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Brief History
The Philosophy
Psychological Development
Instructional Practices
THE PHILOSOPHY OF
MIDDLE LEVEL SCHOOLS
Comparison
Junior High
Middle School
Philosophy
Emphasis on knowledge. Emphasis on positive self concept.
Treats learner as an adolescent. Considers the uniqueness of the transescent.
Curriculum
Focus is learning a body of knowledge. Focus is on learning how to learn a body of knowledge.
Emphasis is on competition between learners and mastery of content. Emphasis is on exploration of content and creativity rather than mastery.
Instruction
Teacher-centered. Flexible and variable.
Group-paced. Individualized.

To learn more about the middle school concept visit the web site of the National Middle School Association (NMSA) at http://www.nmsa.org/ .