Greetings everyone! I have been waiting to start this discussion for a few weeks now, so I am eager to get things started! I am Shelli, your discussion leader for this week, and we are going to talk about the adolescent brain and its adaptability! The adolescent brain's adaptability is important to teaching because you, as the teacher, have so much power in shaping your students' brains and social development. Please watch the TED talk posted on Moodle for this week and take a look at the Powerpoint review of the talk. I can't wait to hear your thoughts on this topic. I'll start by posing a few questions and we will progress from there.
Now knowing that development is still taking place in the adolescent brain as late as 30 years old, does this change how you view your teaching? Do you feel like you can really make an impact on your high school or above aged students?
One thing that I found interesting was that during adolescence risk taking is high, but I find that students are so reluctant to take risks in school. What are your thoughts on this?
Have a great week!
I want to respond to your point about the risk taking. That was the most interesting part to me in this TED talk. It does seem students are reluctant to take risks in school. However, there is a lot of peer pressure and that might have a lot to do with it. She said in the video that adolescents are aiming to be more independent, but they are also self conscious and influenced by friends. I would agree that I can see this happening to students. I can tell that some students are taking the risks in the areas of not doing homework or not studying and these decisions are risks for them because they can have consequences both at school and at home. I think other students are taking risks in their attitude towards things. Some students refuse to do work or will talk back to a teacher, etc. So when it comes to risk taking, I think we see it in the classroom all the time, just not in ways we would prefer. I would love for the students to use risk taking in a beneficial way for their learning, such as being forthcoming in class and brave when coming up with and sharing ideas. In order for this to happen, there has to be an open and friendly classroom environment where students are not afraid to share their thoughts and opinions. Students also will need to get over their fear of being wrong. I think us teachers can help rid this fear by not focusing so much on the answer, but rather on the ideas that got to the answer. I would love to hear anyone else's thoughts and opinions on this :)
ReplyDeleteI have never thought of not doing homework as a risk. Thank you for bringing that to my attention:) After thinking about it, it makes since that students are taking a risk by not completing assignments. Before reading your response, I was only trying to think of beneficial risks students take in the classroom.
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DeleteMeredith - I think the points you make about risk taking are very interesting!
DeleteI read a few of the articles on the blog The Motivated Brain (https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-motivated-brain) that was linked on our Moodle page. One of the posts - What is the Value of Self Control? - discussed the difference between long-term and short-term rewards, where each type of reward has its own value. I think the discussion of risk taking in the Ted Talk presents a similar tension, basically that making a decision in the moment is much more complicated than just making one decision, but that instead we are weighing between simultaneous priorities. Teenagers are weighing the importance of good grades, college acceptances, praise from parents etc. while also considering self image, independence, and perceptions of peers.
I think positive peer pressure can be helpful with students of all ages. The most successful teachers I know prioritize creating an environment where students are recognized (by the teacher and peers) for working hard, making academic improvements, being kind, etc.
Meredith - I have actually never thought about not turning in an assignment as being a risk, but I guess in a student's eyes that is a risk and it is one they are willing to take. I also agree with you that teachers should focus more on encouraging thought rather than the correct answer.
DeleteMaya - Thank you for the contribution! I agree positive peer pressure can have a huge impact on students. I actually noticed that in my classroom today. My students are presenting poems and giving an oral interpretation of a poem of their choice. In one particular class there is tons of pressure because the two smartest people in the grade are in that class, therefore the presentations were a struggle. Many students were very reluctant to present, and one girl even cried. While in all the other classes the students have been encouraging to each other and they have a "we're all in this together" attitude and it makes for a much more smooth classroom.
I agree and disagree with the idea about encouraging thought over the correct answer. I do believe that the shift in educational thought away from the belief that the teacher is the only one with the correct answer is a good one. However, in many cases, I think the pendulum has often swung too far and suggests to the students that they can never have the wrong answer if they can provide their opinion. Unfortunately, this can/has given students the mistaken belief that the teacher is no more knowledgeable than they are, that arguing their point of view is superior to listening to others and possibly altering their initial opinions, and that their opinion is always correct without regard to historical context and expert/researched critical analysis. Even in a more subjective field like mine, English, I think there needs to be a place between encouraging open-ended thought and recognizing the importance of the views of others (i.e. the "correct" answer).
