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Closely tracking the experiences of a small group of teachers and administrators at an international school in Japan for over two years, the dynamics of middle years curriculum reform are identified and illuminated in this volume. Presented as a metaphor of a growing tree, this comprehensive analysis of curriculum reform is drawn from the interactions and observations of the author, a middle school teacher and key participant in the reform process. Three dimensions of reform emerged in this research: the process of reform, identified as a multidimensional and interconnected process that ventured through six identifiable phases; the product of the reform, the Humankind Curriculum, was found to have its core features grounded in shared understandings of effective middle schooling; and the dynamics of change, which revealed a professional learning community built on relational trust as the catalyst for change. By recognizing the middle years of schooling as a significant stage of life that shapes the individual s identity and development, educators are provided a framework for a new paradigm in middle schooling.

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Dr Richard Scagliarini´s teaching career began in 1986 as a high school teacher in Victoria, Australia. He later moved to Japan and taught ESL to both children and adults. He has been teaching English and Humanities to middle school students in international schools since 1995. He completed his doctoral studies in middle schooling in 2008.

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