Learning in Adolescence

 

Articles
Recommended Reading
Related links

This area of the website is devoted to adolescents and their special needs in any educational environment. As they cope with newly changing bodies, unpredictable voices, surging hormones, and fluctuating emotions, is it any wonder that many have a difficult time concentrating on learning? It has also been observed that at the middle school years, many students have not developed psychologically to the point of being able to deal with learning that involves formal operations thinking. If they are helped to develop these thinking skills through "hands-on" learning, the arts, internships in the community, and service learning they may move through this period without undue damage to their self-esteem. They also need support in numbers of other ways. We hope you will find useful a number of articles and suggestions on this subject by a variety of authorities .

Articles

Managing the Active, Differentiated-Learning Classroom   Mark Kennedy
Classroom management which allows kids to learn social and democratic principles in a natural, experiential flow.

Student Led Conferences at the Secondary Level   Karen Dickinson
The director of Curriculum and Instruction of Federal Way Public Schools explains an effective way to engage students and parents in the process of assessment that has useful outcomes for both.

Comprehension and Discipline Literacy: The Key to High School Achievement    Yvette Jackson
Practical ideas for improving literacy in secondary education.

A Survey of Ballard High School Students and Parents: What do they want from their mathematic instructional programs?    Nakonia (Niki) Hayes
A high school math teacher and former principal shares the informative results of a survey on math instruction.

Reclaiming Real "Basic Skills" in Mathematics Education Nakonia (Niki) Hayes
High school math teacher outlines the current conventional wisdom about what constitutes basic math skills.

Academies of Inquiry and Talent for the Middle School Years   Joseph S. Renzulli and Susannah Richards
Two well known authorities on gifted education share a successful middle school model that provides opportunities for students to develop their intellectual talents in ways that allow for social and emotional growth.

Success by Design    Deborah Moffit
Deborah describes Interagency Academy, a public school in Seattle designed to meet the needs of its students.  The article includes links to videos of Academy students voicing their thoughts on education.

Who Needs Parents Anyway?   Richard Esparza
The principal of a successful Eastern Washington high school describes how the school has achieved 100 percent engagement of parents in annual conferencing. A true academic relationship with each student and parent has been accomplished by rearranging the counseling system and engaging "one student, one parent, and one teacher at a time."

Advanced Placement as a Positive Outcome for All Students   Kathleen Plato
The Supervisor for Advanced Placement Programs at the Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction conveys the powerful effect of advanced placement programs on the state and nation.

A New Wave of Evidence: Relationships Between Effective Parental Involvement and Student Achievement   compiled by the Washington Alliance for Better Schools
A synthesis of the latest research finding a positive and convincing correlation between family involvement and benefits for students.

Intelligent Design, or Not: Dr. Strangescience, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Wedge    Mark Terry
A high school science teacher discusses how he includes the Theory of Evolution and Intelligent Design in his curriculum along with thought-provoking discussions.

Two-Footed Questions for Higher Grades and Happier Teens    Ellen Weber
Author of numerous books on the application of Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences describes a method for developing higher order thinking processes among secondary and higher education students.

Creating Common Experiences for Parent/Youth Dialogue    Stan Crow
Rite of Passage Journeys, described here, is a program for early adolescents begun in 1968. In its current form this outdoor-based summer program includes important opening and closing activities and rituals for family involvement. The activities are designed to send all the family members forth to live in a different, creative way as a family.

The Road Not Taken – A Disciplinary Journey    Curt Brand
School Psychologist discusses how motivating students can make it possible for more to be successful at learning.

Inspiring Student Learning with the Real World   Wendy Church
Director for Facing the Future invites educators to explore the benefits of this organization's standards-based global issues curriculum and new book.

Passages : Fostering Community, Heart, and Spirit in Adolescent Education   Rachael Kessler
A new program offers guidelines for teachers and parents to help teenagers in their transition from child to adult.

The Window: Saving Creativity in Teens    Sebastian Lockwood
A college teacher and bard urges educators to teach students to understand and develop the processes of creativity while they are young.

Speaking Circles Applied to Adolescents    Leslie Medine and Edd Conboy
The HOME Project puts Erik Erikson's theory that the search for identity is the primary developmental task for adolescents into practice. Peer relationships provide a natural framework for teens' explorations of identity, and the HOME Project uses a process called Speaking Circles to help adolescents learn effective listening and communication skills.

Teaming with Purpose: Unleashing the Potential by Andrew L. Rogers
A school principal shares research and his experiences with teaming in a middle school.

