I have seen this question pop up in various places online: What are the main differences between teaching middle and high school? I won’t hide my bias: middle school is better. I say this after more than thirteen years of experience: eleven in middle and two in high school. I also fully recognize that every situation and teacher is different and others may claim the opposite based on their own experiences, but here is what I have learned.
Middle School
Typically, middle schoolers are experiencing a language for the first time. This means the subject is still mysterious and exciting to them. They WANT to learn it and they have no preconceived notions about their abilities with it. CI and TPRS methods are a blast to them because they are still young enough to enjoy silly activities and want to please you. If you make it look fun, they will be on board and want to have fun with you. If you follow the CI gurus on YouTube or Facebook, they all teach middle school. Maybe the high school CI teachers aren’t posting their stuff as much, or maybe, as has been my experience, high schoolers won’t engage in CI. Either way, middle schoolers are willing to go on that journey with you, and therefore you will be able to see more progress in their acquisition while also having fun teaching them.
High School
If your high schoolers had exposure to language in middle school, you will receive a mixed bag. Some of them will have had great experiences and be willing to continue that journey, but lots will come in with a fixed mindset of “I’m bad at this” or “I don’t like it,” which, in my experience is a very steep hill to climb. Furthermore, most high schoolers see language as a graduation requirement- “Just give me the grade I need to pass and move on.” I would stand in front of my class oozing energy and passion and they would scowl back at me with overtired, leave-me-alone faces. Even after team-building, soliciting feedback from the students and pulling ideas from all the great teacher blogs, the negative attitudes persisted. What I learned is that high schoolers don’t care about getting my approval, but they desperately want it from their peers. While middle schoolers might participate fearlessly to gain laughs or adoration, high schoolers just want to blend in, so they refuse to participate because that might make them stand out.
Of course, this does not apply to every student or even every section. The community you are in will also play a role in how your kids approach learning. There are so many factors that influence our experiences. In the end, I think you have to decide what age will best fit your personality. If silly and interactive is your style – middle school is the place to be. If you’re more reserved and traditional in your methods, high school may be a better fit. Whatever you choose, understand that both have their pros and cons and are rewarding in their own ways.
What are the main differences in teaching middle school?
Middle schoolers are developmentally very different than high schoolers. If you have only ever taught high school and are moving to a middle school program, be prepared to change some expectations.
Pacing and Time: You have more time to have fun with kids in middle school. The pacing is much slower and there isn’t the pressure to cover quite as much material at break-neck speeds. This leaves tons of times for games, longer projects, and deeper dives into interesting topics!
Executive functioning: middle schoolers are still learning how to be students. You will have to model and explicitly teach executive functioning skills.
Social-emotional development:The middle school philosophy as a whole caters much more to helping students grow as a whole child. Most middle schools are structured with teams of teachers who all teach the same group of students and there is a weekly meeting to discuss student concerns. As middle school educators, we spend a ton of time trying to find ways to help kid succeed and worrying about their social-emotional development. In high school, there is a more “fend for yourself” or “send them to the counselor/dean” attitude.
Physical development: Middle school kids need more movement breaks! They are growing and changing at crazy rates and they need to get up and move! This works out great in a language classroom because it opens the door to TPR, partner activities, dancing, and other silly activities. Movement breaks don’t have to be aerobic, though. A movement break can be as simple as “go work with someone from another table” or “interview as many classmates as you can in 10 minutes.” Students just need to get out of their seats.
