RESEARCH Tweets of the week


their learning experiences and to be able to learn by doing rather than by being told. Our conclusion: The practice and development of


skills addresses the need for teenagers to have active involvement in their learning. Applying skills and knowledge in a practical way does so too. Stretching the learning of both skills and knowledge in an active way that develops a sense of struggle, which in itself builds resilience, is what teenagers’ brains are seeking.


They need their peers


Teenagers crave their peers as a result of the transition in their brains and bodies from child to adult. “What teenagers want most of all are social rewards,


especially the respect of their peers,” said Alison Gopnik, a professor of psychology at the University of California in aWall Street Journal article in January. “For teenagers, friends become so important. As


they reach adolescence, children begin to associate their parents with their past and they now use their friends to validate their future. It is their friends who help them to identify who they are and the choices they make.” In his book, The New Science of the Teenage Brain,


Mr Dobbs agrees. “We enter a world made by our parents,” he said. “But we will live most of our lives and prosper (or


not) in a world run and remade by our peers. Knowing, understanding, and building relationships with them bears critically on success. This supremely human characteristic makes peer relations not a sideshow but the main show.” Our conclusion: Teenagers need their peers for so


many things, including their learning. They need to learn with and from their friends, working together rather than being forced to work alone.


A bridge from primary to secondary


Teenagers’ brains are adapting from the growing brain of a child to a finely tuned brain of an adult. Mr Dobbs calls it the “adaptive-adolescent story”,


years


risk versus reward differently. In situations where risk can get them what they want, they value the reward more highly than adults do.” Mr Dobbs’ conclusion is based on the work of


Dr Laurence Steinberg, a developmental psychologist specialising in adolescence at Temple University in Philadelphia. Dr Steinberg’s research is supported by the work of Abigail Baird, assistant professor of psychology at Vassar College in New York, who studies brain development in adolescents. Prof Baird said: “The more you seek novelty and


take risks, the better you do.” Baird and Steinberg’s work identifies the need for teenagers to push boundaries in


to face significant risks as a result, in order to achieve a goal. This desire is more powerful at adolescence than at any other stage of human life


‘ ’ SecEd • May 17 2012


casting the teen “less as a rough draft” and more as an “exquisitely sensitive, highly adaptable creature wired almost perfectly for the job of moving from the safety of home into the complicated world outside”. A move, he says, that is the most difficult and most critical thing that humans do. Professor BJ Casey, neuroscientist and director


of the Sackler Institute at Weill Medical College of Cornell University, adds that “we’re so used to seeing adolescence as a problem, but the more we learn about what really makes this period unique, the more adolescence starts to seem like a highly functional, even adaptive period”. Our conclusion: We need to create a bridge in


order to help adolescents move effectively from primary to secondary; to become able independent and interdependent learners.


Why do we need to improve?


What all current research into the adolescent brain suggests is that the middle years of schooling have traditionally worked against the natural needs of teenagers, not with them. We have broken down the safe structure of primary


school, given them a mass of new things to organise alone, forced them to move from the security and con- sistency of one teacher to many, expected them to learn separate subjects with no connections among them, and often separated them from their peers.


Research is discovering that an adolescent’s brain has a desire to take action and a willingness


What are the solutions?


The underlying message of all this research is that teenagers should be learning in a way that supports the development of their brains. They need their learning to make connections and


to show relevance. They will gain more from their learning if they directly involve their peers. As teach- ers, we need to inspire their curiosity and build their confidence.


‘ Adolescence is a


time when brains are absorbing a huge amount, but also


undergoing so many


alterations that many things can go wrong


We need to make sure they learn in an active way,


to allow and even encourage them to make mistakes and to provide opportunities for them to take risks. And we need to help them along the way with organisation, clarity and understanding. Prof Baird, in her article The Terrible Twelves,


’


suggests a solution for adolescent learning. She explained: “Greater experience, together with an improved system for organising and retrieving the memories of that experience, enable the adolescent to recall and apply a greater number of experiences to new situations.” She continued: “Those who fair best during


adolescence will be those who are able to integrate their abstract knowledge, past experiences and current situational demands.” An adolescent curriculum needs to enable teachers to help their students achieve this.


SecEd


• Emily Porter is the director of the International Middle Years Curriculum and led its research and development. Emily was a middle years teacher and curriculum writer for 10 years. Visit www.greatlearning.com/imyc


Ofsted chief Sir Michael Wilshaw once again made headlines when in a speech this week he called for schools to ban mobile phones as part of a crack-down on low-level disruption.


“Low-level disruption? Perhaps schools will be free of the low-level disruption of Ofsted imposing policies


by media briefing.” @mattpearson


“Ofsted will penalise innovative educators harnessing the technology


effectively.” @nathancobb


“They’re writing notes – ban the pens.” @elldwyer


“As a parent I vote no. As a teacher I vote yes!


But is it even realistic?” @Judithpb


“Banning mobile phones in schools cuts off a medium to learning that students


intuitively understand.” @levdavidovic www.twitter.com/SecEd_Education


Celebrating Cultural


Diversity in the United Kingdom


£1,000s IN PRIZES TO BEWON


The competition The NASUWT annual arts & minds Competition aims to promote and celebrate cultural diversity.


• The Competition is open to children and young people from primary, secondary and special schools across the UK.


• Using artwork and creative writing, pupils explore what diversity, equality and identity means to them and how this is reflected in their lives, families, schools and communities.


• Teachers can incorporate the competition into lessons on various subjects, including history, humanities, literacy, art and citizenship, and school projects.


• There is an art category for all forms of art, including photography, digital artwork and collages.


• The creative writing category is for stories, poetry and lyrics, including the Anne Frank Poetry Award for poems inspired by the life and writing of Anne Frank.


Awards ceremony and prizes Prizes will be presented at a special awards ceremony on 9 October 2012 and will include:


• • • •


•


£1,000 for the overall winning school; £350 for all winning schools;


gift vouchers worth up to £100 for winning pupils;


overnight accommodation at a deluxe London hotel and appropriate travel and subsistence expenses for winning pupils, their parent/guardian and a teacher;


a visit to a top London attraction. CLOSING DATE: 2 JULY 2012


To obtain an application formandmore details, go to: www.nasuwt.org.uk/ArtsandMinds Telephone: 0121 453 6150


Sponsored by


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