The articles in this section were selected for their specific relevance to implementation of the Developmental Designs for Middle School approach. We bring you:
Articles ‘from the field’ written by experienced teachers, administrators, and DDMS consultants Research supporting the approaches in our workshops and on-site school services
Please send us your school stories if you think others could learn from your work with the Developmental Designs for Middle School approach. You do not need to submit an article in finished form; we have writers that can help develop your submission for publication.
Use the drop-down list to view articles by theme, or browse alphabetically by title.
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New! Competency, Autonomy, Relationship
Eric Charlesworth
A peer-tutoring system that works
This article first appeared in Origins' Special Issue, Spring 2010 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
New! Exit Cards Help Bring Satisfying Closure
Erin Klug
This article first appeared in Origins' Special Issue, Spring 2010 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
New! Powerful Two-step Problem Solving
Sara Gawlitta
Elementary and middle level teachers alike can use this approach to cracking down on name-calling and teasing
This article first appeared in Origins’ Special Issue, Spring 2010 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
New! The Aspiring Spirits
Gail Nunes
A school counselor uses community-building arts experiences and reflection to reach a group of challenging students
This article first appeared in Origins’ Special Issue, Spring 2010 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
A Comforting Routine in Uncomfortable Times
Lynn Bechtel
Teachers share stories of experiences with Morning Meeting in the days following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
A New Kid in School Fits Right in the Circle
Jenna Kleiner
“When I sit down I feel relaxed and safe.”
This article first appeared in Origins' Special Student Issue, Spring 2008 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
A Teacher’s Journal: Using POWER Learning to increase student engagement in Math
Ven Mai Tran
This article first appeared in the Origins' publication Developmental Designs: A Middle School Newsletter, Winter 2009 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Active Process Engages Learners
Sarah Ibson
Student Plan and Reflect Their Way to Success
This article first appeared in Developmental Designs: A Middle School Newsletter, Winter 2008 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Add Some Quality to your Sharing!
Richard Frost
Borrowing from Glasser to increase student investment in learning
This article first appeared in Developmental Designs: A Middle School Newsletter, Fall 2009 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Advisory Intramural Program
Christopher Hagedorn
Projects, competition, and cooperation bring order and fun to a middle school
This article first appeared in the Origins' publication Developmental Designs: A Middle School Newsletter, Fall 2007 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
All-Team Meetings Designed to Build Community and Practice Skills
Martha Erickson
Proactive & reactive strategies promote social and academic growth
This article first appeared in the Origins' publication Developmental Designs: A Middle School Newsletter, Fall 2007 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Arts Leverage Learning
Linda Crawford
Although we are rarely asked to explain why children should learn to read or do math, we are often called upon to defend time spent teaching them to draw or make music or dramatize. The simple and compelling reason why they need to learn and apply these art forms is that the arts provide a doorway into all learning.
This article first appeared in Origins: A Newsletter for Educators, Fall 2007 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Beyond the Culture of Cliques: Multicultural Community-Building in a Middle School
Diana O’Donnell
Until this year, if you were to walk into a classroom at Jack London Middle School it would be quite clear to you that there was not a sense of strong community among all our students... Integration of my students was my goal last year and this. My team’s intention was to build a community by breaking down cultural barriers within the team and in our homebase classrooms.
This article first appeared in Origins: A Newsletter for Educators, Winter 2006 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Big Success with Consistent Behavior Guidance
Scott Diedrich
A science class has a good year
This article first appeared in Developmental Designs: A Middle School Newsletter, Winter 2010 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Book Study Groups: Ideas for creating a successful experience
Lisa Boland Blake
In an interview with Deb Hoaby entitled Learning through Learning Communities she describes the effectiveness of site-based study groups to support teacher growth. What follows is a cluster of suggestions for structuring a study group -- specifically, one based on all members of the group having read the same book or series of articles and then coming together to discuss the readings. VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Bringing Our Sixth Graders Together
Susan Akre
Our district has an unusual configuration that creates a challenging social dynamic. Half of the students in the district attend school at the K-12 campus in Remer; the other students in our district attend the K-5 school in Longville, then are bussed to Remer for grades 6-12. Previously, when the Longville students came to Remer for sixth grade and forward, they were placed in separate classrooms.
