Altomare 1

Jessica Altomare

Mr. Stinehour

RC 2001

February 7th, 2019

Education Department and Our Community

The discourse community of middle school education is a fascinating cohort containing

several levels, each with specific dynamics that help shape the group. To truly understand the

education and profession of the middle school teaching community, one must first fully grasp the

concept of discourse communities. These can be defined as any group that strives to achieve

common goals through similar tactics. Often times these groups will have a barrier to entry that

requires learned or given traits and abilities.

Middle school education is a discourse community that strives to enrich the lives of

young students with knowledge. On a broad scale, any form of education can thank several

historical influences for contributing to the formation of the modern day system. The rise of

humanism is one strong historical influence that will help us understand the motives of middle

school education communities. Tony Davis defines humanism as an “educational movement,

philosophical concept or existential life stance” (Davis 62). In other words, humanism is the

belief that all people should strive to understand their own existence and pursue an education in

order to live a more full and better life. Any discourse community must have a goal, and the

mission for middle school education majors and professionals alike is one thing: improve the

lives of middle school children through the use of education. Becoming educated is a gift that not

all people enjoy in their lives, but fortunately many do. In order for those people to achieve their
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full potential and receive their education, there must be a group of educators that clearly

understands their role in the process. There are many approaches to performing the education

itself, but the goal and motivation are what best defines this discourse community. One example

of an approach is through the use of imagination. Kieran Egan is quoted as saying “a child's

imagination ought to be stimulated and developed in education” (Egan 1). In contrast, some

educators elect to teach in a more grounded, information heavy based approach. The reason this

is important to include in a discussion about middle school education discourse communities, is

that it’s not the approach that makes this a community, but the motivation and goals.

The “specific language” that middle school education majors and professionals must be

able to use on a daily basis while performing their job is an extremely complicated one.

Interacting with students in their early teens can take patience and an open mind. These

educators must be able to effectively communicate with the students in order to properly engage,

stimulate, and motivate. In addition to communication with the students, a middle school

educator needs to be able to effectively communicate with peers. Other teachers must be able to

effectively work together and design plans within schools to maximize the potential of students.

Without being able to smoothly navigate both forms of communication, a middle school educator

will not be able to successfully perform their duties. Communication is a crucial aspect in many

professions, and middle school education is definitely no exception.

In order for a group of people to be considered a discourse community, there must be

some sort of threshold. In other words there needs to be a barrier to entry, which means there are

“insiders” and “outsiders”. In the case of this discourse community, the insiders are middle

school educators currently operating within the field. The outsiders are anyone who is not a
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middle school educator. The “threshold” or barrier to entry is the training that middle school

educators must first endure before they begin their professional careers. The college of education

at Appalachian State is an example of a training program. Future educators are put through a

rigorous program in order to obtain their teaching degree. Additional assignments such as license

testing are also required before entering the profession. The barrier of entry is a difficult, but

necessary one. The cohort should expect that all incoming and future members be held to the

very same high standards that have existed in the past.

Within the education discourse community, many different writing styles are used. As an

example, we are responsible for writing lesson plans. The way that makes this type of writing

different then other discourse communities, is that we need to turn said lessons plans into actual

lessons that will be conducted with students. When writing lessons plans, we need to write about

how the lesson plan will work, what points on the curriculum they will meet, and how this will

advance the students knowledge. If we do not write these lesson plans then we will be ill

prepared, and not know if we are completing all task in the curriculum.

My place within the discourse community of middle school educators is considered to be

in the early stages. I plan to officially be apart of the college of education by the end of this

academic semester. From there I will work to complete my major of middle school education and

obtain my degree. Teaching has long been a profession that I have strived for and I appreciate the

opportunity to apply my skills to the training program. One day in the coming years, I can make

an impact in the lives of students. Once I join the professional world, I plan to be very involved

with after school activities. For example, coaching sports such as Volleyball or Softball is
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another interesting opportunity that I may have available because of my profession. Despite the

fact that I am still a couple years away, I’m very proud of my role in the discourse community.
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Works Cited

Tony Davis. Humanism- The New Critical Idiom. edition 1. Routledge, December 4th 1996.

Egan, Kieran. “Imagination in Teaching and Learning: The Middle School Years.”

Journal of Research in Education, Eastern Educational Research Association, 30 Nov.

1991.

“Imagination in Teaching and Learning” by Kieran Egan https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED358099