Teaching the At-Risk Teenage Brain
Sheryl Feinstein is an assistant professor of education at Augustina College in South Dakota, where she teaches courses in educational psychology and adolescent development. Her Annual Conference presentation, "Teaching the At-Risk Teenage Brain," explored the functions of the teenage brain and how these processes explain teens' sometimes erratic behavior.
Feinstein defines the at-risk teenager as one in danger of emotional or academic problems or both, including crime, violence, and substance abuse. Factors that put teens at risk include poverty, academic failure, and delinquent friends, among others. According to Feinstein, who has conducted boundless research and written two books on the subject, the adolescent brain differs from the adult brain in three primary ways:
- Overproduction of dendrites (greater propensity for learning new things).
- Pruning, or loss of dendrites not being used, occurring more rapidly.
- Decision-making process governed by the amygdala, making teens emotionally-driven.
Primary use of the amygdala is also the cause of misunderstandings, incendiary language, and bad decision making. Understanding the cerebral functions that cause certain behaviors is a big step toward knowing how to effectively teach teenagers and defuse any possible confrontations.
Are there certain teaching practices and school policies you recommend for supporting the teen brain?