This article first appeared in Origins: A Newsletter for Educators, Winter 2007 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Bringing the Social Contract to Life in the Classroom
Matthew Christen
Acknowledging Positive Behavior
This article first appeared in Developmental Designs: A Middle School Newsletter, Winter 2008 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Building a Safe School with CPR and C.A.R.E.S.
Alyssa Dalton and Marisa Duplisea
An “almost perfect” community
This article first appeared in Origins' Special Student Issue, Spring 2008 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Building Adult Communities in Schools: Stronger Adult Communities Build Better Schools
Linda Crawford
Origins’ work often involves helping schools renew themselves. We like to call it "renewal" rather than "reform," because renewal sounds more hopeful and more organic. We believe that the elements for success are already in the school: most school communities have an abundance of talented teachers and administrators, children capable of great strides forward, and families who care. The question is how we can increase the best of what is there, so that it becomes the culture of the school. VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Building Community in Middle School
Thomas J. Banks, PhD
Clubs, Student-led Programs, and Arts-sharing Increase Interest and Ownership
This article first appeared in Developmental Designs: A Middle School Newsletter, Winter 2008 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Building Community with CPR
Annette Petersmeyer
After slow start, students dramatically embrace their homies
This article first appeared in the Origins’ publication Developmental Designs: A Middle School Newsletter, Fall 2007 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Bullies Transformed by Teaching Respect
Darren Overton
As schools begin addressing disruptive and damaging relational issues, bullies become less comfortable. Instead of remaining quiet and looking the other way for fear of becoming the next victim, students embrace the power and responsibility of speaking out.
This article first appeared in Origins: A Newsletter for Educators, Fall 2005 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
CPR for Making New Friends and Better Grades
Dayna Alcott
This article first appeared in Origins' Special Student Issue, Spring 2008 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Because the community-building structures I have been using with my advisory students have been so successful, I have decided to bring advisory principles and practices to the rest of my classes.
This article first appeared in the Origins' publication Developmental Designs: A Middle School Newsletter, Winter 2009 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Creating Consistency
Sean Koster
School-wide implementation of Developmental Designs for Middle School practices
This article first appeared in Developmental Designs: A Middle School Newsletter, Fall 2009 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Creating Declarations
Christopher Hagedorn
A blueprint for making meaningful student goals this fall
This article first appeared in the Origins' publication Developmental Designs: A Middle School Newsletter, Fall 2008 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Cultivating and Celebrating the Rules
Tracy Lysne
In the “garden” of a middle school classroom, rules are the compost!
This article first appeared in the Origins' publication Developmental Designs: A Middle School Newsletter, Fall 2008 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Dealing with stress: Ideas for teacher rejuvenation
Christopher Hagedorn
Teaching is a stressful profession. For insight into avoiding or relieving stress from teaching, teachers in an Origins Developmental Designs workshop in July generated a list of stress sources, as well as their coping strategies.
This article first appeared in the Origins' publication Developmental Designs: A Middle School Newsletter, Fall 2008 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Developing Critical Minds
Melinda Russo
Constructive peer evaluation in a middle grades drama class
This article first appeared in Developmental Designs: A Middle School Newsletter, Fall 2009 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Engaging Young Readers with Books on Sticky Subjects
Kandace Logan
Several young adolescents when asked in an informal interview, “Why do so many middle-school students dislike reading?” said they didn’t like reading because the books they had to read for school were boring, didn’t have anything to do with their lives, or lacked characters that looked or sounded like them... Their comments made me realize how important it is for me to continue emphasizing reading to students.
This article first appeared in Origins: A Newsletter for Educators, Spring 2005 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Establishing the Circle of Power and Respect
Todd Bartholomay
This still-relevant article about the Circle of Power and Respect was written prior to the establishment of the Developmental Designs for Middle School approach. Therefore, you will see reference made to the Responsive Classroom rather than Developmental Designs for Middle School.
