Teaching The At-Risk Teenage Brain

While all teenage behavior and character traits can be challenging, the issues facing the at-risk teenager are particularly thorny and deserve special attention. Anger, aggression, and a total lack of good decision-making happen on a minute-to-minute basis, as teachers patiently try to guide these young adults. Unlocking the key to keeping them in school and facilitating proficiency in reading, writing, and math is not for the weak of heart. A strong constitution, compassionate spirit, and solid knowledge base make the difference in this meaningful work. Neuroscientists now have the technology to make amazing and startling discoveries about this unexplored territory. Combining their work with the work of psychologists and educationists is creating a new and exciting landscape for educators. In Teaching the At-Risk Teenage Brain Sheryl Feinstein provides research in a reader-friendly way to help teachers and administrators better understand the at-risk student. Feinstein also includes numerous brain-compatible instructional strategies and classroom management techniques, all intended to teach, support, and guide at-risk teenage students.

In Teaching the At-Risk Teenage Brain Sheryl Feinstein provides research in a reader-friendly way to help teachers and administrators better understand the at-risk student. Feinstein also includes numerous brain-compatible instructional strategies and classroom management techniques, all intended to teach, support, and guide at-risk teenage students.

VOYA

There is a scientific explanation as to why teens are moody, argumentative, and impulsive. In fact, their brains are "under construction" as adolescents, causing many of the challenging behaviors that parents and teachers find so difficult to handle. According to this new book, which is based on medical studies, a teen brain has an underdeveloped frontal lobe. As children move through puberty and into adulthood, some of the side effects are forgetfulness, disorganization, and poor decision making. Adults who work with teens need to remember to use tolerance and keep in mind that teenage behavior is not a permanent condition. The book is geared primarily towards teachers, but can also be helpful to parents as well. The author clarifies that not all teenagers are considered "at risk." Some signs of an at-risk teen in need of intervention include family conflict, delinquent friends, academic failure, and drastic mood swings. In each of the ten chapters, the author discusses different aspects of understanding and working with these teens, covering such topics as extreme emotions, social interactions, classroom behavior, depression, and addictions. The chapters contain real-life stories, an explanation of the topic, and a list of practical strategies and tips. Many of the ideas and information that the author puts forth will seem obvious to an experienced teacher or an aware parent. The book will probably be more helpful to adults who are not used to working with this population or those who have forgotten what it is like to be an adolescent. Reviewer: Leslie Wolfson

Sheryl Feinstein is associate professor at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. She consults at a correctional facility for adolescent boys and at a separate site for emotionally and behaviorally disturbed adolescents in Minnesota. She is a former teacher, curriculum coordinator, and director of a high school alternative program.