Here are a few of our favorite MiddleWeb posts from 2012. Although we have only six months of content to choose from (we launched the new site in late June), we still had a difficult time selecting only 10 from among our MiddleWeb blogs, guest articles, interviews, book reviews and resource roundups. Consider this a small sample of some great fare.

We hope you’ll come across something here that you enjoy reading and find helpful in the New Year.

1. The Essentials of Teaching Tweens & Young Teens – Interacting with young adolescents has its special challenges and rewards, says Education Week blogger and national teacher leader Nancy Flanagan. In this thought-provoking article, Nancy asks and answers four questions, revealing the essentials of excellent teaching in the middle grades. Learn more.

2. Book Review: Put the Fun Back in Your Classroom – Reviewer Sandy Wisneski, a charter school lead teacher, says Jill Spencer’s 2008 book Everyone’s Invited! Interactive Strategies That Engage Young Adolescents can spark a learning party in your classroom. You’ll discover lots of fun activities and adaptable ideas that will inspire student creativity and problem solving. “You’ll find that your guests may not want to leave,” she says, “and that’s a sure sign of the best kind of celebration of learning.” Learn more.

3. Tempered, with an Edge: An Interview with Bill Ferriter – North Carolina teacher Bill Ferriter has emerged from his sixth grade classroom into the worlds of teacher leadership, book and magazine publishing, and social media influence. His popular blog The Tempered Radical offers an engaging and provocative mix of commentary on his classroom practice and critiques of national education policy. Bill’s fourth book, Making Teamwork Meaningful, was published this month. From our interview: “We CAN be powerful change agents if we are willing to elbow our way into the important conversations happening online.”  Learn more.

4. Learn Like Luke Skywalker – Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach is a professional learning leader and prominent advocate of the radical notion that teaching and learning should be driven by the passions and interests of students, at every age. In this MiddleWeb article, Sheryl uses the example of her first grandson, Luke Skywalker Walblay, to make her case that we won’t improve schools until we treat students as fellow learners. Learn more.

5. Twelve Steps to Great STEM Lessons – Anne Jolly, author of MiddleWeb’s STEM Imagineering blog, is under no illusion that teachers have all the time and support they need to plan deeply engaging and challenging STEM lessons. But she sees value in laying out the 12 planning steps used by teachers in Mobile’s successful middle grades STEM program. School and system leaders, pay heed! Learn more.

6. My Fourth Grade Global Classroom – Patti Grayson is filling her upper elementary classroom with globe-trotting Skype adventures. In this helpful post, she shares the excitement of mystery Skyping, international book discussions, a Mardi Gras adventure and a celebrity visit during Anti-Bullying Month. Helping students connect with the outside world via video and the Internet “is becoming a routine part of being an effective 21st century teacher,” says Patti. Learn more.

7. Resource Roundup: Student Motivation – MiddleWeb co-editor Susan B. Curtis takes an in-depth look at the best web resources to help teachers and schools increase student engagement and motivation. In her link-filled article, you’ll find blog posts, interviews and studies centering on some of the year’s best commentary about intrinsic and extrinsic sources of motivation. She’s also included plenty of solid research and practical advice. Learn more.

8. Four Key Conversations for Co-Teachers – Elizabeth Stein, co-author of Two Teachers in the Room, our blog about co-teaching, believes that the best co-teaching partnerships grow out of discussions of “difficult truths” about personal goals and teaching philosophies. In this widely read post, Elizabeth suggests four places where co-teachers can begin these uncomfortable but critically important conversations. Learn more.

9. Book Review: Inspiring the Adolescent Brain – Sixth grade teacher Diane Horban has taught regular and gifted classes across the middle grades. She says Inspiring Middle School Minds: Gifted, Creative & Challenging is not just about the gifted kids but “a book about brain development in ALL students at middle school.” Author Judy Willis, an M.D. and experienced middle school teacher, tells how to use brain research to design effective classroom lessons. “It was a fascinating read!” Learn more.

10. Common Core: Take a Deep Breath – Feeling the need for a break from all the CCSS talk? Be our guest! But when you’re more rested and ready to take a dip, you’ll find there’s a difference between our resource collection around the nation’s #1 education topic and most others: We don’t take sides. You’ll find plenty of supporting articles, plenty of critics, and fair number of experts who are of two minds. Take a few deep breaths and dive in for a look. Learn more.

– More Choices? –

All of Our Book Reviews

All of Our Guest Articles

All of Our Interviews

All of Our Resource Roundups

Our STEM Imagineering blog

Our Two Teachers in the Room blog

Here are some blogs we like to read. You’ll find outstanding teachers and school leaders, teacher librarians, PD experts and others with a particular interest in the middle grades, alpha by author. Visit their blogs to discover intriguing discourse, helpful advice, and provocative ideas. We’ll be adding more soon. (Many of them tweet, too, and you can follow that.) If you’d like for us to consider your middle grades-related blog, send us a note.

Project Based Learning - Journalist Suzie Boss writes about PBL, empowering students’ success and more in her Edutopia blog.

