Adolescents…
What are they thinking?
Heather Von Bank Ph.D.
Assistant Professor FCS
Child Development & Family Studies
Quiz time!
Brain development quiz
Growth & Development
During Adolescence
 Pruning
 Inside
the Tree: Brain Development
the mind: Cognitive Changes
 Adolescents
in FCS Classroom
Why do teenagers have difficulty…
 Being
rational, controlling impulses,
showing good judgment?
 Are
they just naïve, willfully disobedient,
disrespectful, selfish. …sort of
Pruning the Tree:
Developing Frontal Cortex
 Reason
why adolescents have difficulty
reasoning, controlling impulses, judgment
(5:07)
Under-developed
frontal cortex
responsible for
controlling, planning,
working memory,
organization, &
regulating mood
Use it or loose it principle

What we do today strengthens skills for
tomorrow…

How to make decisions: Decision making skills

Making ethical decisions: “What Do You Want
the Virtual World to Say About You in 10 Years”

Social skill development: Mock Job Interview
 100%
of adults
identified this as
FEAR
 50%
of teens
identified this as
SHOCK or
ANGER
Identify this
emotion
Emotional Regulation
 Amygdala

Teens: Rudimentary part of the brain that
controls emotions
Adults: Frontal cortex regulates emotions

EXAMPLE: Emotional Intelligence

Inside the teenage mind:
Cognitive Changes
 How
thinking changes during
adolescence

Concrete into formal thought

Thinking about possibilities

Problem solving “The Mangoes Problem”
Potential for Abstract Thought

Think about situations that don’t exist

The Trolley Problem

What would you do?
Consider Many Factors
 Sarcasm,





metaphors, double entendre
Panda mating fails: veterinarian takes over
Miners refuse to work after death
New obesity study looks for larger test group
Children make nutritious snacks
Criminals get nine months in violin case
Metacognition:
Thinking about thinking
 Imaginary
Audience
“…everyone is doing it”
 Peer influence to drink





Talk about it,
Write about it,
Role play,
Publicize,
Teach the steps
 Personal
fable “that’s not
going to happen to me”
 Texting & driving



97%: say it’s dangerous
89%: reply to text in 5 min
77%: have seen parents
text & drive
Adolescents in FCS Class

More critical thinking
opportunities

Encourage healthy eating
or classroom management

Stimulate formaloperational thinking

Create a design magazine
in groups

Hands-on learning.. How
about Service learning!!

Play school with preschool
children

Metacognitive skill
training?

Opportunities to practice
self-monitoring &adapting
Any questions?
List of References/Resources
Topic
Sites
Inside the Teenage Brain
http://youtu.be/yvmMiFHTifY
Decision Making Skills Making
http://dev.decisioneducation.org
Ethical Decisions: Internet safety
http://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/blog/what-doyou-want-the-virtual-world-to-say-about-you-in-10-years
Social Skill Development: Mock Job
Interview
http://www.parentingscience.com/social-skills-activities.html
Emotional Intelligence Lesson Plans
http://my.extension.uiuc.edu/documents/257080502080208/Emotio
nal_Intelligence_13-18.pdf
Problem Solving: The Mangoes
Problem
http://illuminations.nctm.org/LessonDetail.aspx?ID=L264
Abstract Thought: The Trolley Problem
http://youtu.be/Fs0E69krO_Q
Teach the Steps to Resist Peer
Pressure
http://healthallianceonalcohol.com/peer-pressure-book/
Texting and Driving commercial
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92kPKbXHqss
Metacognitive Skill Training
http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/metacognition/teaching
_metacognition.html