Kathleen Stassen Berger

Part V

Chapter Fifteen

Adolescence: Cognitive Development

Adolescent Thinking Teaching and Learning

Prepared by Madeleine Lacefield Tattoon, M.A.

Adolescence: Cognitive Development

adolescence combines ego, logic, and emotions ego overwhelms logic; sometimes emotions overrides both

Adolescence: Cognitive Development

Adolescent Thinking
brain maturation, intense conversation, additional years of schooling, moral challenges, and increased independence occurs between 11 and 18 years of age

Adolescence: Cognitive Development

Egocentrism
adolescent egocentrism
a characteristic of adolescent thinking that leads young people (ages 10-13) to focus on themselves to the exclusion of others
a young person might believe that his or her thoughts, feelings, and experiences are unique, more wonderful or awful than anyone elses.
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Adolescence: Cognitive Development

The Invincibility Fable
an adolescents egocentric conviction that he or she cannot be overcome or even harmed by anything that might defeat a normal mortal
unprotected sex, drugs,

or high speed driving

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Adolescence: Cognitive Development

Imaginary Audience
the other people who, in an adolescents egocentric belief, are watching, and taking note of, his or her appearance, ideas, and behavior
this belief makes many teenagers very self-conscious

Adolescence: Cognitive Development

Egocentrism Reassessed
recent waves of research has found that many adolescents do not feel invincible. egocentrism may signal growth towards cognitive maturity (Vartanian, 2001)

Adolescence: Cognitive Development

Formal Operational Though
Piagets theory, the fourth and final stage of cognitive development, characterized by more systematic logic and the ability to think about abstract ideas

Adolescence: Cognitive Development

Piagets Experiments
showed that, in contrast to concrete operational children, formal operational adolescents imagine all possible determinants, and systematically:
varied the factors one by one observed the results correctly kept track of the results drew the appropriate conclusions

Adolescence: Cognitive Development

Piagets Experiments

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Adolescence: Cognitive Development

Hypothetical-Deductive Though
formal operational thought is the capacity to think of possibility, not just reality
hypothetical though
reasoning that includes propositions possibilities that may not reflect reality

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Adolescence: Cognitive Development

Abstract Thinking
deductive reasoning
reasoning from a general statement, premise, or principle, through logical steps, to figure out (deduce) specificstop-down thinking

inductive reasoning
reasoning from one or more specific experience or facts to a general conclusion, may be less cognitively advanced than deductionbottomup reasoning

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Adolescence: Cognitive Development

Intuitive, Emotional Thought
because adolescents can use hypothetical-deductive reasoning does not mean that they use it adolescents find it easier and quicker to forget about logic and follow impulse

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Adolescence: Cognitive Development

Two Modes of Thinking dual-process model
the notion that two networks exist within the human brain, one for emotions and one for analytical processing of stimuli

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Adolescence: Cognitive Development

intuitive thoughts
thought that arises from an emotion or a hunch, beyond rational explanationpast experiences, cultural assumptions, and sudden impulses are the precursors of intuitive thought contextualized or experiential thought

analytic thought
thought that results from analysis, such as a systematic ranking of pros and cons, risks and consequences, possibilities and facts analytic thought depends on logic and rationality
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Adolescence: Cognitive Development

Comparing Intuition and Analysis
sunk cost fallacy
the belief that if time or money has already been invested in something, then more time or money should be invested
because of this fallacy, people spend money trying to fix a lemon of a car or sending more troops to win a losing war

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Adolescence: Cognitive Development

Better Thinking
adolescents use their minds with more economy than children with age thinking is more efficient and less likely to go off on a tangent analytic mode joins the intuitive mode

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Teaching and Learning

Given the nature of the adolescent mind, we are left with the question to ponder: What and how should teenagers be taught?

