Brooke Boback Eisenbach

Online teaching and learning has had a presence in K12 public education since the 1990s. Following the COVID-19 global pandemic, there has been a surge in online learning and an increase in research surrounding the role of online teaching and learning within the K12 context. However, while the inclusion of online pedagogies flourishes throughout middle-grade educational settings, there is limited contemporary research that speaks specifically to effective online instruction of young adolescent learners. This scoping review examines the existing body of literature pertaining to online pedagogies within the middle grades in an effort to map the current trends, gaps, and overall state of research pertaining to national and international middle-level online pedagogy. Researchers screened research and pedagogically centered peer-reviewed articles published between 2013 and 2024. The reviewed articles were charted according to standardized details—e.g., author(s), publication year, research purpose, study location, participant demographics, methodology, and outcomes—to identify themes relevant to online pedagogical approaches, national or international contextual considerations, connection to the Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE) characteristics, and more. The findings speak to trends and gaps within middle-grade online pedagogical research with recommendations for additional examination of research and pedagogy specific to middle-grade online teaching and learning.

In seeking out a means of encouraging eighth-grade readers in their literacy and communication development, a university professor and middle grades educator collaborated in an action research study focused on expanding connection and collaboration amongst and between students. Through a theoretical lens grounded in social constructivism, this action research study describes the experiences of four middle level learners as they engaged in an asynchronous virtual literature discussion with peers and pre-service teachers. Students shared their opinions and experiences of engaging in a weekly asynchronous video-based conversation centered around a teacher-selected middle grades novel. Students revealed the ways in which the asynchronous literature discussions encouraged them as vocal leaders, furthered their sense of community, enhanced their literacy skills and spoke to their individual reader identities. Their shared experiences offer a glimpse into the role of asynchronous virtual collaborations and the perceived impact of such collaborations from the perspective of middle level readers.