Knowing that teens lack adult reasoning capacity will make me more understanding of their impulsive actions as a teacher. I now have the understanding that teens are unable to fully reason the consequences of their actions since their frontal lobe, which is responsible for reasoning, sound judgment and problem solving, is not mature until the age 20 to 25.
I also have taken away the knowledge that teenagers react more with their emotions since they are acting from their amygdala most of the time. I know that they will misinterpret my actions as a teacher and there may come times that I have to explain my reasoning to them so that they fully understand my intentions.
Yep...you are right; teens often do misinterpret teacher (and parent) intentions so we have to be very clear about our intentions. How do you see the need for teachers (and parents) to allow for teens' input on decision-making as one of many ways to provide those clear points? How might input on some things support their ability to trust on other decisions that are really mandates for them?
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