrast, boys show a dramatic increase in strength and
endurance that continues through the teenage years (Burke & Sass, 2008). Implications and
Issues Selected physical developmental characteristics can have profound effects on young
adolescents and the issues affecting their lives. Restlessness and fatigue. Young adolescents
often experience restlessness and fatigue due to growing bones, joints, and muscles. Sitting for
long periods of time becomes difficult and perhaps even painful if the desks and chairs are too
small. Lamont had a problem sitting still in Christina Ortega’s class because of an ill-fitting and
uncomfortable chair rather than because of any serious emotional problem. Even exercise is not
always the answer. Although youngsters should participate in developmentally appropriate
exercise, physical competitions between early and late maturers should be avoided because these
often become very one-sided and can add to self-esteem problems. Physical diversity. Look
around a middle school and notice the wide range of physical diversity among young adolescents
(e.g., a physically small14-year-old and a large 11- or 12-year-old). On a recent visit to a middle
school library, we saw a young woman working at the circulation desk who, by her dress,
attitude, and overall appearance, seemed to be a parent volunteer or paraprofessional. Later,
when we saw her again in a classroom, we learned that this young lady was a very mature eighth
grader. This physical diversity can affect self-esteem and can result in youngsters worrying about
when growth will begin or end. Early developers sometimes feel more “grown up” and engage in
adult-like behaviors, often participating in activities that have potentially dangerous
consequences. Among these adult-like behaviors is the use of alcohol, drugs, and tobacco.
Whether students use these substances to act grown-up or to conform to neighborhood and peer
expectations, this action can lead to major health problems and to other problems such as STDs,
teenage pregnancy, conduct disorders, and alienation from family, friends, and school. A report
from the Centers for Disease Control (Fryar, Merino, Hirsch, & Porter, 2009) shows that 40% of
adolescents have tried smoking, 16% had their first alcoholic drink before age 13, and 13% had
tried marijuana by age 15. Nutrition. Nutrition to build growing bodies is not a topic of great
interest to young adolescents. As one girl told us: “I looked at my cereal this morning, but that’s
all I did.” When a sixth-grade boy got off the bus eating a bag of potato chips and drinking soda,
a teacher joked that it was too soon after breakfast for a snack. The boy replied, “This is my
breakfast.” However, sound nutritional habits that are established during childhood and early
adolescence are considered essential for proper growth and development and for reduction of the
chronic disease risk. Not taking reasonable care of the body or taking unnecessary risks can
result in injuries or death. In addition, inadequate nutrition can interfere with a teenager’s ability
to concentrate at school and to engage in peer-related activities. The pressures of peers and the
media cause some young adolescents to develop an obsession with thinness and body image.
Anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder driven by an extreme quest for thinness, is a psychological
and physical disturbance in which the teenager starves herself (females make up 95% of
anorexics), exercises compulsively, and develops an unrealistic view of her body. Bulimia is
another closely related eating disorder. However, although the anorexic aims to lose weight by
not eating, the bulimic tries to eat without gaining weight. For example, the young person
experiences eating sprees or binges, fears being unable to stop eating, and experiences a
depressed mood and self-disparaging thoughts after eating binges. Then the bulimic self-induces
vomiting to avoid gaining weight. Christina Ortega was right to be concerned about Heather. She
fits the profile of an anorexic adolescent, usually a girl in a middle or upper socioeconomic
group, who appears unhappy, shows an inordinate concern about her weight and appearance, and
evidences extreme weight loss. Sexual awareness. The onset of puberty sometimes results in a
sense of sexual awareness, which can have dangerous consequences (pregnancy or development
of an STD) if sexual experimentation occurs. Curious about sexual activity and sometimes prone
to sexual experimentation, young adolescents can contract an STD, which can impede
development and overall health. Although they are knowledgeable about the transmission of
AIDS and HIV, adolescents in general do not take appropriate precautions. Unfortunately,
inexperience, a feeling of invincibility, and lack of knowledge make young adolescents
particularly vulnerable. Diversity Perspectives 2–1 looks at the “model minority” (Lee &
Rotherham-Borus, 2009, p. 347) stereotype among Asian/Pacific Islander students and trends in
their health risks. Teenage pregnancy was becoming a major concern for the teachers in
Christina Ortega’s middle school, especially when one 14-year-old girl became pregnant for the
second time. Rea…
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