From the Self to the Social Being
Session notes from "From the Self to the Social Being: Preparing Students for Success in High School, College and Beyond," presented by Rachel Graham, Kate Graham-McHugh, and Shauntel Page
What was the speaker’s main message?
Success Bound aims to redesign the middle school experience to include explicit goals and skill-oriented student preparation for high school and beyond. Success Bound is the road map that supports an interconnected approach, helping all students transition to high school in three ways:
- Developing student SEL mindsets and success skills
- Embracing adolescence as the age of opportunity
- Helping students understand the impact of grades & attendance
Great for homeroom, advisory, or integration into the daily curriculum.
What was the speaker’s best quote?
Rather than early adolescence being a time of deficit, adolescence is a period of immense learning and opportunity.
Early adolescence is an important period of increased brain plasticity, or adaptability, second only to early childhood.
What is one strategy that you will implement immediately?
The presenters offered two monitoring forms to keep students “on track.” One form asks students to reflect on absences and tardies, including an attendance goal. The second form is an academic and goal setting/reflection form that asks students to look at grades and assignments that are missing or have low grades, with a focus on setting goals for improvement. These quick, easy forms can help not only keep students on track, but can be used to monitor success of program.
I can’t wait to tell my teachers about this idea:
The presenters set up the discussion about Success Bound by first framing understanding of the young adolescent. You have to know ‘em if you’re going to teach ‘em!
Adolescent Development Overview
Body and Brain Development
- Early adolescence is an important period of increased brain plasticity, or adaptability, second only to early childhood
Risk Taking, Rewards, and Relationship
- Adolescents increasingly seek novel and thrilling experiences as their capacity for self-regulation matures, adult role shifts from meeting student needs to supporting students as they meet their own needs.
Identity and Empowerment
- Exploring meaning and searching for purpose during adolescence are core aspects of identity development that occur with a cultural context that assigns values to the identities adolescents adopt.
Experience and Environments
- Adolescents increasingly seek novel and thrilling experiences as their capacity for self-regulation matures, adult role shifts from meeting student needs to supporting students as they meet their own needs.
Notes by Todd L. Brist, Watertown Middle School, Watertown, South Dakota
