Early Adolescence; Vulnerability and Opportunity
UNICEF identified that given the right conditions and supportive relationships, adolescents can navigate this great period of development, of learning and vulnerability simultaneously. Moreover, under the guidance of caring and committed adults may transform any trauma or stress in their lives into something hopeful, balanced and successful. On this diagram you will see the darker shaded area with the explanation that early adolescence is a time of rapid learning and brain development which is occurring in the cortical regions of the brain. This includes the development of the social brain and of higher thinking and executive skills. To the right and correspondingly, adolescents are particularly vulnerable. There is an increase in pleasure seeking, risky and impulsive behaviours and relationship sensitivity and there is a significant gap in the ability to express and regulate emotions between ages 15 to 25 years. This video includes visuals created by UNICEF. UNICEF Innocenti. 'The Adolescent Brain: A second window of opportunity'. YouTube, 2018. https://youtu.be/-1FRco3Bjyk?si=pXHch5zYBASuLo6X
The limbic system is prominent in the adolescent brain– These are regions of the brain which are (well hidden deep inside the brain in the approximate area between the couple with the love hearts and the scholar's hat) responsible for impulsive behaviours and passionate emotions that are active particularly from age 15 (Medina, J. (2018).
Module 2
Adolescent Brain Development
In module one you have learned about the nervous systems in your brain. That is, the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) (excitatory) and Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS) (calming). You learned that the timing of arousal to stressors is usually rapid and by adulthood (unless you have a history of prolonged stress or trauma in your own lives) your brain has learned how to effectively manage this stress to return quickly to equilibrium. You know that your arousal systems are the same as in adolescents, however that adolescents are learning about self-regulation and gaining self-awareness through experience.
In module 2 we are looking at the Adolescent brain. To understand the importance of adolescent brain development to the overall health and wellbeing of every adolescent student, we first need to recognise that the brain forms the hub of their future success. Moreover, in recognising the elaborate and extraordinary changes that are occurring we need to change our attitudes from viewing adolescence as a difficult and challenging period in life, to an attitude that adolescence is one of the most creative, adventurous and inspiring transitions in life. With the right love and support adolescence is a transition leading each individual into an intelligent, productive and balanced adult. To achieve this for adolescents who are burdened by prolonged stress or trauma, we require an absolute commitment to knowing all that we can, about the integral nature of brain body and mind
Negotiating the Classroom Arena
All of us know what it means for a dedicated teacher to take on the challenges of adolescent students in the classroom. Most of us know that brain development is a big factor in learning and behaviour. Many of us don’t fully understand just how complex and intricately balanced the brain’s navigation is between emotions, behaviour and social environments and how this contributes to or detracts from optimal well-being and learning capacity.
This module will hopefully bridge some of these knowledge gaps for you, help you to find the freedom you require to teach creatively and with continued commitment. At the same time, to liberate your students from the impact that adverse childhood experiences (ACE’s) prolonged stress (for example, family violence, poverty or family illness) can have on the adolescent brain.
Why is it important to understand adolescent brain development?
How can teachers be supported to navigate adolescent behaviour?
How can students be supported to navigate emotions
and behaviour regulation during the adolescent years?
How can this improve teacher student relationships?
Neurotypical Adolescent Brain Development
Development of the adolescent brain is distinctive indicating significant changes in brain structure and neurobiology. Common features are:Significant increase and dominance of Limbic region activity between ages 15 and 25 indicating Myelination of connections and changes in density of synapses- typically synapse growth spurts followed by synaptic pruning.
Structural Changes
Impulsivity and risky behaviours corresponding to a lack of inhibitory control relating to reduction in pre-frontal cortex (PFC) function: however, also signifies the development of other cortical functions..
Prefrontal Cortex Maturity
Changes in the reward network involving the nucleus accumbens. For some adolescents prone to risky behaviours in early childhood are at higher risk in adolescence.
Reward Sensitivity
Development of multiple cortical regions re: executive functions of selective attention, working memory, problem solving and multi-tasking.
Executive Function Development
Inside the Adolescent Brain
The first thing to really grasp about the adolescent brain is that the neuroscience is still searching and still finding out new information. Secondly, development of the adolescent brain is complex, and it is not necessary for you as a teacher to understand absolutely every nuance of its function.
What is important is to learn about some of the main regions that are prominent in adolescence so that you can better understand and manage their behaviours and therefore their learning capacity.
