Engagement Matters in Middle School

On a campus that is home to both middle and upper grades, like Perkiomen School, it is important to design developmentally appropriate programming that keeps students engaged. Creating a cohesive school culture that fosters inclusivity, respect, and a sense of belonging across both divisions requires intentional effort and community-building initiatives.

The National Association for Independent Schools (NAIS) studies student engagement as a key measure in building a safe, positive, and creative school climate and a culture that increases student achievement and decreases student boredom and alienation.

A pre-pandemic poll conducted by Gallup has shown that engagement is strong at the end of elementary school, with nearly three-quarters of fifth graders (74 percent) reporting high levels of engagement, but there is a steady decline in engagement from sixth grade through high school, with about half of middle school students and only a third of high school students reporting high levels of engagement. Adding on additional challenges and setbacks faced during COVID-19 and remote learning, student engagement is an even greater concern for school officials and parents today. 

In 2022, based on survey results of 3,208 students from 19 NAIS member schools, researchers determined three areas that schools can focus on to further engage with their middle school population: addressing classroom boredom, fostering critical thinking, and preparing them for high school and beyond. 

 

How is Perkiomen School answering the call to keep our middle school students engaged at this time of transition?

Gamification

Wellness is a full-term class taken by all Middle School students, at a time of significant physical, emotional, and cognitive development. Adolescents experience hormonal changes, peer pressure, and academic challenges, all while transitioning to a more independent stage of life. Learning techniques for stress management, eating well and nutrition, and balanced decision making, empowers middle school students to make informed decisions about their physical and mental health, setting them up for success in the upper school and beyond. Group work in a reality show TV-style setting, allows the students to apply their knowledge to a specific task, while competing against each other, gamifying an otherwise basic project. 

“Low-stakes competitive challenges engage Middle School students to do far more than learning content,” says Associate Head of School Carol Dougherty, who taught Wellness to the Eighth Grade during the 2023-2024 academic year. “Project-based learning gives students a pathway for greater discovery. And in the process, students learn other skills. In Wellness class, students worked in teams to create a healthy snack - chip and dip style - for the nutrition unit. Not only did they apply the concept of health to a snack, but they also worked on collaboration and leadership skills.”
 

 

Foundational learning strategies

Dougherty also taught sixth and seventh grade Algebra this year and developed learning strategies to support them now while also preparing them for higher level mathematics courses in the Upper School.

“A key that I see for Middle School is to help students visualize learning as more than rote doing,” says Dougherty. “I encourage them to look for and see connections. For example, word problems are not to be feared; they become a great way of understanding math. Negative numbers can seem abstract, but when connected to a drop in temperature, they suddenly make sense.”

 

Class discussions

Beginning with the Fall 2020 school year, the English Department made a conscious choice to update the curriculum to strengthen Perkiomen’s commitment to Diversity and Inclusion. Realizing that these topics were far too important to leave out of a young person’s education, the department injected more modern young adult literature into the syllabi. While some classics are still in use, new titles exploring discrimination, identity, and sources of joy allow students to hear modern voices, which can bring different perspectives, leading to more authentic classroom discussions.

“Class discussions are a great way to develop critical thinking skills, especially when the topics discussed have no one correct answer,” says Director of the Middle School Justin Sell, who also teaches English. “This allows the students to bounce ideas off each other and think about things in new ways. This was evident in my eighth-grade English class as we read Gene Luen Yang's graphic novel, American Born Chinese. While there was a defined plot and storyline, a lot of the details could be filled in using the context clues the author laid out in his illustrations. As students share their ideas, other students can build their understanding, as well. This collaborative learning allows them to think critically about a topic in ways they may not have on their own.”

 

Student-driven discovery

For the past two years, Middle School students participated in a science showcase, which charged them with choosing a topic or question, performing research, analyzing the results, and presenting their findings publicly at the Middle School Festival. Through hands-on learning about a topic they are interested in, students can understand scientific concepts in a practical way, which is crucial in preparing them for Upper School science classes where laboratory work is common.

Planning and executing the experiments requires students to use their critical thinking skills such as problem solving, forming a hypothesis, and data analysis. Presenting their findings necessitates the development of effective communication skills to articulate the research question, methodology, results and conclusions clearly and concisely.

“From start to finish, participation in the Science Showcase provides our students with a foundation of transferrable skills that will be applicable in their Upper School experience – in science classes and beyond,” says Sell.
 

 

Schedule flexibility

Flexibility in academic scheduling allows for some Middle School students to take Upper School courses. Lillian Kovaleski ’28 enrolled in Graphic Design and Marketing, along with three other eighth grade students.

“I felt challenged in the class as I worked alongside the Upper School students because they had previous experience working with the software and the design concepts, however, their presence was a benefit,” says Kovaleski. “It allowed me to solicit their feedback on my projects and bounce ideas off them. I’m also one step ahead in my pursuit of Institute Distinction because as an eighth grader, I have already taken one cross-listed course.”

Lizzie Theisen ’27 has just completed her ninth-grade year at Perkiomen after moving up from the Middle School. 

“My transition from the Middle School to the Upper School is one that I will forever be grateful for,” says Theisen. “The Perkiomen community allows for Middle Schoolers to work with, look up to, and get to know Upper School classmates through classes and sports, which is an opportunity that immensely helped my transition. Having these connections made what might initially seem scary, a lot more comfortable.”

 

Perkiomen strives to build community among its members and give students voice and choice in their education, and that begins in Middle School. Faculty know that many students will not thrive with a “one size fits all” approach, and so adapting teaching methods and fostering connections to support these learners at such a crucial time in their development helps to spark a love of learning and leads to deeper engagement. 

 

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Project-based learning gives students a pathway for greater discovery. And in the process, students learn other skills. 
- Associate Head of School Carol Dougherty

 

 

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