Adolescent Brain & Development
Diego has too many assignments to complete before his trip to Puerto Rico and is feeling stress.
What are some of his physical symtoms?
Stomach ache, chest pain, breathing fast, sweating, headache
What is the motivational theory where students need autonomy, competence, and relationships to thrive?
Self-Determination Theory.
A simple strategy that supports engagement using visual prompts.
Anchor Charts
What does SEL stand for?
Social-Emotional Learning.
What does MLL or ELL stand for?
Multilingual Learner / English Language Learner
This part of the brain develops earlier and leads to stronger emotions and risk-taking.
The limbic system.
Name one way teachers can increase student motivation.
Offering choice, giving positive feedback, using group work, etc.
What is the term for pairing a stronger student with someone who needs support?
Name one core SEL skill.
Self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationships, decision-making.
Name one strategy that supports both English and content learning.
Sentence frames, visuals, word banks, modeling, gestures.
What is the term for the ability to remember information and use it to solve problems?
Working memory.
What does "growth mindset" mean?
The belief that abilities can grow with effort and practice.
This strategy lets students talk in pairs before sharing with the class.
Turn and Talk
What is one emotion that might impact a student’s ability to focus?
Anxiety, anger, stress, etc.
Why are visuals helpful for multilingual learners?
They make abstract concepts more concrete.
Executive function includes three skills—name one.
Working memory, self-control, or flexible thinking.
This occurs when students give up because they believe improvement is impossible.
Learned helplessness
Give one example of a culturally responsive teaching practice.
Using students’ languages, identities, or community examples in lessons.
Why do adolescents learn better in classrooms where they feel safe?
Because stress decreases cognition and belonging increases engagement.
What is “wait time” and why is it important?
Giving students extra time to think before answering; supports language processing.
Why do adolescents rely more on peer approval when making decisions?
Their reward system is highly sensitive to social feedback.
Why is immediate feedback important for adolescent motivation?
It strengthens confidence and helps students correct mistakes quickly.
This instructional model activates prior knowledge, teaches new material, then offers practice.
Gradual Release Model (I Do, We Do, You Do).
Give a strategy teachers can use to help students manage stress.
Breathing exercises, movement breaks, check-ins, journaling, etc.
Give an example of a culturally responsive modification for MLLs.
Using bilingual texts, allowing home-language discussion, or connecting lessons to students’ cultures.