This article first appeared in Origins: A Newsletter for Educators, Winter 2000 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Helping Middle School Students Get it Right: Re-model Your Way to a Great Finish this Year!
Scott Tyink
They knew how to do it when we spent time modeling and practicing last fall. I hear these words often when I visit teachers in the spring. They tell me that the self-control of their students is waning, and it feels like the first weeks of school... Remodeling, or modeling again, is important this time of year when the days grow longer and patience thinner.
This article first appeared in Origins: A Newsletter for Educators, Spring 2005 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
In Their Own Words
Middle schoolers discuss the impact of advisory meetings on their lives
Interviews conducted by Brian Greening
This article first appeared in Origins' Special Student Issue, Spring 2009 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Just Plain Good Fun
Dr. Terrance Kwame-Ross
Middle schoolers enjoy simple games in the safety of community
This article first appeared in the Origins' publication Developmental Designs: A Middle School Newsletter, Fall 2008 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Keeping the Peace in a Middle School Classroom
Christopher Hagedorn
Peacekeeping happens as much through proactive structures as through problem-solving strategies after the peace has been broken. To create a cooperative classroom climate, I have been using as many structures as I can to blend social and academic learning in all my classes, and I’ve found that the problem-solving meeting is one of the most effective in middle school.
This article first appeared in Origins: A Newsletter for Educators, Winter 2005 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Keeping the Peace: Learning to Solve Interpersonal Problems
Aly
Following is an article written by a sixth-grader in 1997 about Responsive Classroom problem-solving strategies introduced by her teacher. VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Learning through Learning Communities: An Interview with a Member of a Learning Community
Barbara Borer
Most teacher-to-teacher conversations take place over lunch or coffee or during brief encounters during the day. In a few schools, however, the chance to talk about how we teach occurs in learning communities established for that purpose. Deb Hoaby, a third grade teacher at Pinewood Elementary School in Monticello, Minnesota, started such a learning community. VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Literature Discussion Groups in Middle Schools
Christopher Hagedorn
[Students] may love reading a great book, and even want to talk about it, but they often need help finding the right books. They also need structures for the act of reading itself and for thinking about what they’re reading, so as to expand the richness of meaning a book can provide. In addition to this, students often need tips on how to engage each other in socially appropriate, friendly ways while discussing books, so their meetings are productive and positive. VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Lunchtime Tournaments Increase Interest and Ownership
Thomas J. Banks, PhD
To help keep recess fresh, lively, and engaging at Harrisburg Academy, we called on the student council to run organized lunchtime sports tournaments during recess.
This article first appeared in the Origins' publication Developmental Designs: A Middle School Newsletter, Fall 2008 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Making New Routines Stick
Christopher Towle
After a revitalizing summer, I was fired up last fall to start working with my new seventh grade students. My goal was to maximize their learning time at the beginning of each class.
This article first appeared in Developmental Designs: A Middle School Newsletter, Fall 2009 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Middle School: Performance Packages, Academic Choice, and "Kids These Days"
Darby Ruddell
This still-relevant article about Academic Choice was written prior to the establishment of the Developmental Designs for Middle School approach. Therefore, you will see reference made to the Responsive Classroom rather than Developmental Designs for Middle School.
This article first appeared in Origins: A Newsletter for Educators, Spring 2000 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Modeling
Jeff Nesheim
Engaged students, better self-discipline, more learning
This article first appeared in the Origins' publication Developmental Designs: A Middle School Newsletter, Fall 2008 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Motivating Students by Focusing on Self-efficacy
Charlie Merhar
I remembered how often I had lost my students in previous years by starting class with a problem or concept that was too difficult. They would shut down right away, lost in low self-efficacy. Never again!
