Creating a Positive School Culture Through New Educational Practices

Author(s):  
Rithu Paul ◽  
Aneesh Kumar P.

There is an increase in rates of depression and anxiety globally. Schools have moved from a traditional approach of learning and teaching to contemporary forms which includes technology. New revolution has taken place in the world of schooling, with the entry of positive education. Positive education is the application of principles in positive psychology to schooling to enhance the well-being of students and schools. The objective of this review-based chapter is to bring to light the use of various strategies of positive education in classrooms, for middle school students, in order to create a positive learning environment. An evidence-based learning approach is used in this chapter. This chapter address issues and concerns regarding the challenges in applying the strategies of positive education. The main aim of creating a positive school culture in middle school is to enhance the happiness and well-being of students The chapter brings out the need for positive education in the current generation and discusses the implications of the further scope of positive education in India.

2005 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 2156759X0500900
Author(s):  
Peter C. Scales

Search Institute has identified 40 Developmental Assets™ that are building blocks of healthy development and success for children and adolescents. Young people's experience of most of these developmental assets declines over the middle school years. In this article, research is described showing the prevalence and impact of developmental assets among middle school students, and the power of the assets is connected to the developmental characteristics of young adolescents. The middle school counselor's role is described and suggestions given both for building assets in individual students and for helping to shape a positive school climate that promotes developmental well-being through the school community.


1994 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 190-196
Author(s):  
Linda J. C. Taylor ◽  
Jeri A. Nichols

Graphing calculators are revolutionizing the learning and teaching of mathematics. Students can view and manipulate graphs of functions in a matter of seconds. Such features as “plot,” “graph,” “trace,” and “zoom” offer opportunities for users to develop an understanding of the terms variable and function. According to the Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics (NCTM 1989), these concepts are vital aspects of the middle school curriculum. According to the standards document, “[A]n ideal 5-8 mathematics curriculum would expand students' knowledge of numbers,… patterns and functions, and the fundamental concepts of algebra” (pp. 65-66). In addition, “[T]echnology, including calculators, computers, and videos, should be used when appropriate” (p. 67). It stand to reason that tools to aid in understanding such concepts as variable and function, specifically graphing calculators, should not be reserved for high school juniors and seniors. This article discusses the use of graphing calculators by students of middle school age in an enrichment program for academically able, but economically disadvantaged, students. The exercises described helped students develop an understanding about variable and function. Students were actively engaged in problem solving that involved hands-on, real-life activities.


2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 249-272
Author(s):  
Aprile D. Benner ◽  
Yang Hou ◽  
Kristina M. Jackson

The current study investigated early adolescents’ experiences of friend-related stress across middle school and its developmental consequences following the transition to high school. Using a sample of approximately 1,000 middle school students, four unique friend-related stress trajectories were observed across middle school: consistently low friend-related stress (57% of the sample), consistently high friend-related stress (7%), moderate and increasing friend-related stress (22%), and moderate but decreasing friend-related stress (14%). Groups characterized by higher levels of friend-related stress across middle school were linked to subsequent poorer socioemotional well-being, lower academic engagement, and greater involvement in and expectancies around risky behaviors following the transition to high school. Increased friend-related stress across the high school transition was also linked to poorer outcomes, even after taking into account earlier stress trajectories. Gender differences highlighted the particular struggles girls experience both in friend stress and in the links between friend stress and subsequent well-being.


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