The Adolescent Brain

2. The Adolescent Brain “It now appears some of that baffling behavior of your teenage child (or student) may be the result of neurobiology not raging hormones.” (EDinfomatics) “It’s sort of unfair to expect teens to have adult levels of organizational skills or decision-making before their brains are finished being built.” Jay Giedd, MD, Adolescent Psychiatrist , National Institute for Mental Health Although many people think that self-regulation skills are developed solely during childhood, they continue to develop during and after adolescence. Certain cognitive abilities, such as logical reasoning and information processing, are not fully developed until age fifteen or sixteen, and other cognitive skills such and planning and delaying gratification continue to develop into adulthood. (Mandy Savitz-Romer & Suzanne Bouffard)

3. Student's View of Intelligence Can Help Grades Michelle Trudeau The Teen Brain Debra Bradley Ruder Inside the Teenage Brain Deborah Yurgelin-Todd

4. “Where students are in their development—for example, how they understand their identities and how skilled they are at planning—shapes how they behave and whether they succeed. Identity, motivation, self-regulation, and relationships are central to the developmental processes that influence postsecondary success”

5. Self-regulation Self-regulation encompasses many specific, skills, including, but not limited to, the ability to focus attention, plan, delay gratification, solve complex problems, self-reflect, and regulate feelings and social interactions in challenging situations. These skills are essential for academic achievement, which, of course, sets the stage for successfully enrolling and succeeding in college. (Savitz-Romer & Bouffard)

6. Developing Self-Regulation Skills • Teach self-regulatory skills • Provide strategies to help youth minimize distractions • Help youth keep their eyes on the prize while also finding short-term benefits and interest in the college-going process • Teach you to become adept at developing alternative plans or multiple pathways • Help youth identify potential barriers and obstacles and develop strategies for overcoming them • Teach self-regulatory skills in academic courses and help students transfer them to college-going

7. Discussion Questions As a practitioner, how do you support students in the development of self-regulation skills? How has your GEAR UP program supported the development of these skills? What strategies, activities, and programs have been helpful in developing your students’ self-regulation skills?

8. College-going Identity Young people are constantly experimenting and trying on new identities….They explore identities through their dress or other aspects of their appearance, through new friendships and peer groups, through exploration of new activities and hobbies, and sometimes through risky behaviors that test the boundaries of laws, rules, and their own physical limitations. Young people interpret and draw meaning from these explorative experiences as well as from experiences, over which they do not have control or choice, including how other perceive them and treat them. Through this challenging but vital process, youth begin to make meaning and unify multiple dimensions of themselves in order to figure out what they are and what goals they have for themselves. All of these experiences are normal and healthy. All of them, directly or indirectly, can have relevance for college-going. (Savitz-Romer & Bouffard)

9. Discussion Questions How has your GEAR UP program supported students in exploring their broader identities? What strategies, activities, and programs have been helpful in helping your students explore their identities?

10. You are invited to a Networking Reception! Please join us at Visconti’s Restaurant, 636 Front Street, 4:30 to 6:00 pm. We will provide a variety of appetizers; the refreshments will be on a available cash basis.