Target Teen Talent

It’s no secret that teens drop out of secondary schools at alarming rates, or that parents complain about wasted tax dollars in broken schools, or that faculty vent about lack of relevancy and low standards. Yet, while most agree that secondary schools stomp out the very mental resources teens bring to class daily, far fewer suggest a plan to build intelligent schools for teens.

Why not target the brain’s amazing plasticity to learn and grow in dynamic ways – for starters? Teens often come to class ready to change and stretch mentally on a daily basis. It takes keen targets though, to make it happen.

Let’s target teens’ dendrite brain cells,  that continue to burst with new life when challenged and motivated? For instance,  two-footed questions  draw them in and solving real world problems with the brain in mind keeps them growing.

Perhaps we should also target teens’ well being also, by considering their best options for growth. How so?

• Offer opportunities to learn in groups and suggest social skills that add serotonin and capitalize on their unique intelligences.
• Remove with them past mental barriers, such as stress and reduce cortisol levels that diminish their efforts.
• Acknowledge differences and proclivities of male and female brains from new research that shows how to benefit learning more from both.
• Laugh and help teens laugh to clinch their understanding of topics studied.
• Teach learners how venting works against the human brain and shuts down their learning.
• Encourage students to revel in creativity by helping them to engage curiosity as Einstein did.
• Motivate students to benefit more from dopamine, as their natural drug of choice.

Intelligent secondary schools? Imagine the rewards of helping teens to target their unique efforts while they  build neuron pathways to higher achievement. Have you seen it happen?

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Created by Ellen Weber, Brain Based Tasks for Growth Mindset