Technology for Teachers - Richard Byrne, former teacher, current writer & consultant, is a must-follow blogger for anyone interested in the intersection of tech and instruction.

Evolving Educators – Scott Russo is a progressive-minded asst. superintendent for personnel in New Jersey. Go figure.

Scripted Spontaneity – The Musings and Whinings of a Middle School Science Teacher (Paul Cancellieri)

Living in Dialogue – Anthony Cody, middle grades science coach, Oakland CA, blogs on policy and practice at Education Week. See his MiddleWeb article.

Learning is Messy – 30-yr veteran Brian Crosby, a leader in tech-infused learning, moves from upper elementary to middle school this fall.

Rush the Iceberg – MS English teacher Stephen Davis in Cypress, CA.

Cool Cat Teacher – Vicki Davis, innovative technology specialist at GA’s Westwood School.

Middle School Matrix – Hadley Ferguson, history teacher, Web 2.0 geek!

Larry Ferlazzo (see his MW interview)
Resources of the Day – awesome teaching resource center
Classroom Q&A (Education Week) – exploration of enduring learning issues, with many contributors
Engaging Parents in School – spinoff from his book of the same title

The Tempered Radical - Bill Ferriter, author and award-winning 6th grade teacher in Wake County, NC. See his MW interview.

Teacher in a Strange Land - Nancy Flanagan, former middle grades music teacher and Michigan TOY, keeps a sharp eye out for ed policies that hamper teacher effectiveness. At Education Week. See her MiddleWeb article.

Middle School, day by day – Cossondra George, MS and HS math teacher, Newberry, MI. See her MW interview.

A Place at the Table – Susan Graham, retired FACS teacher, Virginia
(archives only – great middle school reflections)

Patti’s Ponderings - Patti Grayson, Virginia-based 4th grade teacher and 21st century teaching advocate.

A Media Specialist’s Guide to the Internet – Julie Greller, cybrarian, NJ junior/senior high.

Mr. Guymon’s EduBlog – Dave Guymon is a husband, father and dog owner. He’s also a 6th grade teacher and advocate for connected learning for kids and educators.

Technology Integration - Mary Beth Hertz, Philly gr K-7 tech teacher and tech integration specialist. At Edutopia.

View from the Nest - Bill Ivey, Stoneleigh-Burnham middle school dean, MA. See his MW article.

The Daring Librarian -  Maryland MS librarian Gwyneth Anne Jones known for tech & infographics. See her MW interview.

Leading From the Classroom - Patrick Ledesma, middle grades special educator/technologist; now Director of Educator Engagement at the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. In Ed Week.

Mr. McClung’s World – Joe McClung, MS teacher becoming EL assistant principal.

The Book Whisperer – Donalyn Miller, 4th grade teacher, author, Texas. An Education Week blog that ended in Sept. 2012 after four years. See her MW interview.

MindShift: How We Will Learn – Fascinating reports from the learning edge (KQED, San Francisco).

TeachMoore - Renee Moore, former Mississippi teacher of the year, Milken winner, Carnegie Scholar.

21st Century Collaborative – Teacher turned edupreneur Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach on professional learning in a connected world.

mrspal – This MS classroom teacher, Megan Palevich, doesn’t post a lot, but when she does…

Reflections of a Techie - Marsha Ratzel, middle grades science/math teacher, Kansas. See her MW article.

The Dream Teacher - Cindi Rigsbee, 2009 National TOY finalist, now a NC Regional Education Facilitator.

On the Shoulders of Giants - Ariel Sacks, 8th Grade English, Brooklyn NY.

Lessons Learned in the Middle – Maryland MS principal Tom Saunders.

Kathy Schrock’s Kaffeeklatsch – An entry point for librarian Kathy Schrock’s extensive techy resources.

Let’s Talk Speech & Language - Tejwatie Sohan, a NY middle school Speech-Language Pathologist, writes about behavior management and creative, cost-effective ways to target various speech and language skills.

The Line – Henrietta, NY 7th grade English teacher Dina Strasser writes about teaching & other wonderful stuff

Inspiration, Unexpected – subtitled “Evolving Practice,” NH 5th grade teacher Jess Valenti is just getting started with her blog, but we can tell it’s going to be a good one.

NeverEndingSearch - Joyce Valenza, PA teacher librarian and national TL leader (at School Library Journal).

The Jose Vilson - MS math teacher/coach, Lower East Side, NYC. See his MW article.

Voices from the Learning Revolution – Group blog includes 4-8 educators who have shifted to 21st century teaching & leading. Edited by MiddleWeb’s John Norton.

The Wejr Board – K-6 principal Chris Wejr looks into the future of education.

Mr. Wiemer’s Shop – Galyn Wiemers teaches 21stC shop, Gr. 6-8, Iowa

Brain Based Learning – Judy Willis, MD, a neurologist, EL/MS teacher and speaker who blogs at Edutopia about the impact of brain research on teaching.

TweenTeacher – Heather Wolpert-Gawron, CA E/LA teacher and author, who also blogs at Edutopia. See her MW interview.