This article first appeared in the Origins’ publication Developmental Designs: A Middle School Newsletter, Fall 2007 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Nonverbal Language Arts
Christopher Hagedorn
Helping students learn self-control and social skills by teaching them to decode and respond to visual communication
This article first appeared in Origins: A Newsletter for Educators, Spring 2007 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Our Lives Have Been Changed Through the Power of Community (Excerpt from full article)
Find here a Fact Sheet about PBIS and the Developmental Designs Approach VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Perfecting Apologies
Don Calder
A behavior specialist helps students put apologies into action
This article first appeared in Developmental Designs: A Middle School Newsletter, Winter 2010 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Popp Quiz
Jeremy Popp
Game show fosters familiarity and comfort in classroom
This article first appeared in Origins' Special Student Issue, Spring 2009 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Power of a Circle: Integrating Social and Academic Learning Improves Academic Performance in Middle School
Nerissa Huegel
Changing the way I teach brought success to my struggling learners. It also provided an opportunity for all my students to get to know one another and to feel comfortable asking questions.
This article first appeared in Origins: A Newsletter for Educators, Fall 2006 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Putting Social Skills to the Test
Sarah Colby
With the addition of a new student, one middle school teacher reaps the rewards of having previously focused on social-emotional learning with her students.
This article first appeared in Developmental Designs: A Middle School Newsletter, Fall 2009 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Putting the “Glee” Back in Glee club
Deborah DeVaney
Building community in choir classes
This article first appeared in Developmental Designs: A Middle School Newsletter, Winter 2010 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Reflecting on Math
Dean Wanless
Structuring homework and adding reflection result in greater enjoyment of math
This article first appeared in Developmental Designs: A Middle School Newsletter, Winter 2010 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Relationships, Fun, and CPR
Karin Hecht
“You feel good for being noticed”
This article first appeared in Origins' Special Student Issue, Spring 2008 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Relationships, Power, Fun, Success: Benefits of CPR
Research Basis for the Developmental Designs for Middle School Approach
Origins
Literature review of the research and theoretical frameworks supporting the Developmental Designs for Middle School approach VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
RESEARCH Social and Academic Learning Study on the Contribution of the Responsive Classroom Approach (SUMMARY)
Dr. Sara Rimm-Kaufman
RESEARCH SUMMARY on six findings using the Responsive Classroom approach
Conducted by researchers at the University of Virginia's Curry School of Education, the study is relevant to Origins' Developmental Designs for Middle School approach due to foundational principles held in common with the Responsive Classroom approach. VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Responsive Teachers Know Their Kids: A Seventh-grader looks back
Eden Rome
We are responsible for our learning … now I’m never bored
This article first appeared in Origins' Special Student Issue, Spring 2008 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Rethinking "Take a Break Out"
Christopher Hagedorn
What could fun, social interaction, and a relaxed environment have to do with building students' self-control?
This article first appeared in Developmental Designs: A Middle School Newsletter, Winter 2008 and was revised in spring 2010 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
School-Wide Social Contract
Mark Carbone
Process and product build student engagement and responsibility
This article first appeared in the Origins’ publication Developmental Designs: A Middle School Newsletter, Fall 2007 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Small Groups, Big Gains
Peggy Quill
Because the majority of the work in my 7th grade Math class is done in small groups, I make high-functioning, collaborative group work a priority in my teaching. As the teacher/facilitator, my role is to make sure that the students are working with correct strategies and each is playing an equal part in completing the work.
This article first appeared in Developmental Designs: A Middle School Newsletter, Fall 2009 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Social Conferences to Help Restore Peace
Kandace Logan
As a fifth grade teacher in an intermediate school, I’ve had my share of conversations with students regarding behavior....After I took Responsive Classroom II, I had a better understanding of how to talk with students in a way that helped them solve their own problems. I needed to remember to allow students to talk, and avoid getting into my lecture mode....Social conferencing helped a great deal in my classroom because it allowed both the student and me to have a voice.