DeleteI definitely don't think that students should be taught in such a way that makes them think their opinion is always correct and should be accepted if they can provide justification. This semester, I have tried to focus on asking my high school students "why?" Because there is a big push for justification and critical thinking, I think it is really important for the students to be able to explain and justify their thought process and ultimately the solution to a problem. I ask the students "why" regardless of whether the answer written on their paper is correct or incorrect. Instead of pointing out a student's mistake, I urge them to take me through the process that they used to solve the problem in hopes that they will find their own mistakes. Or I ask a classmate sitting near to listen as a student explains the problem. 9 times out of 10, the students find and correct the mistake without me having to give a hint or point out the exact error. Requiring the students to verbally explain or justify a solution gives them the opportunity to look at the problem again and decide whether or not their thought process led to a correct solution. While most math problems can be solved a number of different ways, each of these ways is based on logic rather than opinion. So if two students are given the same problem and each chooses to solve it a different way, each student should be able to justify their reasoning and explain how and why they arrived at a particular solution. After a while, my students began using this justification method as a way of finding their mistakes or looking for the mistakes in other students' work.
DeleteI think that my students became a little more willing to take academic risks once they became familiar with using forms of justification and explanation. They know that if they are using the correct thought process, even if they are making small arithmetic errors, they are well on their way to a correct solution. They are becoming more adept at finding those small errors and making corrections to their work without having a teaching point out the mistake every time.
I thought that this video was interesting because I never really thought of our brains being able to change up until around the age of 30 years old. After reflecting on this, I do not think this would change the way I teach. I believe it is because I have always taught younger students. When working with younger students, such as first grade, I have always felt that young minds are constantly changing. Students at this age also seem to enjoy beneficial risks in the classroom. They love to participate. When I think about older students, such as middle school or high school, it makes me a little nervous. I am not sure how well I would impact them. Although students in this age range are very impressionable, I am not sure it is always due to an impact from teachers. As it was stated in the video, adolescents are more apt to wanting to impress their friends. Listening to the teacher, or participating in class, may not be the impression the students want to display to their peers. Which is interesting since the video states that adolescents tend to take more risk. These risks are not always obvious in the classroom- the beneficial risks anyway. I believe it is because they do not feel that it will impress their peers. If adolescents are not getting approval from their peers, then they tend to suppress the urge to participate in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteIt really is fascinating how young kids love to participate and as they get older they aren't nearly as excited about learning, school, or sharing ideas. It really does make me so sad. I wonder how much is due to teachers and classroom environment and how much is due to students getting approval from their peers. I have noticed that the students seem much more excited about learning when they are younger than when they are older, and this might have to do with their level of risk taking and participation in the classroom. I really want kids to be just as excited about learning at 15 as they were at 10 or 5!
DeleteOne of our school-wide (PK-8) initiatives this year has been to create a positive reading culture. It is often easier to see the excitement around reading at the younger grades. However, I think our middle schoolers are excited about reading, but they show it in different ways. For example, we've seen an increase in the number of books checked out at the school library.
DeleteThis course has made me think a lot about what is going on in students' brains vs. what is observable on the outside - facial expressions, comments, etc. I wonder if there are other ways to measure when adolescents are interested or excited about something other than what they say or do.
Ashley - I find it so interesting that you bring up the fact that young children like to participate and enjoy learning. That makes me wonder is it the teachers or the school culture that is making learning no longer exciting, or is it part of growing up and the fear of peer pressure that makes learning dull for many students?
DeleteThat is awesome about the increase in the number of books being checked out!
DeleteThis is a topic that I spoke with my mentor teacher about last semester. I was teaching 8th grade students and I found that instead of jumping into a math a problem and trying to problem solve, many of them would rather just sit and wait to see how a problem is worked out so they are guaranteed to get the correct answer. It takes a lot of energy and time to work some of the more difficult algebra problems, and a lot of students don't want to spend that time and energy if they aren't guaranteed a pay off at the end. As mentioned in some of the comments above, I think it is so important for teachers to put more emphasis on the thought process and the learning process and less emphasis on getting a correct answer. Because even though students might not get a 100% correct answer every time, they are still learning by making mistakes and carrying out the thought process. My current high school students get so excited when something finally clicks for them, so I know that the positive emotions that come from mastering content are still there for high school students. I just find that they are much less motivated to try to get to a place of content mastery. I also find that peer pressure plays a huge role in the classroom. When the majority of my students feel like participating and learning, the whole class participates and it is such an enjoyable experience. But when the majority decides to ignore me or that the content is "too hard" or the process is "too involved," the classroom environment becomes negative and t is not easy to deal with.
ReplyDeleteI think that is a constant struggle in every classroom, but it is nice to see so many teachers appreciating the thought process and not just the correct answer. I think a positive work environment can really change the attitude students' have towards learning material. If a teacher approaches new material with excitement then the students will be more likely to be excited about the new material as well.
