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 * Causes/reasons for the paradigm shift in the rethinking and innovation of schooling in the middle years **.

Among the most frequently cited reasons were:


 * Arresting the decline in students’ levels of engagement in their learning and in their liking of schooling.
 * Promoting students’ sense of identity, belonging and esteem
 * Developing students’ capacity and confidence to function as autonomous learners in the new knowledge society.

Reference
Australian Government. (2001)Department of Education. School Innovation: Pathway to the Knowledge Society – The Middle Years, Chapter 5. http://www.dest.gov.au/sectors/school_education/publications_resources/school_innovation/chapter_5.htm

// ** Literature, Research and Case Studies supporting innovative structures within the Middle Years ** //


 * 1. Middle Years Research and Development Project (MYRAD) conducted 1999-2001**
 * Learning time in schools needs to be arranged so that a range of learning environments can be used in the school and community
 * Organisation of learning space – how the physical environment of a school is organised impacts on the quality of learning.
 * All learning environments should be learning-centred, developmentally and age appropriate, safe, accessible, flexible and equitable.
 * Minimising the institutional character of buildings and classrooms by creating intimate spaces, campuses and sub-schools can promote this.
 * Some schools create home-like elements, ‘alcoves of learning’ or separate areas for designated groups of students within their buildings and grounds.
 * Many schools have students learning in cooperative groups at round tables in classrooms.

Example of Schools in MYRAD programme
 * Fawkner Secondary College
 * [|Belmont High School]


 * 2. Developing Lifelong Learners in the Middle Years of Schooling – Department of Education and Arts, QLD Government and The University of Queensland**

Research on schools in QLD showed a wide range of Middle Year Innovations including the creation of special middle schools within larger schools or stand-alone middle schools with dedicated, purpose-built spaces

Recommendations to improve the education of young adolescents in the USA have included:
 * 3. Carnegie Corporation, New York 1989 – Turning Points: Preparing American Youth for the 21st Century**
 * 1) Creating small communities for learning;
 * 2) Teaching a core academic programme;
 * 3) Ensuring success for all students;
 * 4) Staffing middle years schools with teachers who are expert at teaching young adolescents and reengaging families in the education of your adolescents.


 * 4. Organising Schools into Smaller Units: The Case of Educational Equity in Practical Approaches to Achieving Student Success in Urbans Schools, D.E.Gordon & J.R.Shafer, Temple University, 2003, Philadelphia, USA.**

A growing body of research provides evidence that organizing schools into small units has beneficial effects on students’ achievement and psychological well-being including a shared vision, purpose, and experience and to the sense of belonging and identity that small size helps to create.

//- this is in line with observations at Candlebark School by Mel & Tash - and mentor setup at Castlemaine Secondary College (<15 students per mentor)//


 * 5. Organisation of Physical Resources: Lackey J.A., 2007, ‘33 Educational Design Principles for Schools and Community Learning Centres. University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA.**

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 * The thirty-three educational design principles encompass the body of knowledge concerning well-designed learning environments. These principles are derived from a variety of sources: from the reflective practice of educators and design professionals to the empirical research of environmental psychologists and educational researchers.
 * Each educational design principle embraces an underlying premise __that all learning environments should be learner-centered, developmentally and age-appropriate, safe, comfortable, accessible, flexible, equitable and cost effectiv__e. The premise interwoven through all principles should be understood to moderate the appropriateness of each principle in practice.

Researchers report that, regardless of the subject matter, students working in small groups tend to learn more of what is taught and retain it longer than when the same content is presented in other instructional formats. Students who work in collaborative groups also appear more satisfied with their classes.
 * Wikipedia**

Sources: Beckman, 1990; Chickering and Gamson, 1991; Collier, 1980; Cooper and Associates, 1990; Goodsell, Maher, Tinto, and Associates, 1992; Johnson and Johnson, 1989; Johnson, Johnson, and Smith, 1991; Kohn, 1986; McKeachie, Pintrich, Lin, and Smith, 1986; Slavin, 1980, 1983; Whitman, 1988)


 * Team Small Group Model**

The organisational model Team Small Group is an attempt to address the same set of problems: namely to provide stability, a sense of belonging and offset a sense of disengagement experienced by some students during their middle years of schooling.

