When we strike the right balance between freedom and support, giving students enough room to stumble with sufficient guidance to grow, we help middle schoolers develop into lifelong learners.Wise Freedom names the philosophy at the heart of great middle school teaching: the belief that autonomy and accountability aren't opposite ends of a spectrum but two symbiotic parts of a whole. To that end, it's critical to embed choice within structure and pair high expectations with high support, and this book offers teachers and principals a constructive path forward.Through research, classroom stories, and candid dialogue with real teachers, middle school educator Zak Cohen connects theory to daily practice and showsWhat Wise Freedom looks like in the classroom.How effective classroom management can embody the principles of Wise Freedom.How to make Wise Freedom part of your schoolwide culture.How to build authentic, reciprocal partnerships between home and school.Wise Freedom insists that the middle school years constitute a developmental stage worthy of its own culture, practices, and principles. These years are not about extending childhood or accelerating adulthood; they're about helping adolescents figure out who they're becoming. Read more