DeleteAmy, reading the chapter on memory has made me wonder how you could build stamina with your kids. In the same way that when we have students read independently we don't start with 20 minutes, we start with 2 and work our way up. Would increasing think time slowing or maybe even working with a partner help them build stamina? Maybe you could rotate which team presents how far they got on the problem.
DeleteThanks for your suggestion, Katy! I think that I could definitely try to build "thinking stamina" with my students. I could pose a question related to the concept of the previous class to review, or perhaps a question related to new material that simply asks the students to brainstorm. This could actually be a really good opportunity to try out mind mapping in math. I also think that this would be a great opportunity to carefully choose a question that activates knowledge in my students' long term memory that is necessary for success with the new material. And gradually increasing the time that I give them to work on this question could build their thinking stamina. Thank you again for the suggestion!
DeleteMy knowledge of adolescent brains is limited, as I only teach in the 1-5 grade band. When I think metacognitively about it, I realize that I have chosen not to devote too much attention to this topic because it is not something that piques my interest as an elementary school educator. (Thanks, Zadina!) My only experiences with adolescent learners are students that chronologically should be in middle school, but, due to numerous suspensions and behavior or learning issues, are still in the fifth grade at 12-13 years old.
ReplyDeleteThe TED Talk was eye opening when thinking about WHY some adolescents make the choices they make. Recently, adolescents at all three of my schools have been suspended for fighting, willful disobedience, or (most recently) smearing feces along the walls of the bathroom. I'm not suggesting that the TED Talk should exempt students from consequences of their actions at school. I do think, however, administrators should look at the research presented and should take adolescent brain development processes into account when administering a consequence. I also think teachers should be proactive in teaching students about the decrease in the medial pre-frontal cortex activity, which may present itself as poorer self-control and heightened risk-taking.
There are also implications for young teachers from this research. This is my fifth year in the public school system, and I am currently 28 years old. It is quite possible that my brain is still developing the ability to take another's perspective into account. I feel that young teachers are often seen as weak disciplinarians. I will admit that, for the last five years, I have seen myself as the authority figure in my classes and what I expect/think/say goes. Perhaps I have been unable to view my classroom through the eyes of others (my students), as my brain is still developing this capability.
Shelli, you said that you see many students reluctant to take risks at school. Are you talking about academic risks (creative/critical thinking) or behavioral risks (doing something that they know could get them in trouble)?
-Jamie Hipp
I agree with you Jamie that young teachers and administrators should keep up with the research on the adolescent brain. It is important to understand the development of our students' brains. Sometimes consequences to some students may not even be a real consequence because their brains are not developed enough to register the severity of the form of discipline. I find it interesting that some students do no care if they are suspended from school. Maybe they do not care because their brains are not yet developed enough to even realize the consequences of their actions.
DeleteI find that my students are reluctant to take academic risks. On the other hand, many of them are NOT reluctant to take behavioral risks. So maybe this risk taking in my adolescent students is present just not in the places that I would like them to take risks, as a teacher.
Jamie, I don't know too much about your day to day teaching, but as a teacher of the arts I am sure at least part of your job is encouraging your students to take risks and put themselves out there (speaking in front of the class, performing etc.). Have you found any great ways to encourage risk taking? Also, do you teach peers how to support each other in that risk taking? I wasn't sure if it was something that happened naturally or it was something you addressed explicitly.
DeleteKatie,
DeleteI do encourage risk taking, especially with students new to my class. Part of the test they have to take at the state level to test into my class involves performing a poem or a monologue for the evaluators so they are already pretty adept at performing in front of an audience. Still, I find that there's always room for my students to come out of their shell.
I like to start each class with an improvisational scene starter. Sometimes, I will provide them with a word or phrase and have students quickly write down a scene starter or hop onstage and simply begin a scene. For instance, my phrase on Friday was "Black History Month." Some of the scenes students created included The March on Washington, the Underground Railroad with Harriet Tubman, and even a re-creation of a few scenes from the recent movie, "Selma." Other times, I will let the students call out a word or phrase prompt. I've gotten everything from "Science," to "Spongbob Squarepants" to "Babe Ruth!"
When we are working on shows, I always have one or two students that change their body movement, voices (accents), and facial expressions to portray their characters. For the other students, it's like pulling teeth! I tell them it is a lot easier to pull them back than to get them to give more! I encourage risk taking by promoting constructive peer to peer feedback and criticism and by not tolerating any student who is not supportive of castmates. We frequently discuss the fact that it takes a whole cast and crew to create a show and that "There are no small parts, only small actors." Additionally, we complete audition workshops where students play the roles of both the casting director and actors. The rubrics used by the "casting directors" include the "risk taking" category, which is crucial to being cast in any professional show. When peer "casting directors" distribute feedback rubrics to peer "actors," I find that the risk-taking onstage improves dramatically.
