Ashley Waldroup

Dr. Ramirez
CI 3920
28 April 2015
Rationale Reflection: Young Adolescent Advocacy Project

Artifact: Young Adolescent Advocacy Project

Topic/Title: Reaching At-Risk Youth
Medium: Website
Technology used: Weebly website creator, internet research
Link to website: http://reachingatriskyouth.weebly.com/

For the Young Adolescent Advocacy Project (YAAP), I chose to focus my advocacy on
students who are identified as being at-risk. I chose this group of students because, when I was a
camp counselor, I worked specifically with at-risk teens who were involved with the foster care
system. I realized that not many people are willing to work with this population of learners and
they are lacking adult supporters. In order to effectively present my information in the best way
possible, I chose to create a website that could be used by any teacher or adult seeking to work
with at-risk youth. Most importantly, I feel that this project as placed me in the developing
range of standards one, two, and five of Appalachian State Universitys Middle Grades Teacher
Preparation Standards.
First, standard one states that teacher candidates must understand and apply the major
concepts, principles, theories, and research related to young adolescent development that support
student development and learning. When it comes to the mastery of this standard, I am in the
developing category. Because my focus students are those in danger of dropping out of school
and engaging in risky behaviors, I definitely understand that these students need to be supported
in a way that is developmentally appropriate, but also improves their learning. In order to be
considered developing, I have to understand that the academic success of young adolescents is
highly dependent upon learning opportunities where their other developmental needs being met.
In my project, I talk about how students are disconnecting with the school environment due to a
lack of engagement at school and gave strategies as how to prevent this. Therefore, I understand
that there is a major need for a developmentally responsive education that creates fulfilling
learning opportunities. In addition, I am supposed to analyze the effect of societal factors and
changes which impact the healthy development of young adolescents. An entire page of my
website covers situational factors that influence students to desire to drop out and what happens
to them in life afterwards. Clearly, I have made the connection between influences in society and
how they affect students ability to make healthy decisions.

Next, standard two states that I must understand and apply the philosophical foundations
of developmentally responsive middle level programs and schools and the organizational
structures that support young adolescent development in order to be an effective teacher
candidate. Although I am not proficient in this area, I am developing because I understand that
there are responsive organizational structures that foster socially equitable educational practices
and the responsibility of middle level programs and schools to be responsive to cultural and
environmental factors of school communities. My project help raises teacher awareness of a
students home life and how that contributes to student success. In order to effectively teach
these students, educators must take these factors into account when designing their lessons. Also,
I explain that teachers need to make success obtainable by everyone, not just those who excel in
school.
Furthermore, standard five describes the successful teacher candidate as someone who
understands the complexity of teaching young adolescents and engage in practices and
behaviors that develop their competence as professionals and leaders in the field of middle
grades education within a global community. I have a developing understanding of teaching
middle level learners and this is evident through my YAAP. The basis of helping at-risk students
succeed lies with promoting developmentally appropriate classrooms, programs and practices
that are characterized by high quality content and high expectations for all young adolescents
while adhering to high professional and ethical standards. My website talks about how one
should hold high expectations for all students, regardless of ability, in order to help students be
successful. Students will perform to the level we expect them to. If we expect these at-risk
students to do poorly in the classroom, then they will do poorly in the classroom. It is that
simple. In addition, having high expectations communicates to the students that the teacher
believes they are capable of reaching that level.
In summation, not only does my YAAP communicate my love for working with at-risk
students, but it also gave me the opportunity to learn more about this group of teens. Through the
website, I have shown that I am developing in the standard areas of one, two, and five. In time, I
would definitely hope to become proficient in these areas as I learn how to become a stronger
advocate for these students and others.