Understanding teenagers 4 adults
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Transcript of Understanding teenagers 4 adults
Understanding Adolescence
with Nicola Morgan
Information, classroom materials and chances to win books: www.nicolamorgan.com
For schools and teachers
How you can get more information:
• My books– About your teenage brain: – About teenage stress:
• My website: www.nicolamorgan.com– And my blog– Ask me a question
• Your handouts today• My presentation is online – see my blog today
Generalisations
• All teenagers are different• But they all go through “adolescence”,
involving physical and mental changes
Brain differences in brief
A. 3 stages, from age c11 (Gs usually before Bs)1. Major increase in neural connections2. Major pruning (ie loss) of connections3. Strengthening (“myelination”) of connections
B. Prefrontal cortex develops last (mid 20s)C. Some different brain activity (eg in social
embarrassment and risk/emotion)
In practice 1: Lost connections
• Diminishing of a previous skill – demoralising and stressful
• Clumsiness – especially in boys, as the cerebellum changes more dramatically
• Strategy: knowing how brain learns
In practice 2: Sleep
Sleep
• Teenagers need average 9.25 hours• But melatonin switches on later at night• And off later in the morning• So very likely to be sleep deprived
(See handout for strategies)
In practice 3: Emotions
Strong emotions + weaker control
• Strong amygdala overpowering weaker pfc• NB hormones + stress also affect emotions• Poorer at recognising emotions in faces
PFC
Amygdala
In practice 4: Risk-taking
Risk-taking
• Evolutionary drive/biology encourages risk:– Dopamine – in brain’s “reward systems”– In some, reward systems more active– And even more when peers are present
• Again, amygdala may overpower pfc• More weight on immediate pleasure• Strategy: provision, knowledge, reframing
In practice 5: Maturing mind
Maturing minds
• See wider picture + connections• Interested in wider world – hungry for ideas• Other POVs + empathy (not always at home…)• Analytical ability – literature teachers will note• Developing personal moral values• Improving control + impulse inhibition
Stage of life: stresses
Understanding what stress is
• Biological response to prepare body and brain for action
• Adrenalin and cortisol => super-performance• Unless too much (panic) or too long
(“suffering” stress) => poor performance, health, sleep, mood etc
Teenage stresses
• Perfect storm of change inside and out: brains, bodies, chemistry, friends, fears, expectations, pressures
• “New” stresses: exams + internet• Biggest stresses: exams and friendship issues• Biological differences: eg a) self-consciousness
b) more brain activity c) slower adaptation• All worries/stresses lead to “Preoccupation”
“Preoccupation”
• If part of our attention is on something else, we cannot perform 100% on the task in hand
• Preoccupation diminishes performance/IQ:– Cognitive capacity (aspects of learning)– Executive control (aspects of behaviour)
Tools for teenagers
Need to understand (don’t over-estimate):• What stress IS – good and bad• Breathing skills – for panic or feeling stressed• Daily down-time – how to choose • Value of sleep, reading for pleasure, exercise• How to find trusted adults• Everything changes – “This shall pass”• RELAXATION IS NOT A LUXURY
Intrusive thoughts – a CBT tool
• Every thought is only a pathway in the brain• The brain learns by repetition, creating strong
pathways that are easy to follow• But the brain can learn negative, unhelpful
things, too => negative intrusive thoughts
Understanding Adolescence
with Nicola Morgan
Information, events, training, classroom resources and chances to win books: www.nicolamorgan.com