Reading Reflection: Cognitive/Emotional Development

During Adolescence there is a distinct transition from childhood into a new world full of abstract thought and strong emotion.  Cognitively, adolescents are able to use higher reasoning skills.  These new reasoning skills allow teenagers to plan for the future, consider many points of view, and voice personal beliefs about the world.  Adolescents possess efficient methods of organizing information and articulating their newfound worldviews.  As the article The Maturing Adolescent Brain points out, their new skills can cause frustration for parents.  Teenagers often discuss lofty issues and enjoy challenging their parent’s beliefs and values.  The readings pertaining to adolescent cognitive development offered many tips for parents and guardians to use when engaging in conversation with teens.  The most notable suggestion to me was the importance of actively listening and validating adolescents' views.  Showing respect for teenager’s opinions can demonstrate a positive example of conversing with someone even if you do not agree.  It can also help the teen to explore other possible viewpoints.

In Developing Adolescents the writers mentioned that there are not significant differences between males and females in regard to cognitive development.  I found it very interesting that during adolescence abilities in math, reading, social skills, and athletics are roughly the same but girls feel more confident in reading and social skills while boys feel more confident in athletics and math.  Unfortunately gender stereotypes are still present in our education system.  Females are often encouraged to pursue more service-oriented careers while males are often encouraged to pursue careers in the sciences.  I don't think that is a bad thing as long as students are not driven towards an option based on societal expectation of gender roles.  I specifically remember a college math professor speaking about male abilities within math and sciences compared to females.  I was saddened to hear that professor perpetuating beliefs on the university level.  As individuals preparing to foster a love of learning I hope that we encourage students to explore subjects they are interested in regardless of being male or female.

There were many more topics covered in the readings for cognitive development but in order to remain somewhat concise I will briefly address the last topic I found particularly interesting.  I really enjoyed reading about Gardner's multiple intelligences and Sternberg's theory of intelligence, which included creativity as an important aspect.  Adolescents have many ways of learning and experiencing the world around them.  The readings made it clear that when they can personally relate to learning material chances for academic success greatly increase.  I think finding ways to include creativity in the classroom will be very beneficial to all students.  Creativity in the classroom can engage students and encourage critical thinking along with a new experience of subject matter.  When teaching adolescents Sternberg and Gardner's intelligence theories should be considered.

Emotional Development in adolescence is a time in which teenagers are forming a sense of identity.  Emotions are ever changing for a teenager as they have even more physical, academic, and social expectations placed on them.  These new and unfamiliar situations provide the basis for a teen’s ability to cope with stress.  Angela Oswalt says that adolescents need social support to navigate these new situations and stresses.  It is important for family members and friends to realize that some people are more sensitive to stress than others.  If a teenager has a harder time adjusting it is important to find ways to encourage healthy stress reduction.  The readings provided many tips for maintaining healthy habits in adolescence in order to use those skills throughout adulthood when dealing with stress.  It is also important that teens experience positive self-esteem from many outlets rather than just one.  If a teen’s sense of self-worth comes only from playing a sport their esteem would crash if they ever experienced a physical injury.  Parents and educators should encourage interest in a broad range of subjects and activities.

I particularly enjoyed Maureen Manning's discussion of self-esteem.  She made an important point that self-esteem can sometimes be exaggerated and labeled as the cause of all evil.  Maureen used the example of a female student who had behavior and self-esteem problems.  When teachers addressed her situation as a whole they took into consideration many factors and examined possible academic problems.  They noticed that this student had trouble reading.  When paired with a reading specialist she not only improved academically but had less behavioral problems, which resulted in higher self-esteem.  That example spoke volumes to me about the importance of considering many factors that affect emotional health in adolescents.

Another important issue that affects emotional well-being of students is immigration.  This is a hot topic within our society but it is important to see the implications for our students.  I believe that everyone deserves a public education regardless of immigration status.  For those students who may be undocumented it is important for teachers to consider possible stresses that could affect their academic performance.  I in no way am trying to say I understand how these families and students may feel but I do know from the readings and personal research that undocumented immigrants experience discrimination within our society.  As an adolescent that adds to the already overwhelming experience of cognitive and emotional changes.  I think our job as educators is to encourage diversity within our classrooms.  Students should work together in order to learn from people who may have a different life experience.

Cognitive and emotional changes during adolescence present educators with many opportunities to encourage healthy habits in those pivotal years.  Those changes can provide teens with new interests and ideas.  Cognitive and Emotional development during adolescence shapes who teenagers will become as adults.  I hope to encourage teens to use this time to explore who they want to be and how they want to impact their world.