Brain development is not a linear process and there are peaks and troughs throughout childhood to adulthood. The Adolescent brain is known for substantial changes in structure and neurobiology particularly between the ages of 15 and 25 years. Adolescent brain activity is heightened within the limbic region of the brain. This is believed to be because the pre-frontal cortex is developing, and fine tuning is emerging to facilitate higher order thinking.
Limbic System Functions and Emotional Regulation in Adolescence
The limbic structures are buried deep in the centre of the brain. They include significant systems for example,
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The hippocampus (known for recollecting memory and shaped like a seahorse) - in adolescence is known to be overly sensitive to social environments and is vulnerable to risky behaviours for example, alcohol and drug use.
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The cingulate gyrus ( known for detection of emotional and cognitive conflicts )- is an arch shaped ridge on the brain’s surface and forms part of the cingulate cortex within the limbic regions . It is involved in emotions and behaviour regulation.
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The hypothalamus (known for encoding memory ) is small but significant and responsible for sustaining balance in body and brain systems to sustain life.
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The mamillary bodies (known for recollecting memory) are part of the hypothalamus.
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The Amygdala ( known for motivation and emotions) ) is one of the earliest brain formations in the human brain and integral to the arousal system. An example of an amygdala function may be the adolescent ‘flipping their lid’ (Siegel, D. (2015) p101). Emotions are passionate and self-control is not always predictable.
Fear is the main emotion that the amygdala is known to control; however, is also known for aggressive reactions, interpreting others’ behaviours etc.
·In adolescents with a history of trauma, the amygdala can be overactive causing greater anxiety and even depression. For example, You might have a student in class who is normally quiet and suddenly erupts and overreacts for example, to someone teasing them. This is the overactive amygdala at work. This student is fearful, may be remembering being bullied and unable to defend themselves, doesn’t have a great deal of control over their reactiveness. Similarly, bullies often behave aggressively because of previous experiences of being bullied themselves.
Prefrontal Cortex Development and the Impact of Trauma
During adolescence there are significant changes occurring in the pre-frontal cortex which is involved in higher cognitive functions of the brain. The anterior cingulate, posterior cingulate, medial prefrontal cortex and insula are regions in the brain associated with self- awareness in normative adolescent brain; however, show reduced neural activity for those who have been exposed to prolonged stress or trauma (Sprenger (2022); Van der Kolk (2014). The prefrontal cortex is involved in effective thinking and planning , impulse control and emotional states such as happiness, inhibiting negative emotions such as anger (in the amygdala). Remember, all adolescents are inclined to flip out easily, misinterpret what others’ intentions are and are not risk averse. So, adolescents who are exposed to prolonged stress or trauma might be involved in much riskier behaviours, impaired judgment about social situations and challenging emotional eruptions
Comparing Systems Relating to Learning and Behaviour
The Limbic System- Emotions
Pre-Frontal Cortex and other Cortical Systems–Selecting Executive Actions to Satisfy Intentions
The diagram on the left of this slide depicts the limbic system relating to emotional behaviours and encoding and recall of memory. Encoding memory is the act of processing initial information and recall to retrieve those memories effectively. In adolescents with trauma or prolonged stress in their histories, encoding of information may become faulty. They may not take in or sustain information in class, and they are often retrieving information that is incorrect, or they can’t retrieve it at all. You need to be extra patient with these students.
The prefrontal cortex and other cortical systems relate to development of self and identity, memory of specific events (episodic) and memory of meaningful facts and how to do things ( semantic memory) (Hayes & Stratton (2022) problem solving and optimal self-regulation (higher order thinking).
Effective functioning in these areas is conducive to learning – An adolescent who has trauma or prolonged stress in their background is going to require constant patient care using strategies that help their brain. For example, mindfulness techniques, brain breaks and COGENS to help them a) to reframe negative experiences in the classroom and b) to keep them calm c) to recognise that the primacy of their arousal to survive is going to block out their capacity to take in retain or recall what they have learned in class.
There is no use getting annoyed with these students because they haven't done their homework or can't answer your questions in class. Their brains are simply not functioning at optimal range.
The prefrontal cortex and other cortical systems - selecting executive actions to satisfy intentions
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Located in front of the Pre-motor cortex (preparation of action)
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Pre-frontal cortex is about selection of action
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Involved in higher level cognition
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Higher level planning and problem solving
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Higher level self-regulation and cognitive control
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Medial prefrontal cortex - sense of self and identity
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The Medial temporal cortex - concerned with episodic and semantic memory and connection between cerebral cortex and hippocampus
Glossary
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Conflict processing is faster for emotional than for neutral stimuli.
