Do Now

1. Do Now 1. List 3 behaviors of teens that make teaching and learning challenging in the classroom.

2. Adolescent Development and the Brain:Implications For Educators Wellness Center Team Alicia Rozum Ardis Hanson Richie Zevin Melanie Natividad

3. Agenda • Do Now • Adolescent Brain • Special Circumstances: Trauma • Strategies for Educators

4. What the research is saying… • 2008 video of scientist Silvia Bunge as she discusses research in adolescent brain development taking place at UC Berkeley. • http://www.ucop.edu/sciencetoday/article/18977

5. Teenage and adult volunteers, using a MRI, were monitored to see how their brains responded to a series of pictures. The volunteers were asked to discern the emotion of a series of faces like this one. All the adults identified the emotion as fear, but many of the teenagers saw something different, such as shock or anger.

6. This is the more emotional or gut part of the brain Executive functions part of the brain, or what we call more thinking functions: planning, goal-directed behavior, judgment, insight It was found that teenagers were using a different part of their brain when reading the images. Adolescent Brain Adult Brain

7. The findings suggest that the teenagers are not able to correctly read all the feelings in the adult face. This suggest to us that when teens are relating to their parents or teachers, they may be misperceiving or misunderstanding some of the feelings that we have as adults; That is, they see anger when there isn't anger, or sadness when there isn't sadness. And if that's the case, then clearly their own behavior is not going to match that of the adult. So you'll see miscommunication, both in terms of what they think the adult is feeling, but also what the response should then be to that. Read more: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/teenbrain/interviews/todd.html#ixzz1KZh59uVm

8. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124119468&sc=emafhttp://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124119468&sc=emaf Teen Brains Are Not Fully Connected The brain's "white matter" enables nerve signals to flow freely between different parts of the brain. In teenagers, the part that governs judgment is the last to be fully connected. The Teen Brain: Its Just Not Grown Up Yet

9. ”– Reading, sports, music, video games, x-box, hanging out—whatever a teen is doing—these are the neural synapses that will be retained How teens spend their time isCRUCIALto brain development since their activities guide the structure of the brain Proliferation and Pruning Use it of Lose it Theory

10. Complex Trauma The dual problem of children’s exposure to multiple traumatic events, and the impact of this exposure on immediate and long-term outcomes

11. Examples of Childhood Trauma • Abuse (physical, sexual, emotional) • Neglect • Witness of domestic or community violence • Accidents/Natural Disasters • Trauma associated with immigration • War/Terrorism • Medical

12. Effects of Trauma on Health • Greater risk for: • Diabetes • Cancer • Hypertension • Heart disease

13. Effects of Trauma on the Brain • Chronic “fear-level” activation • Brain is constantly in “Survival Mode,” which is dominated by the limbic system, which involves more primitive portions of the brain (danger response, arousal) • So, parts of brain that are most active are NOT the frontal lobe, which is the part of the brain associated with forming new synaptic connections, acquiring knowledge, and learning.

14. Stress Reactions • Early trauma alters chemistry of DNA in brain, preventing the brain from properly regulating its response to stress • As kids become adolescents, they are faced with increasingly complex interpersonal situations and responsibilities, which test their abilities to regulate their emotions, prioritize, and plan ahead

15. Influence of Trauma on Behavior • Reaction is out of proportion to the event • Impulsivity • Poor judgment • Decreased ability to distinguish between real and imagined threats • Greater risk for depressed mood and substance abuse

16. Discussion • Does anything surprise you about any of this research? • What implications are there for the classroom environment?

18. Classroom Strategies—review of the research • Experiential learning/sensorimotor learning • Make learning relevant • Engage previous knowledge • Rote and Elaborate Rehearsal • Revisit learning often • Emphasize concepts over facts • Inquiry-based/Problem-solving learning • Emotionally safe classroom—relaxed alertness • Peer collaboration • Student choice • Adult Connection Sources: “Implications of brain research for teaching young adolescents”, Wilson & Horch, 2002; “Brain Matters: translating research into classroom practice”, Wolfe, 2001; “The young adolescent learner”, Salyers & McKee, 2005

19. What You Can Do Experts agree that even though these latest studies do not provide definitive information on teenage behavior, they do offer us some guidance in approaching teenage and preadolescent learning. • Find ways to communicate clearly. • Do not depend on a facial expression to convey information; • use carefully selected words and seek clarification of understanding. • Ask a young person to repeat the instructions or tell you what he/she is thinking—and really listen to the answer. • Set clear boundaries, limits and rules and make sure everyone understands them the same way.

20. What You Can Do continued • Provide opportunities to discuss certain behaviors and their consequences. • Finding teachable moments in a day can be as easy as reflecting on news of the day. • Find ways to teach and model planning skills. • Provide opportunities to learn appropriate social behaviors and time to reflect on them. • Never assume the message you intended was the message received—seek clarification and a statement of understanding.