-Jamie Hipp
Another question that I would like to hear your comments on is how can you encourage taking someone else's perspective in the classroom? This is not yet fully developed until very late in adolescence, so what are some strategies you might use to encourage taking another person's perspective and how can it help with overall student learning? I am interested to hear from the people that teach the younger students!
ReplyDeleteCan we really impact high school and above age learners? Research obviously says yes, as does my personal experience. When discussing memory, research says that it is easier to learn before 30, although negative impacters can make it more difficult for younger learners. Sometimes, educators believe these negative impacters, often seem more prominently in "at-risk"/"disadvantaged" students, make learning less possible for these learners. However, by using and altering a variety of teaching techniques, such as the visual aids discussed in Ch. 2, even learners with negative impacters have a greater chance to acquire and learn the presented materials. By using these principles with my own "at-risk" students, they were able to improve their reading levels 3-4 grades within one year, pass required benchmark tests, discuss texts with their above grade level peers, and even find some enjoyment in the learning process. Recognizing the new field of neuroscience in education, teachers and students can start to build the discussion about the collaborative nature of learning and build a more productive foundation for learning in which both parties are aware of positive stimulus to and stumbling blocks of learning, as well as the essential need for both to be engaged in active participation.
ReplyDeleteI like what you said about teaching starting to build the discussion about the collaborative nature of learning. I believe that although learning can be done without collaboration it is more effective if it is a collaborative effort.
DeleteI have seen in the past where teachers use role playing to teach perspective. I have seen where teachers give the students a story and have to change the main character, and tell the story from their perspective. After the role playing is complete, the class comes together and discusses the feelings each character felt (how they were alike/different from the original main character). They also discuss the importance of trying to understand how everyone is different and how to relate that to real life situations. For example, the students have to recreate Little Red Riding Hood, where the main character becomes the Wolf instead of Little Red Riding Hood. So, the story is changed to be seen from the perspective of the Wolf. This seems like an interesting way to get the kids moving and engage them in lessons. It allows the students an opportunity to apply critical thinking strategies to make-believe and real-life.
ReplyDeleteThat is very interesting. I like the idea! I wonder though, does this get them to change perspective in their own learning or simply for that one activity?
Deleteverall, my expertise in this area is limited, but I can make casual observations and learn a lot from you all.
ReplyDeleteMeredith, I think you made some great points about adolescents wanting to be risk takers, but are still very influenced by their peers. I think it is interesting that you posed homework and talking back as risks students take. I do think at this age they are testing boundaries, seeing what happens when they go against authority. That’s why I think it is especially important that we don’t automatically jump to consequences all the time. It is so important to talk to kids, explain how their choices influence them and their future. Getting into a power struggle with a student is never a good idea because even if you do “win” the battle, you are losing the war because they will shut down. This reminds me of a Humans of new York post in which a student speaks of his principal saying, “When we get in trouble, she doesn't suspend us. She calls us to her office and explains to us how society was built down around us. And she tells us that each time somebody fails out of school, a new jail cell gets built. And one time she made every student stand up, one at a time, and she told each one of us that we matter.” Here an article about the original post: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/teens-humans-york-story-inspires-president-obama/story?id=28804157 I think as adult our first impulse is to control, to stop their risk taking, but love, honesty, and respect often has a deeper impact. It takes a lot longer, but in the end it is better for students.
Connecting back to Maya’s point about positive peer pressure, I see this also in my classroom. For the past few weeks one of my students has struggled with getting work done. He’ll get upset about something small and use it as an excuse to stomp around my room, crawl under tables and lie catatonic on the floor. We have tried everything with him. Incentives, goal setting, tough love (do your work now or do it at recess), positive praise… everything. But last week my principal suggested I just let it go. And so I did. I let him get mad that someone else got to write on the SMART board first. I just ignored and continued with my small group. He kept looking at me, our routine was that I stopped whatever I was doing to cajole him into returning to the group. I just smiled at him and told him that he could join his group when he was ready. Pretty soon he realized that everyone else was working and he wasn’t. Some of the other students even started encouraging him to come join them… and you know what!? He did! I was so surprised… I think sometimes as adults we underestimate the power of students have on each other.
