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Melissa Bildeaux

Debra Mishak, Phd.D.

REDG 605

13 May 2020

Adolescent Brain Research Report

Adolescent Ability to Take on Someone Else’s Perspective to Guide Behavior

Sarah-Jane Blakemore, in her Ted Talk video on “The Mysterious Workings of the

Adolescent Brain,” explained very well how the medial prefrontal cortex in adolescence is still

developing. This helps to explain the challenges teens face when taking on someone else’s

perspective in order to guide their behavior or adjust an outcome. In a case study they conduct in

Blakemore’s lab, they observe and analyze how age impacts how well a person can take on the

point of view of another. This case study shows there are still significant changes happening in

the medial prefrontal cortex for adolescents. This further means between mid-adolescence

(described in this case study as ages 14-17.7) and adulthood, there are still significant

improvements being made that increase one’s ability to take on someone else’s perspective in

order to guide continued behavior.

The fact that middle school and high school level students are still learning how to take

on someone else’s perspective is enlightening and great knowledge to have as a future teacher.

This winter I observed in a middle school classroom where students were presenting final

projects. During these presentations, I put myself in these students’ shoes in order to gain a better

understanding and to learn from them. I watched student interactions and the preparations each

student took prior to presenting. I didn’t notice any students making adaptations to their own
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presentation preparations based on what they observed; for example, checking to make sure they

had all of the components ready to present (a handful of students made this same mistake). This

is just one example of how students’ brains are still developing and students aren’t naturally

viewing these presentations from their classmates’ perspectives in order to improve their own

outcomes. Understanding these brain developments are happening can help me to better

understand the behaviors of students in my classroom and school.

What Factors Motivate Students to Learn?

Understanding what motivates students to learn is an important skill for me to have in

order to create a classroom environment that supports learning. I understand that no one thing

motivates all. I also understand that what motivates me isn’t what motivates others. “How

Learning Works: 7 Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching” emphasizes the extreme

importance of motivation in learning. They use examples to explain how the subjective value of

a goal and the expectations in reaching that goal are key to understanding motivation in the

classroom. An attractive goal for the student, and students believing they can successfully reach

this goal, is a powerful motivation tool.

When reading further into this book, it also suggests a handful of strategies to improve

the value of goals in my classroom. One of my favorite strategies is to connect the material to

students’ interests. I’ve noticed when my own Kindergartener has a little more freedom in being

able to journal about a topic of his choice, he spends a lot more time and is able to write more in

his journal on the topic. When he’s asked to journal about a specific topic he’s disinterested in,

he ends up drawing a stick figure and writes one or two words. This same idea transfers into
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older students. Allowing students to connect with the materials in a way that interests them will

allow for more engagement and deeper thinking, which will immensely improve their learning.

Another strategy I would like to use in my classroom is to provide authentic, real-world

tasks. As a business education teacher, I see a lot of opportunities to relate the course material to

something in students’ current lives. An example would be to provide activities to high school

students on personal financing and learning to save for an item they really want to buy. This sets

them up for success with tools to help them manage their finances after high school and gives

them the skills to financially plan for a wanted item in an affordable way. Another example

would be to give middle school students tips and tricks to manage their email and Google Suite

content. These skills will be helpful in current and future classes, which also covers another

strategy of showing relevance to students’ current academic lives. In my classroom, I hope to

incorporate knowledge learned in other courses to help demonstrate value to the students and to

show how their other courses are building blocks for future courses.

In order to motivate students, it’s also important to build up students’ confidence in

reaching positive outcomes for their goals. One strategy I plan to follow is to ensure alignment of

objectives, assessments, and instructional strategies. This will help students to understand what I

expect from them and will clearly show them what steps to take in order to succeed. I also need

to effectively communicate my expectations. By clearly and continually communicating what I

expect and what they need to do to meet these expectations, it will give students more confidence

and a better opportunity to achieve these positive outcomes.

Environments that Support Healthy Development

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I’m also very interested in learning how to create a classroom environment that supports

healthy development for students. In “Understanding the Brain” posted by the Washington State

Office of Superintendent of Public Instructions, they offer ideas on how to promote resilience in

students, improve student engagement, and give students’ brains the chance to flourish. They

take into account how the brain is developing and transforming during adolescence to give action

steps on how I can implement these ideas and adopt positive teaching habits.

This publication suggests that one action step I can take in order to promote resilience in

my students is to be a relationship coach. I should make a connection with students and be an

active listener. In previous experiences I found I don’t need to seek these students out or promote

my help as a “relationship coach,” but just being available and willing to listen, while offering

openness and honesty, can be enough to show students I care about more than their academics. I

want to adopt the importance of making a connection with students and actively listening to my

way of life as a teacher.

Another idea that promotes resilience in my students is to empower. Some ways I can

empower students is helping them find what motivates them or what they’re passionate about. I

can talk through their options with them and have trusting conversations. Another promotion of

resilience in students is to give students decision-making abilities. In my lessons, I can give them

the task and expected outcome, along with ideas on avenues they can take to reach these

outcomes. However, I can give students the choice to choose their avenue and support them

along the way.

