1. Teaching and Motivating the Adolescent Child
Presented by
Dr. Warren Shillingburg
CSN Education Professor

2. Best of Times and Worst of Times
Time of Evaluation
Time of Decision Making
Time of Commitment
Time of Carving Out a Place in the World

3. Issues Face more numerous demands and expectations
Face less stable environments
Not a homogeneous group
Period of physical growth with puberty
Hormonal changes
Body image issues
Early/late maturation
Adolescent Egocentrism (David Elkind)
Imaginary Audience – everyone is looking at them
Personal Fable - no one knows how they feel

4. Developmental Learning Theories
Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory
Concrete Operations (7-12 years old)
Formal Operations (12-adult)
webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/piaget.html
Erikson’s Psychosocial Development Theory
Stage 4: Industry vs. Inferiority (6-12 years old)
Stage 5: Identity vs. Role Confusion (12-18)
webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/erikson.html

5. Video Clip Peers most important aspect of lives
Group affiliation important to self-concept and identity development
Learn identity from peer group
Social isolation linked to many problems
Coaching has been shown to improve social skills

6. Adolescent Development Issues
Depending on child’s mental development: preschool-parents; elementary-teachers
Media big influence: TV, magazines, music, videos, Internet
Development of intimate relationships big part of later development for self-concept and searching for love (Charlie’s story)
Discipline for major issues out of view of peers

7. Theories of Motivation
(defined as internal process that activates, guides, and maintains behavior over time)
Behavioral Learning Theory: (Skinner) Reinforcements and Punishments-Intrinsic more powerful, but may need to start with extrinsic
Maslow’s Human Need Theory: Deficiency Needs to Growth Needs
webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/maslow.html

8. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

9. Theories of Motivation
Motivation and Attribution Theory: (Mindsets by Carolyn Dweck) What attribute successes and failures to will determine our motivation
Ability, effort, task difficulty, or luck; want to focus on effort, which is tough in school’s with grades, etc.
Develop an internal locus of control, due to own efforts and abilities; external locus due to task difficulty and luck-have no control or power over these

10. Theories of Motivation
Motivation and Expectancy Theory: probability and incentive of success to motivate; proper challenge (tennis example); achievement is better predicted from student’s beliefs than actual ability
Motivation and Personality Theory:
Need to develop love of learning;
many through parents’ passions

11. Enhancing Motivation Focus on learning, not performance
Deal with learned helplessness: (common in LD)-give opportunities for success by breaking tasks to smaller steps, giving immediate feedback, and consistent expectations and follow-through
Teacher expectations-students will live up to your expectations

12. Enjoy the rest of your day!
THANK YOU
Enjoy the rest of your day!