Articles / Teaching the Whole Adolescent
by MiddleWeb · Published 09/03/2023 · Last modified 08/04/2025
Students in the middle grades think in polarities and will go to great lengths to avoid embarrassment, writes author and school counselor Phyllis Fagell. But with the right supports, they can learn to take risks – asking questions, joining discussions and learning more.
Adolescent Development / Book Reviews
by MiddleWeb · Published 08/10/2023 · Last modified 12/29/2025
Phyllis Fagell’s Middle School Superpowers offers parents and educators productive ways to help tweens deal with change, social missteps, missed opportunities and disappointment as they encounter adolescent challenges. A must read, says consultant Anne Anderson.
Many problems that emerge in the ‘wonder years’ might be alleviated with a high quality puberty education program, writes health educator Wendy Sellers. “You will benefit from cultivating a more productive classroom climate and knowing you are meeting your students’ needs.”
The years since 2020 have been traumatic for students. A global pandemic, social and political division, and economic hardship have all impacted their well-being. For adolescents, writes MS counselor Stephanie Filio, there is also no reprieve from the emotional clutter of growing up. Here’s her advice.
Owning Up, a 6-9 SEL curriculum developed by Rosalind Wiseman in partnership with AMLE, can give young people the capacity to understand their individual development in relation to their peers and the skills to be competent in the social conflicts they experience.
Articles / Social & Emotional Learning
by MiddleWeb · Published 10/23/2016 · Last modified 11/27/2019
In a culture where we’re always connected, writes digital citizenship consultant Devorah Heitner, the challenges of adolescence are intensified in ways that adults and kids themselves don’t always fully grasp. Tweens and teens need a special brand of mentorship.
Articles / Teaching the Whole Adolescent
by MiddleWeb · Published 06/07/2015 · Last modified 11/29/2019
After a decade teaching third and fourth graders, Patti Grayson ventured into middle school this past year. She has come away from her first year in the middle with several gleanings about the most effective ways to work with unpredictable, sensitive tweens.
This is a very short, very concise, highly referenced book on the incredibly important topic of adolescent development and the role of poverty. Reviewer Laura Von Staden suggests more on specific interventions would have strengthened the book.
The Advisory Book: Building a Community of Learners (2nd Edition) by Linda Crawford is an excellent resource for specific ideas & activities as well as the research that supports Advisory, says teacher educator Amanda Wall.
