Adolescent Development
and
Access
A summary of young adolescent development, including brain research, as it pertains to the TCSII recommendation on Access.
With students at different stages of development, the middle grades school looks more like a family reunion than a class of students of the same age group.1 How does a school ensure that students in such varied stages of physical growth and fluctuating mental and emotional states have access to classes and support that meet individual needs? This poses a challenge to middle grades educators, especially in regard to closing the achievement gap.
Whatever the academic level, all students need solid curriculum, co-curricular activities, and staff who are sensitive to the developmental needs of young adolescents. In general, middle grades students’ beliefs about their ability in different school subject areas seem to decline at least through the early adolescent years. Along with the declining belief about their ability to do well in subject matter, research has found that young adolescents are less motivated in school than are elementary or high school students. The positive side of the research is that young adolescents’ beliefs about themselves can still be changed during middle grades.2 Believing that each student can rise to the challenge of understanding at a higher level can counter their dismal outlook about themselves. Believing in students’ abilities is powerful in motivating students to reach rigorous standards.
Students are also more likely to become motivated when school staff members are sensitive to adolescent development and develop curricular and co-curricular activities that are related to a person’s needs, values, interests, and attitudes.3 Having an array of challenging courses, electives, clubs, and activities can build students’ confidence and help them form positive beliefs about themselves. In the classroom, the teacher can give choices and activities that the students find exciting as they learn the subject matter.
Young adolescents are idealistic at this stage, and they are quick to point out what is fair and what is not. They believe that school rules should apply to adults as well as students. For example, if a school does not allow students to wear a certain color for gang-related security, the young adolescent believes that rule should also apply to the adult staff. Their idealism pours into asking questions about the meaning of life, questions for which there are not definitive answers. They also become inwardly reflective about who they are and the roles they play. They begin to think about their own thinking. It is a great stage of life and a great opportunity and challenge to meet the needs of these young adolescents.
Tips for Teachers:
- Make sure that every student has fair and equal access to challenging curricula and the best teachers (see the contents of the TCSII Chapter on Access for more details about equal access.)
- Find ways to ensure that students know they are being treated fairly and that rules are consistently applied to all students.
- If you see a totally disengaged student, find out what is going on: is it a sense that the school is unfair and no one cares about him or her?
- Provide tasks that challenge and trigger curiosity for EVERY student. For example:
- Make it clear what the student should be able to do when the lesson is finished
- Connect the lesson to what has already been learned.
- Include provocative ideas and challenging activities.
- Involve students in developing the criteria that will be used to assess their competency.
- Demonstrate how closely the content is connected to the real world.
- Give choices in selecting activities and questions to pursue.4
Tips for Parents
- Know your child well and advocate for teachers who can best attend to their strengths and needs.
- Study the Williams Settlement and make sure your child is using instructional materials that have been adopted by the State Board of Education.
Submit Your Ideas for parent and teacher roles in supporting access.
Footnotes
1 At the Turning Point (Outside Source): The Young Adolescent Learner.
2 Allan Wigfield, Susan L. Lutz, and A. Laurel Wagner, “Early Adolescents’ Development across the Middle School Years: Implications for School Counselors,” Professional School Counseling, Vol. 9 (December 2005), 114.
3 David A. Sousa, How the Brain Learns (Third edition). Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press, 2006, p. 65.
4 Ibid., p. 66.
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