Amy, I loved that you circled back to the idea of letting students explore and uncover their own answers. I wonder if this is why students tend to be more engaged at a younger age. As students get older school becomes more about the learning, rather than the process of getting there. Teachers may think lecture and taking notes is the more efficient that project based learning, but as Zadina points out, letting students take ownership in the process is very important for their motivation and sense of reward.
Wow! I love what you said about risk taking and that love, honesty and respect often get us further. I know students sometimes will shut down if they are yelled at or just punished, and I cannot count how many times I've seen a student get in trouble, and I ask, "What did you do?" and almost always, the student replies, "I don't know." Maybe if we took more time to explain consequences beyond what is going to happen at school we could get through to reluctant students.
DeleteThat is a wonderful example of positive peer pressure! I hope that works more often!
I begin teaching perspective with Visual Thinking Strategies. If you are unfamiliar with this (AMAZING!) strategy, check out this Youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVzcknOWpaE . My students begin to see that what they perceive may not be what others see. They also have to justify what they perceive with details and think critically. I also love that visual thinking strategies can be used across the curriculum.
ReplyDeleteAbove this comment, Katy commented on experience with a student who was non-participatory. Of course, from Katy's perspective, he was being disruptive and from the student's perspective, someone or something had wronged him! When students begin behaving this way in my class, I ask them to move to the "observation deck," located around the edges of the stage, classroom, auditorium, wherever we might be working. Process observing is a very powerful thing! I often ask questions to students who are observing, probing for feedback/analysis/criticism on student work. Students do not feel as if they have been "put out," but they see their peers working hard (typically on something fun, too!) and quickly change their behavior to again partake in the activity or exercise.
-Jamie Hipp
I've never heard of Visual Thinking Strategies until you mentioned it. I like how it encourages students to express why they make the assumptions that they do based off of what they see.
DeleteTo continue this discussion, I want to change the subject a little.Thinking about note taking, listening to a lecture, and making choices about what to write down; are we asking our students to multitask too much? Is this considered multitasking?
ReplyDeleteI’m not sure what the general consensus is, but I do not consider taking notes during a lecture as multitasking. It seems to me to be a single task—that is note-taking. I suppose if we break it down one could argue that listening to the lecture is a task in itself but I am not in that camp. Note-taking to me is like actively listening to a lecture, i.e. making decisions on what to write, what to leave out, the structure of the notes themselves. Simply sitting and doing nothing else but listening, even intently, strikes me as passive.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, I find that the students I teach who actively take even the most rudimentary notes tend to come away with a better understanding of the material covered in class than those students who only listen. Often, students who are not actively engaged in taking notes tend to get more easily distracted. They are obviously not entirely focused on the task at hand and therefore their minds wander. This may differ in other disciplines such as History or Science. My experience is limited to ELA.
As to whether or not we ask our students to multitask too much I’d have to lean toward the affirmative. My current middle school students are certainly inundated with a large amount of work on a daily basis from nearly every class. This work, the deadlines, homework, extracurricular functions such as sports and band compounded with the stress of multiple standardized tests and the preparation for each seems to do little more than create the kind of negative anxiety Zadina talked about in the first few chapters of Multiple Pathways to the Human Brain.
I found it really interesting that development is still taking place as late as 30 years old. But after listening to the ted talk I realized that it made sense. As I’ve gotten older I find myself more cautious in my decision making, I don’t tend to make decisions until I have weighed out all the pros and cons. When I was a teenager I was more impulsive with my decision making and I was influenced by my friends a lot more.
ReplyDeleteI think that as educators in order to truly understand our students we need to understand developmental milestones and the certain behaviors associated with different stages of development. Understanding the social and emotional changes that come with adolescence can make a difference in how you relate with your students. My experience with teaching adolescent age students is limited. When I taught 4th grade I noticed a change in the girls in my classroom towards the last few months in the school year. I did find that my girls were more timid then they were at the beginning of the year to showcase their projects in class and contribute to classroom discussions as well as ask questions.
In order to help our students through this beginning stage of adolescence we need to create a welcoming environment. Being the adult but understanding the changes they are going through and provide them with the tools necessary for them to succeed, tools that will help them academically as well as socially. Teaching them to think about the consequences of their actions may they be good or bad. Also providing opportunities for them to showcase their strengths in the classroom. I think that because of the stigma attached to teenagers we tend to always expect the worst from them without realizing it. We tend to think that we need to protect them from themselves so much that we prevent them from exploring new things academically. It’s like we expect them to know what to do without teaching them and forget to praise them when they are doing something right. This may be why our students are afraid to take risks in the classroom.
Morgan