One important way this affects the classroom, especially of grade 5 and up, is that a teacher needs to be in more control and organized more efficiently to ensure that the students to not succumb to what Bee & Boyd (2007) coin as brain-dead syndrome. This is where they fail to pay attention to the lesson momentarily and would rather pay attention to other more appealing concerns, such as their looks, what their friends think, and whether or not the boy or girl in the corner likes them. They appear to be staring into space or daydreaming. This affects a teacher because this means the teacher now has to take time out of his or her schedule to get the students back on track. An overall increase in appearance also takes place. This will affect the classroom because “students may be away from the restroom for extended periods of time, particularly girls, just brushing their hair in addition to the regular bathroom activities” (Howe, 1993). Teachers can manage their classrooms properly by providing the class with a well organized structure of rules and procedures for various daily activities to counteract some of the set-backs that occur with puberty and adolescent development.
What kind of structure do you feel can be offered to an adolescent in the classroom?
Sources:
Baer, J. (1999). Adolescent Development and the Junior High School Environment. Social Work in
Education, 21(4), 238. Retrieved from MasterFILE Premier database.
Barr, C L, & Sandor, P. (Feb 2010). Adolescent brain development and behavior. Pediatric
Health, 4, 1. p.13(4). Retrieved July 01, 2010, from Academic OneFile via Gale:
http://find.galegroup.com/gtx/start.do?prodId=AONE&userGroupName=apollo
Bee, H., and Boyd, B. (2007). The Developing Child (11th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.