Moving from middle to high school can be stressful for kids. This transition is filled with a range of mental, emotional, and physical disruptions.
Here are five things you can do as a teacher to help kids make the transition easier:
Teach students to take notes. This may be surprising, but note-taking is a skill. We suggest teaching Cornell notes, which is a structured approach developed by AVID. This style of note-taking emphasizes retention by reviewing notes periodically over three days.
Help students develop time-management skills. Lack of time-management skills is one of the biggest causes of stress for new high school students. Unlike twenty years ago, students have access to a variety of tools that can help them stay on top of assignments, projects, study opportunities, and events. Calendar apps like those from Google, Apple, or Microsoft can help students visually plan their schedules.
Provide opportunities to build computer and technical skills. Many assignments and projects must be completed on a computer and when students fail to understand how one works, they can become frustrated. Provide opportunities for students to complete small assignments so they are not shocked during high school.
Instill good test-taking habits. When middle schoolers enter high school, they will see a big increase in tests and pressure to succeed on these assessments. Try to devote some time once or twice per month helping students to become comfortable with the structure and layout of standardized tests.
Show them how to study. When some students hear ‘studying,’ they conjure images of spending hours sitting quietly alone in a room. Assure students that studying can happen in a variety of ways and some studying is better than no studying. Provide small moments of study time during class and watch how learning outcomes improve now and in the future.
What are some other ways middle schoolers can prepare for high school? Let us know on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.