the extremes of young adolescents presentation by robin lowe, flagstaff academy
TRANSCRIPT
Defiance, Tears, and Tragedy
The Extremes of Young AdolescentsPresentation by Robin Lowe, Flagstaff Academy
Classic Middle School
Middle Schoolers are…• Emotional
•Hormonal
•Excitable
•Changeable
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
• Rapid gains in height and weight
• Development of secondary sex characteristics
• Ongoing brain development
COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
•Advanced reasoning skills
•Abstract thinking skills
•Ability to think about thinking (meta-cognition)
PSYCHO-SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
• Establishing…• Their identity• Autonomy• Intimacy
• Becoming comfortable in their sexuality
What
doyou
see?
Pre-frontal Cortex• CEO of Your Brain• Social Control• Future consequences of current
actions• Prediction of outcomes• Right from wrong
Reference: www.brainwaves.com
AMYGDALA• Hysteria• Arousal• Controls autonomic responses
associated with fear• Emotional responses• Hormonal secretions
Neural PathwaysH
owLearningTakesPlace
Use it OR Lose it!• Billions of pathways develop as we
learn and experience new things• Adolescence is a time for pruning
and strengthening
• MYELIN• Effectively conducts electrical signals from one
neuron to anther• Decreased myelination in adolescents
Implications• Often misread facial
expressions• Seeing Sadness or Anger instead of
Fear
• Leads to communication miscues between adults and adolescents
What can we do?• Emphasize choices – help
students follow set steps to decision making
• Emphasize the immediate consequences
Provide Experiences…• Involving moral and abstract
reasoning and planning• Allowing students to see
awareness of consequences • Showing the effects of one’s
word and actions on others
Provide Experiences…• That are relevant and
contextual• In cooperative learning and
collaborative experiences• For students to articulate
thoughts and feelings
The adolescent brain will pay attention to the information
if it has…
MEANINGand
CAUSES AN EMOTIONAL RESPONSE
Neural Networks are formed in 3 ways…
•Concrete experiences• Symbolic learning•Abstract learning
Which is the strongest?
• Concrete Learning
• Abstract thought processes don’t fully develop in late adolescence (age 18-20)
Teaching for the adolescent brain…• Reflect on learning
• Link new knowledge to existing knowledge
• Establish what is true and accurate
• Challenge what knowledge is untrue and inaccurate
Teaching for the adolescent brain…• Teach students how to study• Establish, teach, and practice
consistent expectations and routines• Use graphic organizers to assist with
visualization• Clearly articulate benchmark timelines
– tests, projects, etc• Chunk material
Teaching for the adolescent brain…
• Practice / rehearsal is critical to learning for the long term.• Socratic Methods• Frequent Checks for Understanding• Mnemonics• Analogies, Metaphors & Similes• Simulations• Storytelling• Rhythm, Rhyme, & Rap
Teaching for the adolescent brain…
• We take in more information visually than through any other sense.• Visuals & Graphics• Storytelling• Hands on activities
Learning for our social brain…
• Think-Pair-Share
• Simulations
• Reciprocal Teaching
For our emotional brain…
• Use Wait Time• Think-Pair-Share• Reading Buddies• Storytelling• Rhythm, Rhyme, & Rap
Interactions…• Brain responds to groups of three…• Count to 10• Be specific in your requests• Bring it back to three basic
questions:• What were you doing?• What were you supposed to be doing?• What are you going to do now?
Whatever you do, don’t take it personally!
This is NOT about you.
There are reasons middle schoolers don’t
DRINKDRIVE
orVOTE!!
References
• American School Counselor Association. (2000). Normal adolescent development. Retieved from http://life.familyeducation.com/puberty/growth-and-development/36357.html.
• Cornell University. (n.d.). Teens and understanding emotions. Retrieved from http://www.human.cornell.edu/actforyouth.
• Forster, K. (2015). Secrets of the adolescent brain. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015
• Huebner, A. (2000). Adolescent growth and development. Retrieved from http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/family/350-850/350-850.
• National Institute of Mental Health. (2008). Teenage brain: a work in progress. Retrieved from : http://www.nimg.nig.gov/healthy/publications/teenage-brain-a-work-in-progress.shtml.
• Powell, E. (2004). Studying functional differences in the adolescent brain may provide evidence that the nervous system is responsible for behavior. Retrieved from http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro04/web1/epowell.html.
• S.P.O.T.S (n.d.). The adolescent brain – learning strategies & teaching tips. Retrieved from http://spots.wustl.edu/SPOTS%20manual%20Final/SPOTS%20Manual%204%20Learning%20Strategies.pdf
• Wallis, B. (2004). What makes teens tick? Time Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.time.com/time/printout/0.8816.631970.00.html.
• Yurgelum-Todd, D. (2002). Inside the teenage brain. PBS Frontline. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/teenbrain/interviews/todd.html