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Conflict increases in normal adolescent development, particularly regarding parental directives in their search for autonomy and independence. As part of the development of the higher order thinking and self-awareness adolescents are learning to process conflict however if conflict is frequent, severe and persistent, this can cause high levels of anxiety in the adolescent.
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Cognitive control supports goal directed behaviour.
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Cognitive conflict - A classic example of the detection of cognitive conflict is – eating a cake when you are determined to lose weight through only eating healthy food. The choice leads to cognitive conflict that causes emotional feelings of guilt, anxiety, disappointment etc.,
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Emotion facilitates the processing of cognitive conflict when a target stimulus is emotional.
Understanding Changes in the Adolescent Brain
Neural Integration and the Power of Positive Relationships
Adolescent brain development is a move towards neural Integration.
Neural Integration means – the interconnection of differentiated elements of information processing into a ‘functional whole’ (Siegel, 2020 p506) optimises fundamental mechanism of health. Teachers - spend time getting to know your students. You can do this by a) teaching them about their brain structures and functions and b) becoming more alert to potential problems for individual students c) helping them using a multitude of strategies that are known to facil-
itate better brain function in students. Module 4 provides in depth information into what strategies work for specific issues relating to challenging behaviour in your students. The fundamental point here is that positive relationships are immediately going to impact positively on all your students brain development and behaviour challenges.
The following milestones are part of this process of neural integration:
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The development of mind based on self-awareness, personal experience, relationship engagement and different forms of memory.
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Both structural anatomic nervous system changes and process changes to do with mind and self-awareness, for example interoception - (the ability to know what we are feeling).
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Without integration, chaos, rigidity, inflexibility, reactiveness are prominent - for example, in adolescents with mental health conditions or coming from a history of prolonged stress or trauma.
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The link provides a simple and straightforward way to visualise the prominent features of the adolescent brain. That is, the handy model of the brain...
The 'Handy Model of the Brain'
The Handy model of the brain Siegel (2015), P85 ) –demonstrates – 5 areas that each represent separate sources of information flow. When there is neural integration, these areas are linked together and provide the master functions of self-awareness, reflection, planning, decision making, empathy and morality. Adolescent students need careful coaching, patience and understanding and knowledge about the regions and functions of their brain helping them to achieve these things.
FtMyersFamPsych. 'Dr Daniel Siegel presenting a Hand Model of the Brain'. YouTube, 2012. https://youtu.be/gm9CIJ74Oxw?si=aVmmXhyoJUIWaFEc
Video: Dr Daniel Siegel presenting a Hand Model of the Brain
Image: Use Your Hands to Imagine your Brain
Loss of Neural Integration
Maintenance of neural integration is achieved through:
Relationships and attachment- Secure attachment is associated with integrative pre-frontal cortex functions. Said to arise in the Peri-aqueductal grey region (PAG) that has a role in the autonomic function, motivated behaviour and behavioural responses to threatening stimuli. So, vocal sounds of distress and attachment have a connection. It is suggested this is an evolutionary development significant to the emergence of speech prosody, (the melodic aspects of speech e.g. intonation, stress loudness, timing).
Losing Integration – means limited function in the cortical region, manifesting in the following. Sudden outbursts of limbic lava and bursts of reactivity, that is identified as the flight, fight syndrome - the sub-cortical and primitive responses to threat. This may mean the adolescent is off the air, isolated, non-functional for a short period however, this is a normal re-modelling process and evolves into new and improved ways of functioning.
NB – this is not to be taken as a revival of the old nature/nurture debate that has been very divisive, but to recognise that early attachment is significant however, Secure attachment is not the only thing that contributes to the resilience we want adolescents to have. The overarching influence on adolescent behaviour is the re-modelling of the brain that makes them vulnerable to potential mental health issues. ACE’s, trauma, or learning disabilities, exacerbates but is by no means an impossible to heal scenario.
The Emotional Lower Brain in Adolescence
The Amygdala response - can occur in response to seemingly inoffensive behaviour i.e., neutral faces could mean hostility and someone not to be trusted,
blank expression, bump in the hallway, statement that you perceive as neutral may be experienced as aggressive. This is normal for adolescent emotional
lower brain function.Siegel, D (2015) suggests ‘Name it to Tame it’ (p. 60), this link was provided in Module 1. Adolescents need to understand about their brain development in order to understand how they may learn to facilitate its development.
