The teachers I had that really cared sure got my attention. For example, my sixth and eighth grade English teachers were very personable. As a result, I not only worked harder for them, they became my role models. Years later I ended up teaching middle school English. There’s quite a bit of power in the appropriate role model at the right time in one’s life!” ~Eric Jensen

What's Up with the Teenage Brain: Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Julie Ross Siena Heights University

Adolescence

•

The period of physical and psychological development between childhood and adulthood.

•

Pure turmoil!!

Specialization of the Teenage Brain Junk food shopping TV movies Internet Sleep Cell phone Social life school music Time with friends sports 30-minute showers Family time

Caution: Massive Reconstruction Ahead

Neurons=brain cells associated with learning

• • • • • • •

Critical parts Hippocampus —short term memory Corpus callosum —quicker access Temporal lobes —language maturation Cerebellum —motor coordination and learning Parietal lobes —sensory input and spatial awareness Amygdala--emotions Frontal lobes —critical thinking and problem-solving

What adolescents can do that younger children can’t (the older the adolescent, the better)

•

Understand sarcasm and irony

• • • • •

Hypothesize Think abstractly Comprehend complex math theorems Use analogies, symbolism, metaphors, etc.

Consider things logically Athletes and musicians can also show significant improvement

Teenagers only seem irresponsible and unreasonable when they are compared to people older and younger. But viewed against the backdrop of the profound and rapid neurological and biological changes that are happening in their bodies, their behavior is much more understandable and logical.

Why can’t adolescents think like

•

adults?

Adults —fully developed frontal lobes allow for logical reasoning,

•

Adolescents — incomplete frontal lobes result in adolescent analysis and deduction (can consider beyond the moment) decisions from the amygdala —the emotional control center This is an obvious cause of “communication gaps”!

The real secret to why adolescent don’t act like adults…..

THEY DON’T HAVE ADULT BRAINS!!!

Predict one common conflict between:

teens and their parents

or

teens and their teachers

Common conflicts between teens and parents

• • • • • • • •

Friends and dates Curfews Going out Going steady Hairstyles Clothes Where they are going Household chores

• • • • • • •

Spending money responsibly Car Telephone School grades Homework Behavior at school Lack of respect for parents

Common conflicts between teens and teachers

• • • • • • • •

Unfinished work Bullying Tardiness Truancy Lying “Why do I need to know this?” Vague directions Verbal threats of class failure

• • • • • • • •

Boring lessons Inconsistent limits Rules and consequences Overreactions Failure to listen “How many times do I have to tell you?” Bad attitude Disrespect for authority

Adolescents are trying to cope in a school run and designed by adults from an adult perspective---adults with brains that are structured and function in ways vastly different from their own.

4 main triggers for the brain’s attention

• • • •

Physical survival or pleasure Use of one’s name Choice/control Novelty

Teens are particularly susceptible to novelty

•

Is there novelty in the classroom?

•

Where will they get their novelty?

Novelty stimulates dopamine (the “feel good” drug) in the brain!

Novelty, especially when attached to the thrill of danger, is very attractive to adolescents because it produces intense feelings of pleasure that tempt even cautious and prudent teens to dangerous experimentation.

Think of a lesson you regularly teach Write down 3 different ways you could add novelty to that lesson

4 main triggers for the brain’s attention

• • • •

Physical survival or pleasure Use of one’s name Choice/control Novelty Another important trigger for the adolescent brain…..

Emotion

Living for emotion…

• • • •

Teen emotions can easily cement lifelong memories or form powerful learning blocks.

Are class lectures and discussions “emotionally charged”? (Remember, emotions also make us passionate about succeeding!) Do paper-pencil tests generate emotion (besides stress!)?

Where will they get their emotion?

Teens seem to go out of their way to find thrills and chills. If you can bring the emotions of riding a roller coaster into your classroom, students will find learning very exciting.

Why do they do what they do??

• • • • • • •

They have adolescent brains They have difficulty anticipating consequences They’re trying to figure out who they are They don’t feel good about themselves They want to “feel good” so they try risky things They want to be accepted They believe they are indestructible

Who Am I??

• • •

Teens experiment to try to find their own identity Teens experiment to attract the others Teens experiment to try to fit in “Who Am I?” is also tied to a student’s self concept. Those with a negative self concept are more at risk of dropping out of school, becoming pregnant, or using drugs.

