The Teenage Brains

in Your Classroom

with Nicola Morgan,

Author and Speaker

Up-to-date research, events, classroom

materials, advice, books and more:

www.nicolamorgan.com

More information

• www.nicolamorgan.com• Handouts + presentation: today’s blog

• Many free materials• Classroom resources• Events, training, contact

• Information for your schools on my blog today

•

Today

1. What’s so special about teenagers?

2. How this affects learning, performance and wellbeing

3. Approaching solutions

Understanding control

Understanding control

Aiming for

“active agency”

“Our brains are

in our hands”

What makes adolescence special?

A. State of Brain – internal pressures

B. Stage of Life – external pressures

Adolescence is biological, natural,

universal, TEMPORARY (!) and positive

Most important brain difference

Prefrontal cortex develops last (mid-20s):

“control centre” – logic/reason, decision-making, impulse control, prediction

Limbic system, with amygdala – emotion, impulse, reward, reaction, instinct

PFC

This can affect / explain:

• Emotions (volatility / control)

• Empathy

• Impulse control

• Peer pressure behaviour

• And risk-taking

See Blame My Brain and blog for references

Teenage stress – “stage of life”

First, what is stress?

• A positive, biological response to threat

– Adrenalin + cortisol

– To maximise performance

• So, what’s the problem?

1. Over-reaction panic

2. Cortisol builds up many negative effects

3. “Preoccupation”

“Preoccupation”

• Brain “bandwidth” is limited• Everything occupies some bandwidth• These occupy a LOT:

1. Worries2. Processing information – learning 3. Screens, Internet + social media4. Resisting temptation

• Any preoccupation lowers performance:1. Learning – “cognitive ability”2. Behaviour – ”executive control”

Daniel Levitin’s The Organized Mind covers this

Different teenage stressors

• Perfect storm of change

• Exams – high stakes

• Regular school day: – Constant pressure to do better

– Friend/peer issues

– Self-consciousness

– Especially for introverts

Each “occupying” bandwidth +

raising cortisol

The Internet + Social Media

Internet

• Knowledge is good, BUT….

– Information overload exhausting

– Repetition of bad news emotional effect

– And anxiety

– “Fake news” – poor ability to discern

…and Social Media

• Social networking very important, but…

– Highly addictive – social + curious

– Competition with perfect images/lives

– Measuring self-worth by number of “likes”

– “Online disinhibition effect” cyber-bullying

Irresistible by Adam Alter

The Happiness Effect by Donna Freitas

A typical modern student:

• Is overloaded with info

• Lacks attention and focus

• Suffers cortisol build-up

• May be hyper-anxious

• Has threatened self-esteem

• Lacks dreaming/thinking time

Approaching solutions

• Resources on today’s blog

• And my website, books and teaching materials

1. Teach stress management

• Educate and empower with strategies – for life

• Educate parents, too

A: Relaxation wellbeing performance

Better sleep

Better wellbeing

Better success

Better wellbeing

Manage stress

B: Empower daily relaxation

Discuss healthy activities to lower cortisol and discuss how these can easily be built into their day

1. Varied – physical and mental

2. Deliberate + conscious extra benefit

Daily relaxation ideas

bath

walk

music

read

draw

hobby

breathe deeply

write

daydream

laugh

be alone OR

social

look at nature

exercise

SWITCH OFF!

2. Manage screen time

(See my blog Apr 29 and Aug 7+9)

1. Understand the biology and psychology

2. Create strong school policy based on good psychology (see that blog post)

3. SOS time – Switch Off Screens

4. Model good practice yourselves

3. Respect and cater for introverts

1. Understand the differences

Need peace + time alone

Often work better alone

2. Teaching needs to cater for all

3. Give students strategies to grow

See “Quiet Power – The Secret Strengths of Introverts” by Susan Cain

4. Enable better sleep

See my website and handouts for

advice ~

Share with students and

parents

5. Encourage reading for pleasure

Now LOTS of evidence of benefit!

Including:

• Reduced stress and greater wellbeing

• Better results and performance

• (Strong scientific evidence on my website)

Readaxation

“The deliberate act of reading for the purpose of

relaxation, wellbeing and

therefore performance”

Understanding control

Active agency: • Understanding stress

• Understanding ourselves• Enabling right amount /

type of stress for peak performance

Our brains are in our hands

The Teenage Brains

in Your Classroom

with Nicola Morgan,

Author and Speaker

Up-to-date research, events, classroom

materials, advice, books and more:

www.nicolamorgan.com