This article first appeared in Origins: A Newsletter for Educators, Winter 2005 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Special Issue: Middle and High School Student Stories
These articles first appeared in Origins' Special Student Issue, Spring 2008 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Starting the Year Off Right with First-year Middle Schoolers
Donna Largent
A friendly format for goal-setting and creating guidelines and modeling for the long term
This article first appeared in the Origins’ publication Developmental Designs: A Middle School Newsletter, Fall 2007 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Striving for Greater Authenticity in Middle School
Scott Tyink
This still-relevant article about Academic Choice was written prior to the establishment of the Developmental Designs for Middle School approach. Therefore, you will see reference made to the Responsive Classroom rather than Developmental Designs for Middle School.
This article first appeared in Origins: A Newsletter for Educators, Fall 2000 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Stronger Community Results in Better Work
Kristin Siskow
I set out this fall intent on helping my middle school students work more effectively. My goal was that they would consistently start their work on time, know the objectives of the work, and know how to achieve those objectives.
This article first appeared in Origins: A Newsletter for Educators, Spring 2006 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Student “Pushback”
Nell Sears, Jit Kundan
Educators talk about effective behavior management practices
This article first appeared in the Origins\' publication Developmental Designs: A Middle School Newsletter, Winter 2009 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Students’ Take on Take a Break
Brian Greening, Jo Devlin
Three students comment on TAB’s effectiveness
This article first appeared in Origins' Special Student Issue, Spring 2009 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Successful School-wide Meetings
Scott Tyink
Developmental Designs consultant Scott Tyink interviews Co-Curriculum Director Sandi Jarvis and Principal Tom Rheinheimer, Parkside School, Wautoma WI
This article first appeared in Developmental Designs: A Middle School Newsletter, Winter 2010 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Take a Break: September through May
Jit Kundan
This article first appeared in the Origins’ publication Developmental Designs: A Middle School Newsletter, Fall 2007 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Teacher Language Helps Build Community, Facilitate Learning
Andy Ducey
This middle school article is relevant to elementary school educators because it addresses student experiences with Teacher Language, a universal teaching issue.
This article first appeared in Origins' Special Student Issue, Spring 2008 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Teaching Empathy to Young Adolescents
Scott Tyink
Suggestions for building empathy in middle school
This article first appeared in Developmental Designs: A Middle School Newsletter, Winter 2008 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Teaming for Success
Christopher Hagedorn
A look at building good habits
This article first appeared in the Origins' publication Developmental Designs: A Middle School Newsletter, Fall 2008 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
The Circle of Power and Respect Energizes Everyone
Amber Mixon
A Positive Sense of Student Power
This article first appeared in Origins' Special Student Issue, Spring 2008 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
The Circle of Power and Respect: A Weeklong Thematic Focus on Heritage
Scott Tyink, Christopher Hagedorn
Matthew Christen, a teacher at Logan Middle School, La Crosse, Wisconsin, created a thematic focus for a week of advisory/homeroom meetings using the Circle of Power and Respect (CPR) format. A thematic CPR can lead to rich and rigorous academic extensions and social growth beyond the morning meeting time.
This article first appeared in Developmental Designs: A Middle School Newsletter, Winter 2008 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
The Transition Back to School
Dexter Yee Yick
Preparing for goal setting
This article first appeared in Developmental Designs: A Middle School Newsletter, Fall 2009 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Thoughts from an Adult Learner in an Arts-integration Workshop
What happens when modern technology meets Developmental Designs?
New and exciting ideas, as well as timesavers!
This article first appeared in the Origins' publication Developmental Designs: A Middle School Newsletter, Winter 2009 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
What Middle School Teachers Need to Know
Anne Andersen
Middle school teaching is complicated and hard -- there is really no way around it. Is it possible to prepare middle school teachers so that they can be successful sooner?
This article first appeared in Origins: A Newsletter for Educators, Fall 2005 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
When to Play Games and When Not To: Building Community with Fun and Straight Talk
Young people undergo more rapid and profound personal changes during the years between 10 and 15 than at any other period of their lives. —National Middle School Association
Approach
Articles ‘from the field’ written by experienced teachers, administrators, and DDMS consultants 