Siegel identifies Mindsight breath awareness as fundamental to developing ‘time in’ Breath awareness techniques can be as short as 2 mins or as long as
20 mins. Dan Siegel calls breath awareness techniques ‘Time in’ (p. 282). That is, giving time to the inner self and working to block out external stimuli with
mindsight exercises. To help adolescent brains move towards neural integration more time in is needed daily. For example, focusing sensation on the breath
can be done sitting down or standing up...
Start by getting your students to focus on the centre of the room with their eyes open, then the ceiling, then the floor then close their eyes and focus on their breathing. Ask them to take slow and deep breaths. At the same time ask them to put their hands on their chests and feel their breaths in and out. Ask them to notice where they feel their breath in their nostrils and what that feels like. Ask them to put their hands on their abdomen and feel the rise and fall of their abdomen as they breath in and out.
Exercises on breath awareness and other mindfulness tasks are included in module 4. Breath awareness can be followed by brain mapping in the form of taking your pulse and tracking differences between calm moments and hyper moments. (Perry, B. 2020). It is ok to do brain mapping in any class including PE classes. Robust exercise for adolescents who are depressed changes the BDNF Brain derived neurotrophic factor which is carried by a gene and is responsible for releasing uplifting neurotransmitters. If you follow this with exercises where they need to think on their feet, then you are laying down new neural pathways, for example ‘brain breaks’ that include exercises where they move at the same time as they touch different parts of their bodies. However, vigorous exercise for overweight adolescents is believed to overtax the hippocampus so it is suggested that they start with less vigorous and more reflective exercise, leading up to more vigorous exercise. The issue of weight in adolescence is addressed in module three.
The Social Brain in Adolescence
The social brain refers to the brain regions that are involved in understanding and interacting with others where there is cognitive recognition of emotions, intentions and thoughts in self and others. Compared to children adolescents are “more sociable, form more complex and hierarchical peer relationships
and are more sensitive to acceptance and rejection by peers” (Blakemore 2009 (p.269.) One cause of these changes is related to the social brain.
Mentalisation is a key component of the social brain. Mentalisation is defined by Siegel (2020) as “the ability to understand one’s own and other people’s
minds…. Relates to metacognition and theory of mind (ToM)” (p.507.).
Example: In the classroom you see a student who is upset, and other students are being very kind, offering to help this student with a mathematics problem
or asking how they feel. Don’t interrupt this process, Observe to see if the students are able to resolve this themselves (this is developing their decision
making and planning skills) and help if you think it is needed, This process is mentalisation.
Those kind students are mentalising by
a) recognising someone is upset
b) understanding that person might need some help
c) empathising with them, i.e. knowing that feeling in themselves and wanting things to be better for the student who is upset.
These exercises are explored more in module 4. The functional correlates of mentalising involve decreased activity in the pre-frontal cortex (PFC) The likely relationship between these changes and the increase in social cognition and self-awareness is related to the interconnection between social environment, genetic hormonal factors and neural factors. It is suggested by neuroscientists that there is an imperative to aim education of adolescents at the regions of the brain controlling most change. These include internal self-regulation, multitasking and planning, self-awareness and social cognitive skills for example, developing social and emotional skills through collaborative dialogue about what is happening for students.
Cogenerative dialogues as a strategy for engaging about emotions is addressed in-depth in module 4. It is important for teachers to recognise
a) that the student teacher relationship is fundamental to brain growth and function and
b) to recognise that impulsivity and risk taking can be turned into raised self-awareness through creative activities that allow the adventurous side of adolescents to be satisfied
c) In diversifying the classroom and activities this will facilitate the development of self-regulation, higher executive skills and self-awareness.
For example, daily mindfulness activities, brain breaks, interactive gaming, physical activity outside and in. Dialogue with students about their musical tastes. Trial background music that can assist them to do mathematics or science. Be prepared to do research with your students about brain architecture and function.
