The Teenage Brain

WKCD (What Kids Can Do) includes information on how our students learn. Research shows us why teens act the way they do with behaviors such as “mood swings, surliness, impulsivity, poor decisions, insensitivity (or too much sensitivity), and more.” The brain’s frontal lobe, the area that affects judgment, is not fully developed until ages 25-30. As the brain grows, young people have difficulty making decisions quickly, don’t notice errors in judgment, have trouble identifying other’s emotions, and are “vulnerable to stress.” So—it’s good for all of us in education to remember that there is a biological reason for why teens are the way they are and that we need to be patient as we wait for their minds to mature.

PBS for PreK

You can sign up for free or login to your PBS account to view resources that help students learn about topics that span the curriculum. If you search for Caillou on the PBS site, for example, you’ll find PreKindergarten activities, printables, songs, and other goodies all featuring the four-year-old Caillou. At PBS Learning Media, there are Caillou videos about life science, health, investigation, and social, physical, and emotional development. Caillou’s Cricket, for example, is an engaging story about a preschooler who finds a cricket in his little truck. During a search for the cricket throughout the house, Caillou learns about crickets and the sounds they make. Be sure to watch Caillou’s Dance Party, Shadow Scientist, and Caillou Makes a Meal.

Neurodiversity in the Classroom

Thomas Armstrong’s book, Neurodiversity in the Classroom, from ASCD focuses on helping students with learning disabilities, autism, hyperactivity disorder, intellectual disabilities, and emotional and behavioral disorders. Armstrong believes in strength-based strategies that focus on what these children can do, not what they can’t do. In the book’s chapters, he discusses the joys of ADHD, the gifts of autism, the strengths of students with intellectual disabilities, the multiple talents of the learning disabled, and the bright side of students with emotional and behavioral disorders. Armstrong points to the success of famous people in the sciences, arts, entertainment, sports, politics, military, business, and literature, who suffered from disorders such as hyperactivity, autism, and emotional and behavioral problems. The book contains “Strengths” Checklists, which educators can use to identify each student’s strengths.

Kids Who Bully; Kids Who Abuse Substances

An Ohio State study asked over 74,000 students in middle and high schools in Franklin County, Ohio about bullying and substance abuse.  Researchers found that students who bully and those who are both bullies and victims are more likely to get involved with substance abuse such as drinking, smoking, and/or using marijuana.  According to lead author Kisha Radiff, “Our findings suggest that one deviant behavior may be related to another.” Although classroom teachers and principals have surely guessed that this true, they also realize that not all those who bully become substance abusers and not all substance abusers are bullies. It was estimated by the Ohio researchers that about 30 percent of Middle School students bully, while 23 percent bully in high school.  Substance abuse percentages were significantly higher among high school students.  Do the acts of bullying and substance abuse spring from the same needs within some students, and if so, why?