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http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> A teenage brain is a fascinating, still-changing place. There's a lot going on: social awareness, risk-taking, peer pressure; all are heightened during this period.
Until relatively recently, it was thought that the brain was only actively developing during childhood, but in the last two decades, researchers have confirmed that the brain continues to develop during adolescence — a period of time that can stretch from the middle school years into early adulthood.
"We were always under the assumption that the brain doesn't change very much after childhood," explains Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, a professor of cognitive neuroscience at University College London.
But that's simply not the case, she says, and educators — and teens themselves — can learn a lot from this.
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Scooped by
John Evans
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Reading can be a very fraught topic for parents, teachers and students. Strong reading skills are essential for accessing later curriculum, so teachers put a lot of emphasis on it early. But the pressure and angst of getting students reading on schedule can sap the joy out of an activity that many young children love. At its heart, reading is a way to access stories, which in turn make readers wonder about the world. In the race to get kids reading, it can be easy to treat reading like a procedure, instead of the complicated experience that it is.
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Scooped by
John Evans
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It wasn’t until I actively started to reflect, both by myself in writing each and every day, and also with my wife at the end of the day, that I could open up my world to new possibilities. Reflecting helped me recognize where I was currently at (in my job, in blogging, in being a dad and husband) versus where I wanted to be.
If we don’t reflect, we tend to go through the motions, not conscious of what steps we can take to get better or move forward.
The same goes for students. When students are allowed, given time, supported, and praised for their reflection, something changes. They begin to own their experience, instead of being forced into a series of choices they aren’t sure about.
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Scooped by
John Evans
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Heroes in books and movies captivate kids, many of whom could teach a master class on these characters. The fresh perspective teachers can offer is how students themselves can and should be heroes.
As advocates of growth mindset, we can teach children that heroism does not require obsession with perfection or product. We should show students that we also value process and progress. Heroic stories can help: They teach students about mitigating mistakes, learning from loss, and overcoming adversity, all of which are key elements of growth mindset.
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