Adolescent Neuro- development
Essential Knowledge and Practical Resources for Teachers
Essential Knowledge and Practical Resources for Teachers
Adolescence is a time characterized by physical, emotional, and social changes. It is also a time in which there are significant differences in neural structures, which directly affect the way adolescents learn and respond to traditional instructional strategies (Blakemore, 2018; Siegel 2008).
This site provides essential knowledge and practical resources for all educators who work with adolescents. It explains how the adolescent brain is wired differently, how teachers can use this knowledge in instructional design, and why adolescence is considered a "second window of opportunity" (Dahl, et al., 2017) in neural development.
This site will also provide resources to explain how adolescent neurobiology differs from childhood and adulthood (the what), how to use this knowledge to tailor instructional design and create engaging lessons (the so what) and, practical strategies and lessons to work with our students to build essential brain architecture that will lay a foundation for future success (the now what).
Many of the suggested resources will appear more than once throughout this site. This is intentional, as the resources may have specific relevance to more than one topic, and is meant to provide teachers with easier access to valuable resources without searching through different pages.
To read the paper in defence of this project, click here.
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Neuromyths -a facet of brain science or cognitive psychology research that is widely misunderstood or oversimplified to the point of misuse, and common in education. In order to bridge the gap between science and educational application, it is important for teachers to reflect on what they currently know, address misconceptions, and prime their brains for further learning.
Take this anonymous quiz to test your knowledge of neuroscience in education.
Changing attitudes and approaches to teaching adolescents: why it is vitally important to recognize this age as a unique stage of vulnerability and opportunity and how to create learning environments tailored to creating a positive spiral.
Dr. Bryan Kolb, from the Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience at the University of Lethbridge and former president of the Canadian Society for Brain, Behavior, and Cognitive Science, discusses the importance in moving from brain research to the classrroom.
This presentation was part of a 2012 Research in Education Seminar Series held by the Faculty of Edcuation at the University of Lethbridge.