I was also intrigued by the idea of experimenting with classroom setup in order to boost

engagement and give students’ brains the chance to flourish. Some ideas shared by
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“Understanding the Adolescent Brain” are to arrange desks so students can easily make eye

contact with each other or to work with students to help create furniture arrangements. Giving

students a classroom space that lets them embrace the lessons and their peers will increase their

potential for learning. I look forward to viewing other teachers' classrooms and expanding my

education in order to promote collaboration and student engagement. I previously visited a

classroom that invested in flexible seating arrangements and different chair options like high

stools and standard, bouncing, and rocking chairs. Each new set of students that enters the room,

can choose their chair and seating arrangement. I know this costs money, but if this is something

I find value in, it could be a valuable goal to work up to. In the school district in which I hope to

intern, I know there are excellent teachers who put a lot of thought and time into their classroom

set up. I look forward to learning a lot from my colleagues and asking great questions around

their classroom set up.

Adverse Childhood Experiences

Adverse childhood experiences are traumatic events that can occur anywhere from birth

to adolescence. “Understanding the Adolescent Brain” posted by the Washington State Office of

Superintendent of Public Instructions, also says these experiences during childhood can greatly

impact how a person handles future interactions and situations. Some of these experiences

acknowledged by the Center for Disease Control/Kaiser Permanente Study include abuse,

neglect, drug or alcohol addiction with a family member, and loss of a parent through death,

abandonment, or divorce. There are many effects these traumatic experiences can have on

someone, including struggling to control their actions and emotions. These traumatic experiences

and other memorable negative occurrences can mold future brain development. Issues from these
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experiences can be more prevalent during adolescence and can change the path each student

takes.

I’m interested to learn more about how brain function factors into how children come out

of these adverse childhood experiences. “Understanding the Adolescent Brain” explains the

brain’s number one priority when dealing with trauma and stress is survival. It puts the need for

survival above things like emotion and impulses control, problem-solving, and working memory.

I will absolutely be a teacher to students who have had or are going through adverse childhood

experiences. Learning how to understand and help all students in my class is a top priority.

One way I can prepare for this and to ensure I have positive interactions with students is

to continue to read about it and reach out to experts to stay informed. I can jump at opportunities

to learn more and I should not shy away from being involved in the lives of my students because

I’m unsure or uncomfortable. This same publication suggests appreciating and doing my best to

fully understand interactions with students in order to help build trust and open lines of

communication. Some ideas to do this are to be present when interacting with students, reflect on

the facts as open-mindedly as possible, and do my best to understand how the student feels. In

the school district in which I currently work, we are at the beginnings of implementing a solid

foundation for Multi-Tiered Systems of Support. Part of this is to bring strong social-emotional

learning to our district. When teaching in any district, it’s a smart idea to get involved in these

teams in order to learn from others and to be self-aware in my abilities to help students. I want to

establish positive relationships with students and it’s important for me to continue to develop my

knowledge and skills when talking about adverse childhood experiences and understanding the

social-emotional needs of all students.

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Using Risk-Based Learning Games as an Educator

I’m very fascinated with how brain research in adolescents can help me better understand

the students I’ll be teaching. After our initial readings, I was excited to research further to find

ideas on how I can take this knowledge and incorporate it into my teaching. When looking

through external peer-reviewed articles to learn more about brain development, I found an

intriguing journal article called “Risk-Based Learning Games Improve Long-Term Retention of

Information among School Pupils.”

This article details a case study involving 448 nine to ten-year-old students. They split

these students into three groups and each group separately attended the same learning workshop.

Group #1 received tokens at their workshop and were split into teams and periodically

throughout the workshop were asked to complete multiple-choice questions. Each team

designated tokens to the answer they believed to be correct. If the team chose the correct answer,

the tokens were distributed back out. Subsequently, if the team chose an incorrect answer they

did not receive a token back. The students in this group were also told the team with the most

tokens at the end of the day received a prize. Group #2 completed these same multiple-choice

questions with the absence of the tokens. While Group #3 did not complete any multiple-choice

questions throughout their workshop and tokens were also not involved.

At the end of the workshop, each team then completed an end of the day quiz. This case

study found that Group #1 scored the highest, having been motivated by the tokens. Student

feedback also supports that this group felt much more engaged throughout the workshop. One

even more exciting result is when all groups took a quiz one week later to see if they could recall

the information, Group #1’s scores improved from their previous scores. The case study took this
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to suggest these students continued to have conversations on the content outside of the

workshop.

I love this idea of teaching new skills to students in a fun way. I recall from Sarah-Jane

Blakemore’s Ted Talk on “The Mysterious Workings of the Adolescent Brain,” the development

happening in the limbic system is involved with reward processing. The limbic system is very

active during adolescence and is responsible for reward-seeking, mood swings, and emotional

regulation. Incorporating tokens into a lesson doesn’t seem to add any more effort than what is

already put into a lesson. Turning a lesson into a friendly competition or having a treat for

students once they get through a time-consuming project are little things I can do to add

motivation and add to an overall positive classroom environment. This case study helps to show

me that by turning a lesson into a game, it encourages more student engagement, which in turn

helps to promote long-term retention of the teachings. I want to take ideas like these and learn

from them through student feedback and student assessment. I endeavor to use brain research in

adolescents to make a positive impact on students’ lives.

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References

Ambrose, Susan A., et al. ​How Learning Works: 7 Research-Based Principles for Smart

Teaching.​ John Wiley and Sons, 2010.

Blakemore, Sarah-Jane. “The Mysterious Workings of the Adolescent Brain.” ​TED: Ideas Worth

Spreading​, June 2012, ​https://www.ted.com/talks/sarah_jayne_blakemore_the_mysterious_

workings_of_the_adolescent_brain?language=en#​.

Devonshire, Ian M et al. “Risk-Based Learning Games Improve Long-Term Retention of

Information Among School Pupils.” PloS one 9.7 (2014): e103640–. Web.

Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. ​Understanding the Adolescent Brain.​

June 2017.