When students are asked to excel at the same subjects and demonstrate knowledge in the same way, is it any wonder that some teens criticize themselves as never being able to fit in?”

“Risky Business”

•

Novelty stimulates dopamine in the brain

•

Frontal lobes not developed to regulate emotions

•

Teens believe they are indestructible

Indestructible?? What???

Sleep (or lack thereof)

• •

Melatonin —hormone associated with sleep

– –

Released at a different time during adolescence so time they can fall asleep is much later.

Average teen needs 9 ¼ hours Lack of sleep:

–

Harder to learn, think creatively, and control emotions; increase in mood swings, irritability, depression and aggressiveness; negative effect on the immune system

Addictions

Novelty stimulates dopamine in the brain

– – –

Alcohol provides pleasure for teens Nicotine causes a dopamine spike

•

Teen smoking can result in a “hard-wired” addiction Drugs are all about “feeling good”…then teens want MORE of that feeling “Adolescents are particularly susceptible to addictions like alcohol, nicotine and drugs because the frontal lobes and hippocampus, the very regions of the brain that are rapidly changing in teens, are also the ones associated with addiction.”

• • • • • • •

Depression Probably caused by a combination of genetics, environment and biology.

Serotonin —”calming” neurotransmitter: either teenage brain can’t properly use it or it is so low that the brain can’t run smoothly.

Neurons in the hippocampus whither and die.

Chances of depression increase as we physically develop during puberty.

As many as 1 in 12 teens suffer from clinical depression.

Can be a result of stress.

Can be a result of poor body image.

Suicide

• • • •

Rate of teen suicide has tripled since 1960 3 rd leading cause of death among teens 20-30% of HS students consider suicide Can be a result of poor body image

Is life REALLY that complicated?

• •

For an adolescent, YES!!

Burst of growth in the frontal lobes results in teens overcomplicating problems, idealizing the world, and saying one thing while doing another.

Stress and the Teenage Brain

Cortisol overload!

• • • • •

Neuromodulator released during moment of stress (physical, academic, emotional or environmental) Stays in the body a long time Depresses the immune system Affects ability to remember and organize thoughts More difficult reaction for girls because of their progesterone.

• • • • • • • • •

Stress Producers for Teenagers

Failing an exam Physical appearance Judgment or evaluation by others Unrealistic classroom demands The future Problems with peers Problems with a boyfriend or girlfriend Any situation that threatens self-esteem Disagreements with teachers, parents or other adults

What do they really want (though they can’t admit it)

•

Adult guidance and affirmation about who they are, what they believe in and where their life is headed

• •

Structure Specific and timely feedback so their brain can reevaluate what it thinks it knows.

•

To be treated as an equal by adults; make decisions together

What the heck should I do??????

What we can do for our adolescent learners tomorrow…

• • • • • • • • •

Add novelty Be “emotional” Respect their emotions Increase active learning Make it meaningful Give specific and timely feedback Provide direct instruction in problem-solving and study skills Develop exploratory programs

Connect with kids!

Our new understanding of the teenage brain and its unique characteristics should be reflected in how we run our schools and our classrooms. Now that educators and scientists are aware of what really drives teen cognition and behavior, middle schools and high schools need to reexamine how they are structured and how they can better help their adolescent population.

Adolescence is a pivotal time in a person’s development. The changes teens experience determine much about who they are —their work ethic, interests, self-esteem, morality —and who they will become. This, in turn, shapes our society; teachers play a critical role in determining the kinds of people who will lead us into the future. Educating teenagers is not an easy job but it is a rewarding one. As the world becomes “smaller” and our activities more global, teachers quite literally are changing the world —one teenager at a time.

Julie Ross 517-264-7887 [email protected]

Bibliography

Feinstein, Sheryl.

Secrets of the Teenage Brain

. San Diego, CA: The Brain Store, 2004.

Gurian, Michael.

Boys and Girls Learn Differently! A Guide for Teachers and Parents

. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2001.

Jensen, Eric.

Brain-Based Learning: The New Science of Teaching and Training

. San Diego, CA: The Brain Store, 2000.

Medina, John.

Brain Rules

. Seattle, WA: Pear Press, 2008.

Nunley, Kathie F.

“Keeping Pace with Today’s Quick Brains

,” Help4Teachers.com