Challenges Faced with Educators in Teaching Adolescents

Cognitive Development: Social Transitions, Decision Making, and Risk Taking: High School

Reading #1:

In her essay, “Why You Never Truly Leave High School, Senior (2013) cites the profound and lasting impact of adolescence on human development, memories, and identity formation, underscoring the need for greater research on this critical stage of stage. For instance, the so-called “reminiscence bump” experienced by many adults clearly illustrates how the adolescent years leave an indelible mark on human psyches, with early memories retaining significant vividness compared to those developed during other life periods.

To date, however, developmental psychologists have understudied adolescence relative to early childhood, overlooking its outsized role in shaping self-image, tastes, fears, and coping mechanisms that persist throughout adulthood. Indeed, Senior (2013) emphasizes that self-image during adolescence is “adhesive” and even the musical tastes developed during adolescence tend to remain active far into adulthood. Likewise, the fears and corresponding coping strategies that are learned during adolescence tend to remain in force throughout the lifespan (Senior, 2013).

Some of these outcomes can be attributed to ongoing brain development during the adolescent years, particularly in the prefrontal cortex governing identity and self-regulation, which renders adolescents highly susceptible to external influences that shape their unique worldviews and behaviors which influence their later life (Senior, 2013). Therefore, the critically important formative nature of adolescence warrants greater scientific inquiry to better understand and support positive youth development during this pivotal transition into adulthood.

Reading #2:

In their chapter, “The Power of Peers,” Brown and Dornbush (1996) cite the profound influence that peers exert over adolescents' attitudes, behaviors and engagement, frequently superseding the role of parents and family. As children enter the later elementary and teenage years, friends take on immense importance, comprising distinct social circles such as best friends, cliques, and crowds that shape their interests and identities. While overt peer pressure to conform exists, Brown and Dornbush (1996) maintain that more subtle influences from peers' shared values, activities and sense of belonging to a crowd heavily mold adolescents’ investment in academics and other pursuits.

This powerful peer influence during the formative adolescent stage, which adults tend to underestimate or fail to fully understand, can shape young people’s lifetime motivations, effort levels and overall trajectories to a far greater degree than parental or other types of influences. Likewise, the adolescent social environment is highly complex and impactful and crowd psychology and group identities substantially affect adolescent decision-making, priorities and self-perceptions. Therefore, there is a need for research that sheds additional light on these peer dynamics to identify opportunities to overcome academic disengagement and achievement gaps during this critical developmental window.

Reading #3:

In his essay, “How Kids Learn Resilience,” Tough (2016) emphasizes that exposure to chronic stress and adversity in childhood can derail the neurological development of crucial noncognitive abilities such as self-regulation, perseverance, and a sense of belonging, all of which are increasingly recognized as vital for academic engagement and achievement. The toxic stress that is experienced by many adolescents at school activates the body’s fight-or-flight response, thereby impairing development of the prefrontal cortex which governs executive functions like working memory, attentional control, and emotional regulation.

Not surprisingly, this impairment also undermines young learners’ abilities to effectively manage their emotions, persist through difficult challenges, and feel they belong and can succeed in school which have also been identified as major contributors to perseverance. The author cites four “key beliefs” that are foundational to promoting resilience among adolescents, including a sense of belonging, the ability to grow in ability and competence with experience, the notion that success is possible and that the coursework has relevance and meaning. Although all adolescents experience these developmental challenges, Tough (2016) stresses that they are far more pronounced for marginalized students. Therefore, additional research concerning how these challenges can be overcome is needed to improve the lives of tens of millions of young Americans faced with an uncertain future.