PBS video reflections
Inside the Teenage Brain
This program provided me with many new insights on why teens behave the way they do. It included a lot of research on the teenage brain and tried to explain the mood swings of teens and some of their different behaviors. As adults sometimes we don’t understand teens and why they act a certain way. Their behavior doesn’t always make sense to us. Part of their inexplicable and unpredictable behavior is due to unexpected growth spurts and the pruning and strengthening of cells in the brain. Teenagers think differently than adults. They have an immature frontal cortex so they think they are invulnerable and may engage in risky behavior which doesn’t make sense to adults. It's easy for adults to get mad at teens when they make poor decisions but we have to understand that that is all part of growing up and going through adolescence.
Teenagers are also more prone to mood swings which are caused by changes in the frontal cortex. They may be perfectly happy one minute and very angry a minute later. As teachers we have to learn to deal with this and not take it personally if our students get mad at us. The amount of sleep a teen gets can also influence their behavior. They need about nine hours of sleep each night and most teens get far less. Our students may be falling asleep in class because they simply didn't get enough sleep the night before. A good way to deal with adolescent students is to try and remember what you went through as a teen. Their brain is going through a period of change and sometimes they don't know how to deal with it.
The Merchants of Cool
Does the media reflect teens or do teens imitate the images media sells to them? Teenagers are largely influenced by the media and their peers, but at the same time the media and advertisers have to reflect teens and what they're interested in in order to make money. Advertisers and producers interview teens and study their behavior to find out what they want. MTV researches and tries to understand their teen audience in order to increase its popularity and number of viewers. But the problem is that teens are always changing today and so the media must change to keep up with what is “cool.” On the other hand, teens are obsessed with the media and the messages sent to them, especially teen girls. Teens want to wear the right clothes, listen to the right music, and be accepted into the "cool" group. It's important for teachers to understand the impact of the media on teens today because it helps explain their behavior. Also I think it's necessary for teachers to be good role models for their students because the media portrays so many negative, unattainable images.
This program provided me with many new insights on why teens behave the way they do. It included a lot of research on the teenage brain and tried to explain the mood swings of teens and some of their different behaviors. As adults sometimes we don’t understand teens and why they act a certain way. Their behavior doesn’t always make sense to us. Part of their inexplicable and unpredictable behavior is due to unexpected growth spurts and the pruning and strengthening of cells in the brain. Teenagers think differently than adults. They have an immature frontal cortex so they think they are invulnerable and may engage in risky behavior which doesn’t make sense to adults. It's easy for adults to get mad at teens when they make poor decisions but we have to understand that that is all part of growing up and going through adolescence.
Teenagers are also more prone to mood swings which are caused by changes in the frontal cortex. They may be perfectly happy one minute and very angry a minute later. As teachers we have to learn to deal with this and not take it personally if our students get mad at us. The amount of sleep a teen gets can also influence their behavior. They need about nine hours of sleep each night and most teens get far less. Our students may be falling asleep in class because they simply didn't get enough sleep the night before. A good way to deal with adolescent students is to try and remember what you went through as a teen. Their brain is going through a period of change and sometimes they don't know how to deal with it.
The Merchants of Cool
Does the media reflect teens or do teens imitate the images media sells to them? Teenagers are largely influenced by the media and their peers, but at the same time the media and advertisers have to reflect teens and what they're interested in in order to make money. Advertisers and producers interview teens and study their behavior to find out what they want. MTV researches and tries to understand their teen audience in order to increase its popularity and number of viewers. But the problem is that teens are always changing today and so the media must change to keep up with what is “cool.” On the other hand, teens are obsessed with the media and the messages sent to them, especially teen girls. Teens want to wear the right clothes, listen to the right music, and be accepted into the "cool" group. It's important for teachers to understand the impact of the media on teens today because it helps explain their behavior. Also I think it's necessary for teachers to be good role models for their students because the media portrays so many negative, unattainable images.
posted by Julie at
2:49 PM
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