Where do you teach? & Adolescence

What did you take from the talk on the history of schools in England - Jeremy Haywood

responses:

- Surprised by how few subjects were taught.

- Negative perceptions towards schools and even with tensions between 'public and academic students'.

- Negative take/ reflection on religion.

- Focus on skills vs knowledge - access to resources, interesting to see how funding and marketing towards encouraging parents to pay more for education will focus on individuality and development of skills and talents.

- Transition from creative and vocational education to delivery of a curriculum.

What do you already know about teaching and learning in London schools?

- Shifted away from teaching arts

- Clear agenda with the curriculum

- Diversity is a big factor that might differentiate London school systems.

- Children live closer - access to more schools and easier to change schools

- Capital of the country - more aware of societal issues as surrounded by them.

- subcultures within London - varied but quite regional

- Push for inclusion

- Access to technologies with increased budgets: i.e. a tablet assigned to every child

- Covid - 19 regulations - increased awareness of this risk as London is more crowded than further away.

- PRU -- people referral units are on the rise, centres for misbehaving students - schools are more competitive for result percentages and move children who achieve less to other schools to preserve percentages. Funnelling out more vulnerable students.

What can you do during your school induction to help you be a successful learner and teacher?

- Practice 'routes' around the school - find a school map

- Ask questions - what is expected from me at this stage, how can i best fulfil this?

- Research and familiarise with the school

- Establish routes to commute to the school

- Talk to students - how they find the school, what it does well and less well.

- Get to know department leads - DSL team, nurses,

- Get to know the timetable well

- Observe teaching styles - what conventions are the children used to, what do they respond well to?

Beginning the conversation on Adolescents and adolescence:

Dr Jo Saunders

Part 1 - Puberty - the biology

Three phases of adolescence:

Early adolescence - (12 - 14)

Mid Adolescence (15 - 17)

Late Adolescence (18 - 21)

Some argue that at the extremes adolescence can begin as early as 8 and extend as late as 25

(predominantly western contexts)

Some of the reason for this earlier age of adolescence is nutrition and physical growth (The shifting of puberty due to physical conditioning.)

Paradox of training to be a teacher, where some would consider those under 25 to still be an adolescent.

The same can be said for reliability on one's parents, removing adult maturity from age and into characteristics of independence.

Adolescence pre-empts adult responsibilities. - It is dependent on culture and society which determines the shift from adolescence to adulthood.

Benchmarks of Early - Mid adolescence:

- The question of identity.

- Demonstrating passion and creativity.

- Becoming idealistic and developing morals/values.

- Experiencing mood swings

- Developing close friendships

- Potential for withdrawal (and, as a result: isolation)

Act of declaring benchmarks for adolescence is problematised by adults who have not accomplished these.

Benchmarks of Mid - Late adolescence:

- Consolidation and re-negotiation

- Separation (Symbolic death of the parent/ independence)

- Intimacy with others

- Greater incidence of breakdown

- Leaving school and facing adulthood

- Fear of failure and success

Key developmental tasks involved in adolescence / performance of adolescent identity. (not all of equal importance.)

- Puberty

- Transitioning to Secondary school

- Making and keeping friends

- working out who you are

- working out what gender means for you

- etc.

Physical maturation can develop before emotional maturation.

Change, by default, is unsettling.

What counts as 'normal' encompasses a very wide range.

Transition to secondary school:

- Mixed feelings

- Less direct involvement from parents

- need to 'hold it together' - a degree of emotional and professional independence

- increased responsibilities

- Assumption that increased responsibility will be enjoyable

- Period of new attachments and separation from established routines and attachments

Implications of peer pressure during this transition:

- Pressure to conform or rebel

- Anxieties of 'fitting in'

- Feeling able to say 'no'

Society defines adolescence, but as society evolves as a dynamic paradigm, so too does the definitions and experiences of adolescence.

Conceptualisation of Adolescence over time within western-centric society:

Early conceptions:

- Child as miniature adult

- Biological model

Turn of 20th century:

- 'More than just puberty'

Mid 20th Century:

- Sociological model

Late 20th Century:

- Psychological model

More recently:

- Neuropsychology & the biological model

-- It is (necessarily) complex...

Part 2 - Cognitive development - the psychology

"I think that you should be arguing for a neuropsychobiological model of understanding adolescence."

Brains continue to develop beyond childhood - even up until the age of 25.

Executive function - Our ability to control and co-ordinate our thoughts, direct our attention, plan, control, our behaviour and decision making.

Part 3 - Identity - The sociology

In contemporary society, it is almost impossible to group young people in terms of neatly defined, distinct subcultural groups, as there is such a diverse range of influences and identities at play (Hyder et al., 2004)

Once a young person has established a known identity, it can be hard for them to act differently/beyond that and be known for anything different.

This displays the tension between utter fluidity and stasis. - stasis can be reinforced by anecdotal assertions of identity, promoted by family, others students and early friends.

Identity is concerned with belonging.

What can go wrong with adolescence?

- Students can be overwhelmed

- Students can be anxious

- Students can be depressive and exhibit the extremes of this motivation

- Students can develop separation anxiety

- Students can develop eating disorders

How can we respond to this?

Build a network around the adolescent - Don't deal with the issue alone, depend on key staff, communicate openly with parents, remember that these difficult phases can be a part of normal patterns of development. An indication of abnormal patterns is when it becomes pervasive. Talk to them about their concerns but never promise confidentiality.