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Teaching and Learning

secondary education
the period after primary education and before tertiary education.it usually occurs from about age 12 to18, although there is some variation by school and by nation traditionally grades 7th through 12th

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Teaching and Learning

separate schools have been created for children who have outgrown primary school once called high school, with younger students put in separate schools called junior high (7th,8th,9th grades)

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Teaching and Learning

middle school
a school for the grades between elementary and high school...middle school can begin with 5th grade or and usually ends with 8th grade with puberty occurring earlier than in years pastoften at age 11 many intermediate middle schools have been established to educate 6th graders with 7th and 8th graders 9th graders have been reassigned to high schools

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Teaching and Learning

middle school
academic achievement often slows down and behavioral problems become more commonplace the first year of middle school is called the low ebb of learning
many teachers feel ineffective long term academic trajectories are strongly influenced by experienced in grades 6th-8th
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Teaching and Learning

middle school
middle school scheduling means teachers have many students bonding between students and teachers is key to learningyet, doesnt always occur do to scheduling students relationships with one another deteriorate... due to the numbers of people they come in contact with in schools
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Teaching and Learning

middle school
answers are not clear adolescent egocentrism is particularly strong in early adolescence and the intuitive thought generally overwhelms logic research finds that egocentrism, intuitive thought, and logic coexist in every classroom
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Teaching and Learning

Technology and Cognition
is no longer limited only to developed nations teenagers worldwide use the Internet adults hope that computers will be a boon to learning some fear that technology will undercut respect for adults and schools
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Teaching and Learning

Technology and Cognition
it is easy to see egocentrism and intuitive thought in adolescent use of technology it is easy to see the educational possibilities however, it is not obvious how adults can guide teenagers through the current maze of technology.

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Teaching and Learning

Transitions and Translations
students find that changes, even positive ones, are disruptive transitions from one school to another are difficult, decreasing a persons ability to function and learn changing schools just when the growth spurt and sexual characteristics develop is bound to create stress
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Teaching and Learning

Transitions and Translations
hormones, body shape, sexual impulses, family and culture contribute to disorders in transition

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Teaching and Learning

Teaching and Learning in High School
adolescents think abstractly, analytically, hypothetically, logically personally, emotionally, intuitively and experientially by high school, the curriculum and teaching style is often analytic and abstract adolescents can use logic to override the biases that not only preserve existing beliefs but also perpetuate stereotypes and inhibit development.

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Teaching and Learning

Focus on the Brightest
an evaluation that is critical in determining success or failure if a single test determines whether a student will graduate or be promoted, that is a high-stakes test

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Teaching and Learning

Focus on the Dropouts
not every student who begins secondary school stays until finished developed nations typically require students to stay in school between 14 and 18, with age 16 being the average in the U.S. and Canada 90% are high school graduates most dropouts leave at the age of 17
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Teaching and Learning

Student Engagement
students who are capable of passing classes are as likely to drop out as those with learning disabilities persistence, diligence, and motivation play more crucial roles than intellectual ability when it comes to earning a high school diploma
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Teaching and Learning

Student Engagement
many students express boredom and unhappiness with school honor students and delinquents have high rates of boredom, alienation, and disconnection from the meaningful challenge of school
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Teaching and Learning

Student Engagement
students are often disengaged
usual because formal operational thought is promoted egocentric and intuitive thought, are more rational and social, and are usually excluded

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Teaching and Learning

Student Engagement
students are often disengaged
teachers are hired for their expertise in one or more academic fields, rather than their ability to relate to adolescents

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Teaching and Learning

Student Engagement
possible improvements
keep high schools small
200 to 400 students

encourage extracurricular activities

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Teaching and Learning

School violence The same practices that foster motivation and education can also prevent violence.
students are less likely to be destructive or afraid if
they are engaged in learning bond with teachers and fellow students are involved in school activities

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Teaching and Learning

School violence
studies also show that metal detectors, and strict punishment, are more likely to increase violence than decrease violence

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Teaching and Learning

School violence
primary prevention to improve school climate
increase friendships strengthen teacher-student relationships promote student involvement

programs that teach conflict resolution have also had some success
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