SCHOOLS AS A DEVELOPMENT CONTEXT H236: Adolescent Development

The plan Finishing section on “who are the youth we engage?’ Where are they developing? Transitions to middle school Stage-Environment fit How do we do better for adolescents?

Taking with us Going Forward Purpose/goals of adolescence: Exploring and developing identity, finding purpose Prepare for adulthood: Develop career goals and readiness. Life Skills: Become self sufficient; self care; Become outwardly focused; a global citizen Healthy relationships Becoming a specialist Understanding rights, ethics, and advocacy There are some developmental risks: General stress, anxiety, Susceptibility for mental health symptoms Sensation seeking

3 Questions Before we go… Risk-taking is engagement in behaviors that are associated with some probability of undesirable results. 1. Is risk-taking in adolescence inevitable? 2. Is risk necessary to achieve the goals of adolescence? 3. How and how much should risk be mitigated?

Transitioning to… “Where Adolescents are Developing?” With our understanding of the … Goals for adolescence Adolescent Competencies Risks and mental health We move forward to understanding two central contexts of development: Schools Social media

Transition from elementary school Declines in … perceived teacher support Autonomy in the classroom Clarity of rules Teacher trust Linked to declines in psychological functioning, school engagement, & grades, increased test anxiety Is it the transition itself or what they are transitioning to? Symonds suggests that some youth are ready for and want increased responsibility

Motivational profiles and the middle school transition Linnenbrink-Garcia, …, Hill, et al., 2016 Highly motivated by any means Intrinsically motivated Performance-Focused Amotivational Highly motivated & Intrinsically motivated were higher on cognitive & behavioral engagement, use more meta-cognitive strategies Highly motivated students who transitioned to “performance-focused” middle Schools shifted to performance or amotivational profiles African American students were overrepresented in performance-focused Profiles, especially when in ethnically mixed classrooms

Stage-Environment Fit (Eccles) Mismatch between School Structure and Adolescent Development More teacher control and fewer choices when teens need autonomy Decreased teacher-student trust Decreases teacher efficacy (increases need for control) Difficulty developing relationships with adults When teens need non-family adults Decreased likelihood that special needs/talents will be identified Increased likelihood of “slipping through the cracks”

Mismatch: School Day Schedule Start time—too early Melatonin changes at puberty  later sleep cycle Weekend-Weekday sleep differential  lower self regulation, higher reward sensitivity (Hasler, Dahl et al., 2012) Even 20 minutes later  more sleep, less tiredness, better grades, and positive attitude (Perkinson- Gloor, Lemola, & Grob, 2013) End time—too early What about sports, afterschool jobs?

Compounding Stress Stress of pubertal development with stress/changes in school context Identity is undergoing change, when external affirmations of one’s identity are disrupted. Parental relationships are renegotiated with a press for autonomy when the general context is unfamiliar

Adolescents’ Developmental needs… To develop and express… Competence Autonomy Relatedness (Deci & Ryan; Self-Determination Theory) Opportunities for … Exploration Experimentation Effective decision making (practice in…) Demonstrating autonomy/independence/ responsibility Developing and internalizing beliefs and goals Demonstrating mastery and competence

How can we encourage adolescents to think about what they learn in school in the context of their own lives? For instance, …using knowledge from math or economics classes to help a student explore their interest in business -- these are tangible ways for them to use that knowledge and apply it to their own experiences. [O]ften times you see students who have accumulated so much lost time and academic learning throughout the school years--e.g students in 10th grade who are reading or doing math at the 4th grade level. Because we can't keep holding students back or failing them, kids just get passed onto the next grade level... How can we hold students and teachers accountable for the academic content of their grade level? It may also have to do with the big shifts in the feel of a classroom. I think back on my elementary school classrooms, which were full of colorful decorations, toys, and student work. Most of my middle and high school classrooms were pretty desolate by comparison. This is something that is never really formally communicated to kids, and the effect must be pretty immediate I think sometimes there is a big focus on independence for students at the middle and high school levels. So much so that it can come at the cost of setting up structures that allow individual students feel connected to their school community. It's no surprise that students most enjoy opportunities to work in groups, be active, and think creatively. Knowing this, how then can we incorporate these elements into the more traditional subjects? If students clearly don't enjoy the traditional lecture-style classroom, how can we change it so they feel as engaged as they do in these less-academic school activities?

Designing a school context for 21 st century adolescence XQ Superschool Project Redesigning High School. XQ Superschool Project

The Job Design a school or schools that fit(s) the developmental needs and assets of adolescents. Consider how your school(s) affect Student motivation/engagement Student-teacher relationships Students’ identity/purpose development Talent Specialization Opportunities for risk, failure, and to thrive Base designs in research Identify a reporter to present to class