Project Methodology:
The 3 C's Explained
Project Framework:
3 C's for a Successful Transition to High School
Symonds and Galton's literature review reveals a significant trend: “research interest in transition has grown over the past 30 years, in particular during the previous decade (2004-2014)” which emphasizes the increasing importance of supporting students through this critical juncture in their lives (2014, p.4). More can be done by lower secondary school teachers (i.e. Grade 8) in “terms of preparing participants for the expectations of increased independence and responsibility they would encounter in secondary school” (Visser et al, 2023, p.333). Symonds and Galton find that “only in a few progressive post-transition schools are children encouraged to guide their own learning by metacognitive and learning skills program” (2014, p.8).
Visser et al’s 2023 study of the Talent Classrooms program in the Netherlands encourages secondary teachers to focus on cultivating self-autonomy in students during the transition process, but while also creating classrooms that respond to individual needs.
Therefore, given the results of the studies and articles examined, this Capstone project recommends that educators recognize key aspects of the transition process by considering both the perspective of grade 8 students and the point of view of grade 8 teachers.
Students enter high school with:
1) A need to belong
2) A trepidation about the unfamiliar
High schools hold the following expectations for grade 8 students:
1) Increased independence
2) Increased responsibility
The question we must ask then is:
What skills and attributes should grade 8 teachers prioritize to support students in meeting high school expectations while also recognizing their personal needs?
I recommend that we focus on the 3 Critical C’s:
Confidence
Communication
Critical Thinking
Each of these C’s can be targeted in various ways and the range of options can become daunting for a teacher, especially one new to the profession. Therefore, this project will suggest a few key strategies for targeting each C and an overarching recommendation for Grade 8 teachers to utilize (or continue utilizing) Project Based Learning (PBL) and Inquiry Based Pedagogy to support students in developing these 3 C's.
Many teachers already integrate PBL and Inquiry into their teaching practices, but a common struggle in Grade 8 is the reciprocal relationship between these pedagogies and high school expectations for students: PBL and Inquiry Learning necessitate a greater level of student independence and personal responsibility at the high school level, an expectation that is best fulfilled by a confident student with strong communication and critical thinking skills. Both project-based learning and an inquiry-based curriculum encourage self-autonomy, relationship-building, and critical thinking skills.
“Children’s disengagement [is] influenced
by conflict with teachers and peers and
by autonomy restriction”
(Symonds and Galton,2014, p.10).
Relationship building is a cornerstone to any successful educational environment. The more we can cultivate confidence, nurture critical thinking, and encourage communication skills, the more successful our students will be with their newfound independence and the more connected they will feel to their new schools.
My Intention
Re-examining the transition process in this light will hopefully result in teachers finding more success in building students' essential skills and students feeling more supported during their first year in high school.
STUDENT PERSPECTIVE CASE STUDY:
"Talent Classrooms" (the Netherlands)
The Talent Classrooms (TC) program in the Netherlands is an interventionist program launched in 2013 in an urban area to enhance student transition from primary to secondary school. The ultimate findings of the study suggest that focusing on developing personal independence skills and tailoring programs to individual needs benefits students during the primary to secondary transition. The study is grounded in a conceptual framework known as Stage-Environment Fit theory which argues that since “children have specific needs during different stages of their development…if there is a mismatch between the needs of the child and what their environment can provide, children might experience negative effects on their well-being” (Visser et al, 2023, p.322).
The extracurricular classes teachers provided in the TC program focused on literacy development, identity construction, and independence; these classes helped develop skills and ease student anxiety as “the classes were offered at secondary schools and were taught by secondary school teachers” to elementary students (Visser et al, 2023, p. 323).
TEACHER PERSPECTIVE CASE STUDY:
Cohort of secondary school teachers
(Norway)
Strand’s study finds that “what lower secondary school leaders and teachers emphasize when supporting the students primary–secondary school transition largely concurs with what the literature recommends” (Strand, 2020, p. 142). The small cohort of professionals in the study focused on creating predictable routines, safe learning spaces, communicating with families and other grade level teachers, etc. The findings of the study “contribute to knowledge on how to support students in similar primary–secondary school contexts internationally” (Strand, 2020, p.142).
An important conclusion from the study is that teachers need more support and there should be a greater level of communication between primary and secondary levels—a “closer dialogical collaboration with all stakeholders” is instrumental to supporting the transition of students from grade 7 to grade 8 (2020, p.142). We must recognize that “the sharing of resources and collegial support is important for them [grade 8 teachers] to enhance the transition” (Strand, 2020, p.132).
The cohort of teachers in this study began the year with collaborative activities, arranging “a joint sports day and an outdoor overnight trip with the entire student cohort” as well as inviting “each student and their parents ... to a conversation” with the classroom teachers to get “better acquainted” (Strand, 2020, p.136). Grade 8 student and families tend to have positive expectations for the high school experience, and secondary schools must capitalize on this tendency; it is undoubtedly easier to sustain or corral energy than it is to combat apathy.
“The transition is successful if the new environment meets the
student’s developmental needs”
(Eskelä-Haapanen et al, 2020, p.1253).