Making Time For Modern Learning in Middle School
Awkward. Confusing. Change. Exciting. Turbulent. These are just a few words that often describe a student’s middle school journey. Adolescence is a time for self-discovery, change, and tremendous growth. With increasing social, emotional, and physical changes, middle school can feel a little like navigating a maze–filled with twists, turns, challenges, and uncertainty until you find your way out the other side. Most adults, when asked if they’d want to relive middle school, emphatically say, ‘No way!’ So, how can Dawson make these years different from the experiences many of us had? As educators, we strive to create an engaging learning experience for our fifth through eighth-grade students, meeting their current needs while also preparing them for the demands of high school and beyond.
As our society continues to change, the needs of our students also evolve. At Dawson, we invest time in listening for indicators that signal shifts in students’ experiences and in addressing their challenges. It’s important for our school to remain nimble and prepared to act on the insights gathered from faculty, students, and families. Grounded in Stanford University’s Challenge Success framework, Dawson stands out among independent schools for its ability to pivot and respond to students in an ever-changing world. Aligned with our Core Values, prioritizing student voice and choice remains at the forefront of this approach. Our dedication to growth and adaptation reflects our commitment to lifelong, modern learning.
Dive deeper into the data and the key domains Dawson aims to foster in our modern learning program - engagement, belonging, and wellness - in the Fall/Winter 2023-2024 edition of the Petroglyph Magazine.
How Dawson Makes the Difference with Plus Day
At Dawson, our data-driven decision-making approach allows us to cultivate a culture of continual growth and improvement. This grants us a deeper understanding of our students’ needs and ensures the long-term relevance of our modern learning program.
Beginning in August with the 2023-2024 school year, we responded to the national data and our students’ Challenge Success survey responses by implementing crucial modifications to the middle school schedule. These enhancements address the need to focus deeply on engagement, belonging, and well-being. The most significant change was the addition of a seventh day (the Plus Day) to our six-day DAWSON cycle.
The Plus Day serves three main purposes:
- Provide students extended time for deeper learning
Plus Days include a range of activities, including targeted instruction during ‘What I Need’ (WIN) periods, a longer elective block, and specialized insight or capstone classes designed to teach key success skills for academic achievement and life beyond school. Despite misconceptions, there’s a lot of teaching and learning happening on Plus Days, and it’s essential to Dawson’s comprehensive program for students. - Provide students extended time to make connections with each other and their grade level
Activities include extended time for community meetings, advisory lessons, and student voice groups and clubs. - Allow students extended time to connect with our Core Values
Activities include hosting guest speakers on campus, involving students in service-learning or volunteer projects, and off-campus field trips.
Core Academics
Plus Days allow the School to designate and schedule activities and events that might otherwise reduce core instructional time on regular days. This results in preserved, uninterrupted blocks of time for deeper, more reflective learning experiences over extended periods.
Plus Days allow the School to designate and schedule activities and events that might otherwise reduce core instructional time on regular days. This results in preserved, uninterrupted blocks of time for deeper, more reflective learning experiences over extended periods.
Understanding that students desire more time to work on important assignments and projects with the guidance of their teachers, we increased the core academic classes from 50 to 60 minutes. In addition, one class in each DAWSON cycle now spans 75 minutes. These adjustments provide more daily time for teachers to work with students on their core skills–such as reading, writing, and speaking–across various content areas.
This schedule increases the opportunity for:
- teachers to conference 1:1 with students
- extended time for project-based learning, writing tasks, and science labs
- varied modalities of instruction including small-group and 1:1 student/teacher conferencing
- time to begin homework with ready access to the teacher when questions arise.
With longer core classes, students have one less class each day and have fewer transitions throughout the schedule.
Embedded Time for Academic Enrichment
Every middle school student now participates in a class called ‘What I Need’ (WIN) three times within the DAWSON cycle. This 50-minute class delivers tailored instruction according to individual student needs. Using data from classroom observations, unit assessments, and ERB milestones testing, faculty create flexible groups to provide additional instruction in critical literacies (reading and writing) or mathematics. The WIN class is taught by core teachers and members of the middle school learning support team, offering students exposure to diverse teaching styles and the chance to work with various adults across campus with different areas of expertise.
