Middle Level Education (MLE)

This course focuses on factors of diversity that impact decisions middle-level educators must make regarding the design and implementation of curriculum, teaching strategies, and materials in order to provide equity and excellence for all learners. Incorporation of student diversity considerations will be addressed to ensure students are able to cultivate classroom cultures that support the learning and development of young adolescent learners.

Requires Teacher Education Program eligibility. Young adolescents experience rapid and significant developmental changes during this distinct period of growth. This course examines the unique developmental characteristics of early adolescent including emotional, intellectual, moral/ethical, and social domains and the implications for classroom instruction and building a positive and inclusive classroom community. It explores methods for maximizing student success by engaging students in a positive, developmentally appropriate learning environment. Topics include building positive relationships with students, cultivating a culturally congruent classroom environment, fostering a productive classroom community, engaging and motivating students, working effectively with students’ parent/family, safety in the middle school classroom, optimizing your classroom’s physical arrangement, responding to student behaviors, and conflict resolution.

Requires Teacher Education Program eligibility. The middle school philosophy addresses the unique developmental needs of young adolescents. There are specific elements associated with successful teaching of this age group including for example interdisciplinary teaching, teaming and planning, advisor/advisee, differentiated instruction, learning communities, appropriate extracurricular activities, community involvement, and others. This course introduces these elements to the teacher candidate.