The Team Small Group innovation was premised on the notion that adolescence is a complex The research findings provided both positive and neutral effects of multi-age and multi-grade grouping. Ansah, (1989) found that some children seem to benefit from multi-grade classes while others seem to do better in single-grade classes. Team Small Group Model consists of between two and three classes of students who are kept together during Years 7, 8 and 9 (the so called ‘middle years’ of schooling ), and work with a stable small group of staff.

The underlying premise was that the best learning environment is one where teachers and students know each other well, and there is an emphasis on the emotional and social learning of students as well as the academic learning. The socialisation of students is a key concept, with cooperation and overcoming interpersonal difficulties considered a key goal.

The Team Small Group model was developed in Germany in the early 1970s as a reaction against an education system that practiced predominant streaming of students. The streaming experiment in Germany was said to be producing negative effects, particularly on socialisation processes and student’s social learning. Team Small Group was an attempt to eliminate competition and enforce cooperation where weaker students would be helped by stronger students and all members of the community would learn to overcome differences and live together harmoniously.

//**Example: Grange College, Hoppers Crossing, City of Wyndham, Western Metropolitan Region School**//

Grahame, A (2009). School Review Report Prepared for the Grange P-12 College Western Metropolitan Region School Workforce Reform and School Improvement Division Department of Education & Early Childhood Development. Melbourne. Latrobe University. Heiner Ullrich, [|Rudolf Steiner], //Prospects: the quarterly review of comparative education//, v. XXIV, no. 3/4, pp. 555-572. UNESCO 1994. Ratzki, A. (1988, Spring). "The remarkable impact of creating a school community: One model of how it can be done." //American Educator//, 12, 10-43. Marzano, R. (1992). //A different kind of classroom: Teaching with dimensions of learning.// Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Zahorik, J.A., & Dichanz, H. (1994). "Teaching for understanding in German schools", //Educational Leadership//, 5(5), 75-77.
 * References**

** Following research/literature- more on pedagogy & learning than structural ** =Dimensions of Learning Hubs= In recent years Australian National Schools Network has provided professional learning opportunities in the ‘Dimensions of Learning’, based on research by the Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL) organisation and related practical experience. Teachers and school leaders – as individuals and teams – will again be able to join an ANSN DoL Hub, where they will explore instructional design models related to the five types of thinking (DoL) that are essential to successful learning. Participants in the hub will focus on a pedagogical journey that explores a comprehensive learning framework - a “thinking” approach to learning. Dimensions of Learning not only explores how educators assist students to interact with knowledge, but also explores in depth how attitudes and perceptions can impact on the learning journey. Key aspects of Dimensions of Learning include exploring high expectations, effective feedback, __classroom climate__ and relevancy and meaningfulness of tasks.


 * Examples: Williamstown Primary School and Upper Coomera School, QLD **

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 * 1. Organisation of student: National Middle Years Association, 2001, Is Multi-Age Grouping Beneficial to Middle School Students and Heterogeneous Grouping 2002, Ohio, USA**

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 * Gutierrez and Slavin (1992), Pavan (1992) and Miller, (1990) found that children in non-graded classrooms fare as well or better than children in single-graded classrooms on standardized measures of achievement. Pavan's review (1992) found that students in multi-graded settings did as well as, or outperformed, students in single-graded classrooms.


 * The most profound findings in the survey of the research of multi-age educational grouping is the positive impact on self esteem and a feeling of bonding within the group when students work together for more than one year. Way (1979) studied the effects of multi-age classes on achievement and self-concept. No significant differences were found between multi-age and single-age classes in achievement, but the students in multi-age classes had higher mean scores on tests for self-concept.

Specifically, the practice yielded benefits for students in the affective domain. Pratt (1993) concluded that multi-age classrooms are "socially and psychologically healthy places" because social/emotional developmental stage which needs to be recognised and addressed by educators.

//- this fits with models at schools such as Gisborne Secondary//