Every middle school student now participates in a class called ‘What I Need’ (WIN) three times within the DAWSON cycle. This 50-minute class delivers tailored instruction according to individual student needs. Using data from classroom observations, unit assessments, and ERB milestones testing, faculty create flexible groups to provide additional instruction in critical literacies (reading and writing) or mathematics. The WIN class is taught by core teachers and members of the middle school learning support team, offering students exposure to diverse teaching styles and the chance to work with various adults across campus with different areas of expertise.
Embedded time for Clubs and Student Voice Groups
Many Dawson students report their engagement in after-school activities, which limits their ability to join clubs or student voice groups beyond regular school hours. By embedding these opportunities into the schedule, we’ve ensured that all middle school students can engage in these meaningful structures to explore their interests and passions. This initiative fosters meaningful connections among students and adults on campus.
Many Dawson students report their engagement in after-school activities, which limits their ability to join clubs or student voice groups beyond regular school hours. By embedding these opportunities into the schedule, we’ve ensured that all middle school students can engage in these meaningful structures to explore their interests and passions. This initiative fosters meaningful connections among students and adults on campus.
Clubs are designed to offer students a non-academic activity of their choice once every other Dawson cycle for 60 minutes. On the alternate cycle, Voice Groups meet for 60 minutes. Voice groups are divided into three types: advocacy, ally, or affinity-based groups.
Voice Groups and Clubs empower students by giving them the time and space to discuss their opinions, find commonalities through passion projects and shared activities, and make positive changes within our school community. They also develop important skills for the future such as collaboration, leadership development, communication, and more.
Advisory
Students in grades 5-8 are each assigned an advisor who serves as their primary advocate and point of contact if they need anything throughout the school day and academic year. Advisors focus on the social, emotional, physical, and academic health of each student.
Students in grades 5-8 are each assigned an advisor who serves as their primary advocate and point of contact if they need anything throughout the school day and academic year. Advisors focus on the social, emotional, physical, and academic health of each student.
Advisory meets each day for at least 10-15 minutes, with extended blocks on “N” and on Plus Days to teach critical lessons geared toward:
- social, emotional, and physical well-being
- students’ educational goals
- executive functioning and self-organization
- self-care and self-advocacy for their needs
Culture of Feedback
To further support the evolving needs of our students, Dawson continues to re-evaluate what we do and how we do it. No one strategy will “solve” the challenges faced by our students, but holistically, we believe our new learning structures and our use of time will make a difference. Early indications from students suggest that these improvements have already helped. During informal student focus groups during the fall semester, several students reported the following:
To further support the evolving needs of our students, Dawson continues to re-evaluate what we do and how we do it. No one strategy will “solve” the challenges faced by our students, but holistically, we believe our new learning structures and our use of time will make a difference. Early indications from students suggest that these improvements have already helped. During informal student focus groups during the fall semester, several students reported the following:
- “I really like the Plus Day. It gives me a chance to take a little break mentally from all of my core classes. We’re still learning, but it feels different on that day.”
- “I love my Student Voice Group. I’ve made some new friends in the school from different grades, and I’m passionate about our group’s topic.”
- “WIN has been really helpful for me to stay on top of my assignments this year. I struggle with math, but this helps me improve my skills. I feel like I’m getting better at math.”
- “I don’t feel as rushed in my classes this year. I’m able to start my homework in most classes and sometimes even get it done before I go home. I’m so busy after school, so this helps me.”
The Alexander Dawson School
The Alexander Dawson School at Rainbow Mountain, an independent school located on 33-acres in the community of Summerlin, is Nevada’s first Stanford University Challenge Success partner school for students in early childhood through grade eight. Utilizing the unique Challenge Success framework, Dawson uses research-based strategies and programs that emphasize student academics, wellbeing, and a healthy school-life balance to create more engaged, motivated, and resilient learners and leaders. At Dawson, students achieve their individual potential while savoring life and meeting the challenges of the world.