My wife recently emailed me a link to a TED talk by Sarah-Jayne Blakemore entitled The Mysterious Workings of the Adolescent Brain (seen above). As an avid TED viewer, I cannot believe that I had missed this, but I am certainly grateful that it was shared with me. It is definitely a MUST SEE for anyone that works with adolescents.
While viewing, I couldn't help but think of Bobby Boucher in The Waterboy explain why alligators are so angry.
All kidding aside, it is important that we as educators understand the adolescent brain and research it as much as possible. After all, these are the brains that we are trying to mold in to positive and productive citizens. We need to understand that while we really want students to understand the content that we are teaching them in the classroom, it is very important for us to also teach them appropriate social interactions. We really can't do this effectively if we don't understand how their brain is working. Picture the adolescent brain as one that is on training wheels. It needs a lot of guidance and support and should be protected by a helmet. It needs a lot of practice and guidance and the training wheels can come off when it reaches it's twenties.
The teenage brain is one of the most fascinating things that I continue to learn about on a daily basis and we owe it to ourselves and our children to understand what is going on inside their heads. Picture the adolescent brain as one that is on training wheels. It needs a lot of guidance and support and should be protected by a helmet. It needs a lot of practice and guidance and the training wheels can come off when it reaches it's twenties.
If you would like to learn more about the adolescent brain, check out A Parent's Guide to the Teen Brain. There is a lot of great information for parents who want to know more.
In the end, don't risk getting steamrolled by your adolescent like Bobby Boucher did to Colonel Sanders because you aren't informed about adolescent brain development.
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