Adaptive Response
You will have seen this diagram in Module one -Stress and your brain. The reason it is being shown again is to remind you of the sequential nature of the responses in the brain and to assist with this section which is challenging you to make some observations about the presented scenarios. Perry, B. D. (2020). The Neurosequential Model: A Developmentally Sensitive, Neuroscience Informed Approach to Clinical Problem-Solving. In J. Mitchell, editor.; Tucci, Joe, editor.; Tronick, Edward, editor. (Ed.), The Handbook of Therapeutic Care for Children : Evidence-Informed Approaches to Working with Traumatized Children and Adolescents in Foster, Kinship and Adoptive Care (1st Ed). (pp. 114-131). Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Understanding Brain States and Stress Responses
The diagram shows varying degrees of intensity and sensitivity in the brain’s response to stress. It is a normative arousal response system in the human brain. Moving from left to right demonstrates what Perry 2020 identifies as “the state dependence of the brain” (p.1 46). That is whatever colour scheme their behaviour matches is a reflection of the circumstances described that escalate or de-escalate the behaviour. Students exposed to prolonged stressors are functioning at the lower parts of the brain, not at cortex level therefore, the timing from escalating reactions to calmness may take longer depending on what the triggers represent to the individual, and it is our aim to teach you how to help students to manage this more easily in themselves, by providing training in specific strategies to manage your own and the adolescent students’ stress. Strategies of management for various arousal brain states is addressed in modules 4 & 5.
Arousal Systems and Crisis Intervention
As identified in module one the arousal system involves the Sympathetic Nervous system(SNS) The HPA Axis, and the Parasympathetic Nervous System(PNS). Neuroscientists and psychologists identify “heightened emotional reactivity” in adolescents that may contribute to the SNS activating more abruptly and rapidly than in adulthood (when cognitive control is hopefully more moderated). So, our aim is to reveal how this process works and at what point you can use prevention to sustain calmness or de-escalate potential disruption in the classroom, or at what point are you are forced to apply crisis intervention. Crisis intervention occurs at a point where you have not been able to successfully apply prevention strategies to keep individuals calm or you have not been able to de-escalate when you can see potential disruption. At the point of crisis, other strategies are necessary to bring an individual back to a state of calm. This is addressed on its own in module 5.
The Appraisal-Arousal System
The above diagram shows the adaptive response of the brain in situations from poor self-regulation through to good self-regulation- red to pale blue (executive behaviour regulation). Row one represents the type of response. Row two represents the parts of the brain in which you will find these responses. The bottom row represents the emotional reaction to the trigger (whatever this may be).
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Escalation from trigger = the type of reactiveness to expect
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and De-escalation conditions required, to correct the trigger response/reaction.
A significant fact: Initial Sympathetic reactions pass quickly and handled well individuals can get back to normal quickly however, this is a much longer and harder thing to achieve with those who have suffered ACE’s trauma or prolonged stress.
The response time from buildup to return to calm when managing students with extreme challenging behaviour is demonstrated in the module 5.
So, lets look at a few examples of the adaptive response in the classroom:
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You may have a neurodiverse student who does not like being touched. You also have a particular student who either knows this and takes advantage of the disruption caused through touching this student, or they don’t know and inadvertently get too physically close to this student. The reaction you get from your neurodiverse student may be those reactions in the red column. They have a meltdown, throwing things, screaming, lashing out and hitting.
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Another example may be a student who has suffered prolonged stress at home, has experienced yet another nasty altercation between their parents on the way to school and is sitting quietly and not responding to your questions, They may be looking out the window, or tapping incessantly. This student may well be reacting in the yellow column and be ready to flee.
The timing of prevention and de- escalation techniques with these students is important and we will be talking more about this in modules 4 & 5.
The Unavoidability of Brain Function in Response to Stress
Image via Zhivko Minkov, Unsplash
Scenario 1
This student could be depressed and may or may not be retreating because of a trigger that has occurred at home, a remark from a friend that has led them to feel that friend can no longer be trusted. An experience of cyberbullying. Look again at the last section and know that this is a retreat that at this point in their life they have no control over. Their brain is responding in a way that may be difficult for them to change. Your response will signal a new pathway for them to follow. It will also make a difference to how you feel about your capacity to self-manage and to support your relationship with that student.
The important thing to remember with your students and in developing caring relationships with them is Observation, Observation,
Observation, Prevention and/or De-escalation so that you don’t
have to intervene in crisis.
For example, by observing subtle changes in a student who has a
history of suicidality you may be able to warn their support network
early to prevent an impending crisis
Read these scenarios and reflect on the observations you need to make
with every child in your class. If you can pick any of the possible triggers
or catch the behaviours quickly enough you can de-escalate the worst of the responses and restore the student, yourself and the rest of class quickly to calmness. Look at the image and reflect on the emotional state of each of these students.
