Emotions start to get intense during adolescence.

Due to unexpected and

overwhelming emotions, parents and teachers may start seeing argumentative and

violent actions. Teenagers also tend to be quite self-centered. They are obsessed with

themselves since they are starting to feel like themselves and examining their

personalities and mental patterns. Adolescence is a time when possibilities seem

limitless, which might cause some teenagers to become too idealistic.

Additionally, they question whether anyone might comprehend what they are going

through since they think their ideas and feelings are exclusive.

Parents and teachers may better assist this age group members in creating their

identities and becoming more independent by recognizing the traits of teens and the

changes they go through.

According to Hankin et al. (1998), the prevalence of depression rises rapidly from

around 2% in early adolescence to about 18% in early adulthood. According to Orth et

al. (2016), depression is more likely to strike those who have low self-esteem.

 Intense emotions

 Argumentative and violent actions

 Self-centeredness

 Low self-esteem

 Depression

The course will last for 6 hours. Each module will last for an hour, and the

introduction and reflection parts are planned to take 30 min each.

Module 4 will be based on indirect instructional design, which will help the students better

understand the ideas and develop the ability to draw on these understandings.

Learning objectives: Students will recognize the good and bad effects and the results of

decisions. They will put their assertiveness and refusal skills into effect, as well as the effective

Decision-Making steps to success while weighing the pros and cons of various options.

Pre-test: At the start of the module, learners will have questions regarding their decision-making

experience. (For instance, How do you judge your decisions?) The learners will leave their

reflections on these questions as written/audio text.

Next, the learners will watch a video on practical decision-making steps to succeed. Their video

will stop after each step, and there will pop-up some content questions to gauge the learners’

attention. Finally, they must write the answer to each question to proceed to the next step.

After they complete watching the video, they will play an online game. The game will provide a

situation and give several options to act to succeed in that situation. They should think about the

positive and negative effects of the decision they make. The learner should choose one option

and reflect on why this option is the most relevant and what effect it would create. If the decision

he/she made is the right one, he/she will move on to the next level. 

At the end of the module, the learner should reflect on his feelings and compare what he felt

before doing this module and how the module helped him to become better at decision-making. 
Using a framework called the Ethical Decision-Making Method as a guide, students in

upper grades explore tough issues independently. Middle school students use case

studies to apply the framework. In one example, students discuss a young girl named

Emma who is not invited to a party but sees her friend Jane at the event on social

media posts. The dilemma puts students in a bind, pitting a sense of loyalty against the

need to be diplomatic and not unnecessarily hurt a friend’s feelings.  

Students reflect on questions like, “How might Emma feel when she sees the

Instagram photo? What is Jane’s responsibility in this case? What values influence the

way you think about this scenario?” Because the scenarios are fictional but realistic,

students are able to freely consider the different perspectives of each character,

says Institute Director Karen Rezach.

The students' exploration digs deeper, taking into consideration not only how to make

difficult decisions, but how the decisions reflect the underlying values that are

important to each student. Middle school students at Kent Place present their findings
in different formats—songs, poems and videos—based on the principles they believe

are most valuable. 

“Once the presentations end, Rezach pairs up students with conflicting ideals—

compassion versus justice, for example—and asks them to write a case study

together,” Flanagan reports. Eighth-grader Alexandra Grushkin chose integrity, for

example, and was paired with a student who chose loyalty; together they crafted a case

study that demonstrated the tension between these two values: “What does a student

do when she spots her close friend cheating in a school competition?”

The practice not only fosters better ethical decision-making, but it may also have a

positive effect on academic performance, says Flanagan. Exercises that require

assessments of ethical dilemmas can improve reasoning and critical thinking skills—

valuable assets in many academic contexts. Students can apply ethical considerations

to historical events, scientific discoveries, and technological or medical developments.

Beyond academics, ethical training develops important “soft skills” like respect,

empathy and compassion. “Exploring conflicts from different points of view—and

striving to understand the value behind an opinion—also makes them more empathetic

to others,” Flanagan writes. Identifying the principles that comprise the foundation of

their own beliefs as well as those that guide others allows students to hone social and

emotional competencies like self-awareness and social awareness.