Introduction:
Seeking to understand what the literature had to say about adolescent development, I began to acquire highly reviewed books that focused on various aspects of adolescent development. I specifically focused on neuroscience and the development of the teenage brain.
My other focus was on the digital impact that cell phones, technology, and social media have on the students that River Trail Middle School serves. I approached this project by asking simple questions about what others in the field are saying and how, if at all, we should approach it to continue to help our students.
As a new parent and amateur historian, I recognize that anyone could find literature that suggests a specific point of view or bias. I have done my best to avoid this trap and sought to review sources that foster discussion. I do not agree or disagree with the information within the books, but I wish to distill what I read into common sense that might promote a conversation or thought in your head, home, and community. This has been a fun project, and I hope it can serve you and the community.
Note:
The first book I read was: “The Teenage Brain: a neuroscientist’s survival guide to raising adolescents and young adults.” I broke down the 300 pages of information contained within the following pages. It is an extreme trimming down of information and curiosity that I held. You might read it and get something completely different.
Jensen, F. E., & Nutt, A. E. (2016).The teenage brain: A neuroscientist’s survival guide to raising adolescents and young adults. Harper.
Excerpt from the description:
Dr. Frances E. Jensen is chair of the department of neurology in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. As a mother, teacher, researcher, clinician, and frequent lecturer to parents and teens, she is in a unique position to explain to readers the workings of the teen brain. In The Teenage Brain, Dr. Jensen brings to readers the astonishing findings that previously remained buried in academic journals.
The root myth scientists believed for years was that the adolescent brain was essentially an adult one, only with fewer miles on it. Over the last decade, however, the scientific community has learned that the teen years encompass vitally important stages of brain development. Samples of some of the most recent findings include:
Dr. Jensen gathers what we’ve discovered about adolescent brain function, wiring, and capacity and explains the science in the contexts of everyday learning and multitasking, stress and memory, sleep, addiction, and decision-making. In this groundbreaking yet accessible book, these findings also yield practical suggestions that will help adults and teenagers negotiate the mysterious world of adolescent development.
The breakdown:
This book is divided into different topics that the author approaches using scientific data and personal experience. I have pulled out and focused on specific topics that I can use the most with
the educators that I work with. Within each summary, I have pulled quotes and interesting takeaways from different chapters that impacted my thoughts, my approach, or simply something new that I learned.
Entering the Teen Years:
This first section of the book is about the very idea of adolescence: its history, the ideas behind what it means, and finally, some misconceptions about the age group that have been debunked by science (specifically, the adage about teens' behavior and the relationship with hormones).
“Hall, for one, believed adolescence began with the initiation of puberty, and This is why he considered the founder of scientific study about a lesson. Although he had no empirical evidence for the connection, Paul knew that the understanding the mental, emotional, physical change that happened in child's transition into adulthood could come out from only an understanding of the biological mechanics of puberty.” (Jensen & Nutt, 2016, p. 19)
These words highlight the book's premise, which seeks to reveal the biomechanical nature of the brain and how it impacts the body. The author then dispelled the idea that hormones were the reason for the sometimes irrational teenagers that we see. Instead, they offered another explanation. They wrote that “teenagers don't have higher hormone levels than young adults-they react differently to hormones” (Jensen & Nutt, 2016, p. 21). As their brains develop, it makes perfect sense that they need time and patience to adjust to these new stimuli.
Within these two arguments, the author seeks to explain and understand the development of the adolescent brain while seeking a biological understanding, as well as how it presents itself through the different things that our students are sure to come across. The first two things that come to mind are lack of sleep and stress. Due to the brain’s maturity, it is apparent that our student’s response to stress, environments, peer pressure, and the mighty lure of the cellphone cell phone and social media that we are aware of how these things impact our students and how to help them navigate this tricky transition. Overall, it was an excellent introduction to the book.
One of the conceptions that I love to think about is the very idea of adolescent development and the paradoxes contained within. We treat kids as mini-adults, but we set barriers on them socially until adulthood. For example, you can drive a car at 16 but cannot rent one until 25. Within this idea, River Trail is set up to be a safety net for our students. Our students make mistakes, but we need to ensure that accountability and learning are at the forefront of these mistakes, and when they happen, we offer a road map towards future success. We trust them, give them the responsibility to act accordingly, and then hold them accountable for their actions so that they learn and continue to grow and develop.
Building a brain:
This section of the book focuses on the physical parts of the brain and how they are constructed. I found this part of the book particularly interesting as it was written as a medical textbook. It breaks down the different elements of the brain, how it works, and how it grows during this time. I took away two major quotes from this section.
Major Quote 1
“And yet the brain of an adolescent is nothing short of a paradox. It has an overabundance of Gray matter (the neurons that form the basic building blocks of the brain) and an undersupply of white matter (the connective wiring that helps information flow efficiently from one part of the brain to the other) - which is why the teenage brain is almost like a brand new Ferrari: it's primed and pumped, but hasn't been road tested yet” (Jensen & Nutt, 2016, p. 26-27).
I loved this analogy as it helped me describe my experience working with adolescents. They have the capability but sometimes the inability to do things with that information, which interferes with their daily lives. They may understand that something is dangerous or wrong, but they cannot quite connect all the dots yet. They may “find themselves in dangerous situations, not knowing what they should do next” (Jensen & Nutt, 2016, p. 60).
Major Quote 2
“One of the reasons that repetition is so important lies in your teenager’s brain development. One of the frontal lobes executive functions include something called prospective memory, which is the ability to hold in your mind the intention to perform a certain action at a future time-for instance, remembering to return a phone call when you get home from work” (Jensen & Nutt, 2016, p.40).
What I found interesting about this is that it does make sense to me that specific parts of the brain might develop at different intervals, thus the surprise when our students do something extraordinary but then forget something simple. We often use repetition as a classroom tool to help our students; although it might seem redundant from time to time and sometimes unsuccessful, it’s a powerful tool that we use daily here at River Trail Middle School.
Thank you for reading! We hope you found this exploration insightful. Stay tuned for our next issue.
Please reach out to communications@rivertrailpto.com for questions. They will be answered in the Q & A section of the last edition.
