Meet Me In The Middle Chapter- 12

Abstract:

Chapter twelve addresses the role of advisory experiences at the middle school level. The old concept of "advisory" was to meet for a small amount of time daily to develop some type of extra curricular learning experience. This was a problem because it did not leave advisers much time to create or teach any sort of meaningful or interesting lesson. At the same time it didn't leave students much time to become engaged with the material or build a relationship with their adviser. Wormeli discusses a new philosophy about "advisory periods." Instead of meeting for small amounts of time Wormeli proposes students meet with advisers fewer times in larger chunks such as day long field trips. Wormeli suggests that this is where real relationship building activities can take place and students can engage in meaningful, uninterrupted, learning.

Reflection:

I had an advisory period when I was in high school, I also witness the same thing during my practicum experience. During this short 20-30 minute period the only thing I saw get accomplished was last minute homework and gossip. I think that it is too hard for teachers to plan anything that is fun, meaningful, and exceptionally quick on a daily basis. I think that a few day-long events would be much more beneficial to students and teachers alike.