Download Engaging the Adolescent

Engaging the Adolescent
PED3133C
January 24, 2010
Today
Confirmed dates:
Feb 7 – Mental Health & Suicide
Feb 28 – Bullying
Still working on Substance Use/Abuse
Review of communication skills and what
today’s readings say
The Teenage Brain – neurological and
biological changes that affect the students
we are trying to teach
Group Facilitation
Summary
Effective Listening
Attitudes required:
Really want to hear
Sincerely want to help
Able to respect opinions, feelings, values
Feelings change, strong ones don’t
necessarily stay
Confidence in people
(Gordon (1970) in Hornby (2002)
Block to Communication
Self-listening – to avoid use:
Attentiveness
Passive listening
Paraphrasing
Reflecting meanings
Active listening
Summarizing
Engaging the Adolescent (or
getting them to talk to you!)
Responding Techniques
Reflecting Feelings – trying to help and
understand
Empathic Understanding – listening and
understanding
Questions – no inquisitions
Minimal Prompts – encouraging
Responding Techniques
Paraphrasing – listening &
understanding
Judgments – no revelations, just calm
responses
Linking Experiences - sensitivity
Subject Changes – issue avoidance
Responding Techniques
Speaking Too Often or Too Long
Summarizing – listen for confirmation
that you are correct
Focusing – on student and their issues
Clarifying – use your confusion
Responding Techniques
Confrontation – difficult talks
Information and Questions – not advise
Do’s & Don’ts, p 53-54
Putting it all together
The Teenage Brain
The big news:
It isn’t hormones!
Feinstein, 2004
The Brain
Basic biology
Brain cell are neurons or glial cells
Glial – 90%, glue
Neurons – conversations
Anatomy of a Neuron
Improving Transmission
Motor and Cognitive Skills
Feedback
Best when corrective in nature
Especially important during
adolescence
Must be timely and specific
Organization
New info is stored by identifying
patterns in it, again use it or lose it!
Teens need help to access patterns
Stress
Cortisol, the stress hormone
Depresses immune system
Affects ability to remember and organize
thoughts
Increases likelihood of making rash
decisions
Higher progesterone levels in girls
seems to let cortisol have even more an
effect, putting them more at risk
Sources
Today’s readings:
King, G. (1999). Ch3: Responding skills (pp. 27-58).
Counselling skills for teachers: Talking matters. Buckingham,
UK: Open University Press.
Hornby, G. (2003). Ch3: Exploration of concerns and feelings
(pp. 23-32). In G. Hornby,
C. Hall, & E. Hall (eds.), Counselling pupils in schools:
Strategies for teachers. London: Falmer Press Ltd.
Certo, Cauley, & Chafm (2003). Students' perspectives on their
high school experience. Adolescence, 38, 705-724.
Other texts:
Feinstein, S. (2004). Secrets of the Teenage Brain, California:
Corwin Press.
Jensen, E. (2005). Teaching With The Brain in Mind.
Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum
Development
Next Week:
Group Dynamics
Group Facilitators:
Emily MacDuff
Darren Yip
Emil Yeghiaian
Lindsay Luminoso
Marie Gervais
Ryan Delyea