normally see in adults.Teenagers are more likely to launch and suggest seemingly outlandish ideas, but these wild ideas can yield creative solutions that an adult brain is just not wired to deliver. As an English teacher, I often find students making connections between themes, characters, and events that I could never have thought. Understanding the intricate wiring of an adolescent brain helps me encourage this out of the box thinking. Students need to be encouraged to test out their developing synapsis and find what problem solving pathway works best for them. Rather than fearing teenage rebellion, risk-taking behaviour and often-inattentive attitude, we as teachers should relish in the capabilities and possibilities the adolescent mind offers. We are the
ones who can influence them in their primary formative years. We have the power to shape their attitudes, beliefs and thought systems at a level that is rivalled only by their peers. Understanding this power will help us make informed decisions in terms of what we challenge and demand of our students. They can take as much as we can dish out, and if we can convince their developing minds of that possibility, it will stay with them for life. The brain they develop at adolescence is the brain they will keep as adults. It is up to us to ensure that students develop the neurological pathways and habits that will allow them to be successful in life. We should relish in their risk-taking and push them far outside their comfort zones because that is what their brains crave. We need to learn about our
students so that we can provide them with the proper motivation that will actually stimulate and satisfy their overactive limbic system. Let us harness the unadulterated, unfettered possibilities of the adolescent brain and unleash their creativity and ingenuity on society.
References Blakemore, Sarah. “Mysterious Workings ofthe Adolescent Brain”. TED. 2012. Lecture Blakemore, Sarah-Jayne, Stephanie Burnett, and Ronald E Dahl. “The Role ofPuberty in the Developing Adolescent Brain.” Human Brain Mapping 31.6 (2010): 926–933. PMC. Web. 28 Apr. 2016. Galvan, Adriana. “Insight Into the Brain”. Ted. 2013. Lecture Sasek, Catherine. “Mind Over Matter”.U.S. Department ofHealth and Human Services. Web. 2000.