The teenage brain functions quite differently than a fully developed
adult brain. Teachers have the perfect
opportunity, and also a huge responsibility, to shape the adolescent brain
because it is very malleable. In
planning lessons for the teenage brain and its unique characteristics, I need
to use specific strategies to pique their interest, target their reward system,
and make strong and lasting impressions, lest the information and connections
get removed out during the synaptic pruning process.
In my lessons, I would like to incorporate the content into an area or
subject that affects them so there is a personal connection and
application. I would also like to find
exciting and active activities (after all, what is an activity if it is not
active?) that get them physically moving, and encourage them to compete and take
risks. This point is a little more
difficult given that I teach math and math is typically a quiet, stationary, reflective
and repetitive study. The excitement
doesn’t need to occur every day, but targeting one day a week with a fun
activity they can look forward to would probably be sufficient to maintain
their interest and reinforce the content.
One easy adolescent brain strategy to use in math is repetition. Pairing repetition with mnemonical devices
(PEMDAS, Soh-Cah-Toa, etc.), music or poetry could also help them to recall the
information.
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