Scenario 2
This student may have a trigger that is related to being bullied in the school grounds or on the way to school or there may have been a DV incident at home or stress from illness in the family. If this is an unusual behaviour in this student, then just a simple inquiry to bring their attention back to the classroom. Are you ok you look a bit stressed today? (the behaviour is still a reflection of brain function). If this is a consistent behaviour with this student, you need to recognise that this is out of their control, until they can learn through different strategies to alter what may be a stuck signal in the brain’s stress/arousal response. Acknowledgement that you have their backs is gold, Discretion is important and adolescents need to know they are heard even if this is just your observation and a simple statement. Your response will signal a new pathway for them to follow. It will also make a difference to how you feel about your capacity to self-manage and to support your relationship with that student.
Strategies for managing these scenarios is in the next section and will be individually addressed in modules 4 & 5.
Image via Nima Sarram, Unsplash
Strategies to Address Challenging Behaviour
Music is one of the most successful classroom strategies that can prevent or de-escalate challenging behaviour. Music impacts brain function and human behaviour including reducing stress, pain and symptoms of depression as well as improving cognition and the brain's ability to produce neurons. Research into choirs is revealing these are particularly helpful. Singing provides aerobic lung exercise that has a calming effect in the brain. Music and singing are addressed in-depth and in module 4. The Adolescent default network (ADN) is what the brain looks like when it is daydreaming. If you see your students daydreaming they may need a break. The brain requires periods of daydreaming to keep equilibrium between networks; however, daydreaming can also be reflective of medical or neural dysfunction. When students are engaged in thinking, the default network is deactivated for example, when you call on short term memory, the pre-frontal cortex and hippocampus must work together and so tell the default network to “shut up”.
Image via Ahmad, Unsplash
Vigorous exercise works well with teenagers who are fit physically but not so with those who are unfit i.e. vigorous exercise for the unfit makes the hippocampus work overtime, and this is not good in the long term. A nature walk that is not too arduous would be better or an exercise that requires thinking with minimal physical application for example, Qigong or breathwork awareness. Eventually the adolescent may become fitter and be able to manage more vigorous exercise. In contrast if you can get a depressed or suicidal teenager to do vigorous aerobic exercise for 10 minutes at a time this is believed to promote Brain Derived Neurotrophins Factor (BDNF) a protein believed to be encoded by the gene BDNF. Plays an important role in neuronal survival, and growth and serves as a neurotransmitter modulator and participates in an essential role of plasticity re learning and memory.
Image via Peyman Shojaei, Unsplash
1
The brain is still the most complex structure known to humankind.
The fastest reaction time to a stimulus is about 100 milliseconds and the time it takes for a sensory stimulus to become conscious is typically a few hundred milliseconds.
Long term heavy alcohol and/or drug use changes the brain and causes significant reduction in size of neurons.
Overuse of technology is undergoing intensive fMRI studies to measure potential damage to structure or function.
Adverse childhood experiences over a prolonged period impact negatively on adolescent brain development often resulting in very challenging behaviour.
FANTASTIC
FACTS
When you listen to a high musical note your auditory
nerve is firing as fast as the sound waves that vibrate
your eardrum
3
2
4
5
6
These are just some facts to demonstrate just how powerful our brains are. To remind you that adolescence is a time of sensitive and powerful change in the brain. To urge you to be aware of the things that can damage
the brain. That adolescents with challenging behaviour can be healed through constant, positive relationships and stable environments of which the student teacher relationship is crucial and a calm creative classroom environment imperative.
Module 2 Conclusion
Things to remember:
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Adolescent brain development is all about awe inspiring change.
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Strong positive relationships and stable safe environments contribute to healthy brains.
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Students presenting with challenging behaviour cannot help how the brain has processed information from adverse childhood experiences, prolonged stress, trauma or an unexpected crisis.
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Understanding adolescent brain development and developing neuroinformed skills to support emotions and behaviour paves the way to optimal well-being and creative learning environments for teachers and students.
These are just a few points to remember that hopefully will inspire you to build creative and peaceful classrooms. At the same time to facilitate students wanting to learn and grow up in collaboration with one another.
Thank you for watching Module 2. Please click on the link provided by Dr. Dan Siegel. It is a succinct and inspiring glimpse encapsulated by a world-renowned Neuropsychiatrist with a profound commitment to shift perspectives on adolescent years of development.
Video: Unlocking the Adolescent Mind: Insights from Dr. Siegel
'randomactsofkindness'. 'Unlocking the Adolescent Mind: Insights from Dr. Siegel'. YouTube, 2019. https://youtu.be/0O1u5OEc5eY?si=AWt30m53KQ1SddGT