In an era when young people are frequently demonised as a negative force in society, education is often looked to for ways of dealing with these problems.
In this piece, we are trying to challenge the view that there is something inherently wrong with teenagers and rather to argue that they have certain emotional and intellectual tendencies.
By exploring these tendencies, we draw out a series of suggested strategies that tutors could use when teaching this age group. We would argue that much of what is written about teenagers being, for example, dangerous, lazy or excessively emotional, is stereotypical, yet recent research into brain development does point to certain inherent characteristics of the teenage brain.
As educators, we would do well to respond to this in as positive a manner as possible in order to maximise learning opportunities, build confidence and esteem and foster positive relationships between teenagers and significant adults.
Meeting teenagers’ unique needs
When we asked teachers at a number of training sessions which words they associated with teenagers, words frequently suggested included: ‘moody’, ‘lazy’ and ‘difficult’. Similarly, a survey reported that the words used most frequently to describe teenage boys in the press were ‘yobs’ ‘thugs’, ‘sick’ and ‘feral’.1 It seems young men in particular have an image problem.
However, the question for us as educationalists and teachers is firstly: What makes teenagers different from children or adults? After that, we should ask: What strategies should be put in place for them by their teachers?