Dear CSAMS Families,

The developmental approach is one of CSA District’s core philosophies, and I think that sometimes it is easy to forget that this philosophy applies just as much during the middle school years as it does during the elementary years. As middle school educators, our teachers, leaders and support staff work together to ensure that the developmental needs of our students are at the forefront of our decision making process. In order to do this with efficacy, we need to be well versed in the developmental needs of the students we serve. Because your students are at various stages of the middle school journey, I thought it would be beneficial to share these developmental milestones with you.

Children between the ages of 11 and 14 are in a developmental stage known as early adolescence. This period is marked by significant physical, cognitive, emotional, and social changes. Over the next few weeks, I will focus my weekly article on the different developmental characteristics of middle school students.  Here's an overview of two of the key developmental characteristics for this age group from education partitioner and author Chip Wood:

‍Physical Development
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‍Most children will begin to go through puberty during this stage, with girls often starting earlier than boys. This includes rapid physical growth and hormonal changes. Students may feel self-conscious as their bodies change, and they may compare themselves to peers.

A noticeable increase in height and weight is common, and their motor skills continue to improve, although some may temporarily feel clumsy due to rapid growth.

In support of students’ physical development needs, CSAMS classrooms have been purposefully designed to provide students opportunities to interface with their peers and to move within the learning space. As you walk through the hallways of our school, you will see students working in our collaborative learning spaces, taking movement breaks and physically engaging in learning experiences. Our advisory program is purposefully designed to assist students in knowing themselves, liking themselves and being comfortable being themselves.

‍Cognitive Development

‍Middle school aged students are at an exciting part of their cognitive development as they begin to move away from concrete thinking (literal thinking) and start developing the ability to abstractly, reason logically, and solve problems more systematically. In addition, they begin to think about their own thinking processes, which leads to them improving their ability to self reflect. The middle school years are often the time when students begin to become passionate about causes or subjects they care about and may challenge authority or societal norms.

It is also important to remember that the development of their prefrontal cortex (which controls decision-making and impulse control), is still ongoing. This can lead to impulsive behavior and a higher likelihood of risk-taking.

In support of our students' unique cognitive needs, our lessons are designed to offer students opportunities to use their developing critical thinking skills. They are encouraged to develop their own opinions and support those opinions based on specific examples they are learning about in their classes. Our program is responsive to their developing metacognitive awareness by offering them opportunities to self- reflect and goal set on a regular basis. We also provide students an opportunity to reflect on their year’s worth of growth during student-led conferencing each spring. The CSAMS enhancement program has been purposefully developed to provide students exposure to classes such as digital photography, visual and performing arts, physical education and a myriad of other topics that enable students to take responsible risks by trying something new.  

Knowing where our students are in the continuum of their development enables us to accentuate their strengths and provide mentorship and support in areas they may be experiencing some struggle. It is a critical component of our commitment to teaching to the whole child. Next week our focus will be on the social/emotional and moral character development of middle school aged students.  

In partnership with you,

Dina M. Barnaby‍