The Launching Years: No Time to Stop Parenting    Laura Kastner and Jennifer Wyatt
As children leave the nest, parenting should not end but evolve.

Adolescence Is a Syndrome    Fred Mednick, Ed.D.
A high school principal tells all. What you don't know about your teenager can cause unnecessary strife and conflict. Fred Mednick's humorous and wise advice to parents experiencing fun and frustration with their adolescent children. (Teachers will find his insights useful, too!)

Whose Homework Is this Anyway?    Judee K. Axelsen, Ed.D.
Some tips for parents on how to deal with homework.

Learning in the Mall    Susan Byers
The Director of Special Programs for the Seattle Public Schools describes several innovative projects including a school in a shopping mall.

The Interdisciplinary Project Model: A Workable Response to the Challenges of Multicultural Education In Our Nation's Secondary Schools    Jere Mendelsohn and Fredrick J. Baker
The authors share some successful ways to teach culturally diverse populations.

One Student at a Time: A Deeply Personalized Public High School    Elliot Washor and Dennis Littky
The Met School in Providence, RI offers a new model for secondary education.

World's First Wilderness Technology Summit    Dee Dickinson
At a lodge in the foothills of Mount Rainier, thirty at-risk students and their mentors created a CD-ROM documenting their experiences and research on the mountain's centennial over the past school year. The project is the brainchild of Lou August, President of Trinity Technologies, who helps underserved students become successful learners and productive citizens.

A Call to Action:  A Global Youth Empowerment Society (YES)    Gary Goldman and Allen Schmieder
The authors call for young persons in America to make significant contributions to their community, thereby energizing their lives and spearheading the revitalization of schools and neighborhoods.

ArtsPlace: It Really Works!  Sharon Nesbitt Davis and Claire Rotolo
An out of school program in Illinois puts teens to work as apprentices to local artists.

Education Through the Arts in Secondary Schools    Stephanie B. Perrin
Intensive arts training, far from being impractical and elitist, can prepare students for life and work by developing in them the general skills and attitudes, the habits of heart and mind they need to prevail in postmodern society no matter what career they chose.

The Cappies: Celebrating High School Theater Like Never Before    Bill Strauss and Judy Bowns
A new program for showcasing the acheivements of high school theater students and critics.

Born to Be You: Why You Already ARE Who You Are Going To Be And What To Do About It    Susan M. Quattrociocchi, Ph.D.

Contextual Learning and the World Classroom    Wendy Church
Timely new resources from Facing the Future will be of invaluable help to teachers and students of many different subjects.

Recommended Reading

Positive Parenting Your Teens: The A to Z Book of Sound Advice and Practical Solutions   Karen Renshaw Joslin and Mary Bunting Decher

Moral Questions in the Classroom: How to Get Kids to Think Deeply About Real Life and Their Schoolwork Katharine G. Simon

The Launching Years: Strategies for Parenting From Senior Year to College Life   Laura S. Kastner, and Jennifer Wyatt

Reclaiming Youth At Risk: Our Hope for the Future   Larry K. Brendtro, Martin Brokenleg, Steve Van Bockern

Young People's Guide to Goal Setting    James P. Desrosiers

Soul of a Citizen:  Living with Conviction in a Cynical Time  Paul Rogat Loeb

Proceed With Passion: Engaging Students in Meaningful Education   Paul Cummins with Anna Cummins and Emily Cummins

Lessons from the Hawk Mark Kennedy

It's Up to Us   John Graham

One Kid at a Time    Eliot Levine

Emotional Honesty and Self-Acceptance: Education Strategies for Preventing Violence   Ronald R. Brill

A Hope in the Unseen   Ron Suskind

Adolescents and Inclusion: Transforming Secondary Schools    edited by Anne M. Bauer and Glenda Myree Brown

Academic Success Strategies for Adolescents with Learning Disabilities and ADHD   Esther Minskoff and David Allsopp

Related links

ADOL: Adolescence Directory Online
This site is sponsored by the Center for Adolescent Studies, located in the School of Education, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN. Resources , chat areas, and a few articles.

Dr. Michael Fenichel's Current Topics in Psychology
website has wonderful links to articles on Children and Violence, adolescent health issues, depression, self esteem, peer pressure, and much more.  He also has a site for educators, Dr. Michael Fenichel's Teaching Tools offering online resources.

Good Times and Sharp Minds Both Served up at Dinner  Elsa "Midge" Bowman, Christian Science Monitor

How the Adolescent Brain Challenges the Adult Brain

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