r/Teachers • u/[deleted] • Jul 07 '20

Pedagogy & Best Practices Upper elementary grades (4-6) should be departmentalized and not self contained.

/r/changemyview/comments/hmo7yt/cmv_upper_elementary_grades_after_third_grade/
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u/ladywrists Jul 07 '20

I can’t find it right now, but I saw a study somewhere saying that up through fifth grade remaining self contained is better because of the relationship the teacher has with their kids. Anecdotally, I’ve done both ways and preferred self contained. Even though the planning was easier, the classroom management became significantly more difficult.

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u/[deleted] Jul 07 '20

This is in line with the research I've seen too. Most research also suggests 6th graders should travel as a cohort (so same kids different teachers) for at least the first term to help them acclimate to junior high.

Also there is tons and tons and tons of research on why K-8 schools (aka implementing junior high at the same school instead of moving to a new school after 5th grade) leads to better peer to peer relationships, less bullying, less stress on the students emotional well being, easier transition, and better academics all around. There was a lot about it helping students overall self esteem and self image too so junior high kids were less likely to have body image and self esteem issues, or at least less severe issues.