What’s wrong with teenagers?

Young people are blamed for many of society’s ills. Anita Collins and Mervyn Lebor suggest that, rather than blaming teenagers, we should be making some reasonable adjustments to accommodate their developing brains.

Teenage boy with head down . His parents shouting at him

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.

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      string(338) "... specific reading project. Itcould be an informal gathering – or a specific academicdiscussion aimed at analysis.Setting up a reading groupThere isn’t a right or wrong way to establish a readinggroup; what’s important is that you are open to workingwith children and young people to provide the kind ofgroup ..."
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      string(5621) "teaching & learning  ■  december 2006/january 200714KEY STAGE 2LITERACYOver the past few years, the UK has seen a dramaticincrease in the popularity of reading groups. It is believedthat there may be as many as 50,000 people currently inreading groups within the UK Reading groups have alwayshad a place in the context of universities, but now moreand more schools are getting on board.What is a reading group?Reading groups vary dramatically and the nature of yourgroup will depend on who it is aimed at. It could be heldin a library – and/or linked to a specific reading project. Itcould be an informal gathering – or a specific academicdiscussion aimed at analysis.Setting up a reading groupThere isn’t a right or wrong way to establish a readinggroup; what’s important is that you are open to workingwith children and young people to provide the kind ofgroup that is enjoyable to them. The best way to do this isthrough effective consultation, partnership, planning andrecruitment.ConsultationBefore setting up your reading group, it’s a good idea toconsult with young people about the kind of group thatthey’d like to join. This ensures that the group you establishis relevant and appealing. It also ensures that youngpeople feel they have ownership of the project. Talk toowith staff in any partner agencies, with teachers, and withparents and carers of younger children, to find out aboutwhat is already provided for young people in the area andhow a reading group might link in. Remember thatconsultation should be an on-going thing; not a one-off.ReadinggroupsSue Sinclair looks at therising phenomenon ofreading groups and howyou can get involved and setyour own group going.teaching & learning  ■  december 2006/january 2007 15LITERACY  KEY STAGE 2PartnershipThe list of potential partners for reading groups isextensive. Try Sure Start for young children’s groups,primary schools for Chatterbooks, youth clubs for youngpeople’s groups and community groups or social servicesfor making links with looked-after children or refugeegroups. Local bookshops might also be interested inworking with you. Talk openly with your potential partnersand make sure that you have complementary aims andapproaches before setting up a group.PlanningPlanning should be an integral part of consultation andpartnership. Ideally think about establishing aims, rules,reading lists, timings and refreshments in conjunction withthe group members. You might even consider allowingthe group to self-govern with library staff playing asupportive role. Ask young people about the amount ofinput they would like the library to have. Things to discussmight include:■ How often to meet: once a week is probably too often,once a month might lose momentum.■ How long to meet for: younger groups are likely tohave lower concentration levels than older teenagers.Somewhere between one and two hours is likely tobe about right.■ Whether to read the same book, themed books, booksby the same author or a personal choice.■ Whether supplementary activities such as quizzes andcrafts are needed.■ What refreshments would be appreciated!RecruitmentRecruitment should begin with consultation andpartnership. By the time you’ve met with partners andyoung people, establishing the group should be easy.Supplementary approaches might be:■ Flyers and posters in libraries■ Flyers and posters in schools, youth groups and otherorganisations■ Press releases for the launch■ Letters to parents■ Talks to school classes■ Information on library websites and other young-people friendly websitesPublicity and promotion (P&P)To keep up the profile of your group for young peoplewho might want to be involved – and for celebrating thegroup’s achievements, and attracting potential partnersor library advocates, your P&P plans could include:■ Governors’ meetings, parents’ evenings and open days– keep the project high profile and ensure parents’involvement in groups for younger children■ Include notices about the group in school newsletters,and the school library service newsletter■ Set up a reading group notice board in the library■ Advertise the group on your library service website■ Send a press release to local papers and radio/television – and when the group is running invite a localjournalist to join in a meeting.Ideas for chldren’s reading groupsThere are lots of ways to get children reading that youcan use as a focus for your reading group.Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Awardswww.carnegiegreenaway.org.ukThe Carnegie medal is awardedto the writer of an outstandingbook for children; the KateGreenaway Award is for bookillustration. UK librarians areinvited to nominate titles forthe shortlist and once theshort-listed titles areannounced, children have theopportunity to give their viewson the books in a ‘shadowing’scheme. Groups of childrenfrom schools and libraries takepart in the shadowing schemeby reading the books andsharing their opinions with their peers and othershadowing groups across the country using the awards’website.Chatterbookswww.boox.org.uk/projects/children/chatterbooks.htmlwww1.orange.co.uk/about/community/chatterbooksChatterbooks is areading group scheme,developed by TheReading Agency inpartnership withc o m m u n i c a t i o n scompany Orange, aimedat 4–12 year olds andencourages members toread a variety ofdifferent books, visit the library and develop theirconfidence in expressing personal views on reading.teaching & learning  ■  december 2006/january 200716LITERACY  KEY STAGE 2Orange"
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Creative Teaching & Learning

Reading groups

2 Mar 2007

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      string(420) "... 3rd_report.pdf16Vol 5.6School Leadership Todaywww.teachingtimes.comReportsLeadershipBriefing LeadershipBriefings area weeklyservice.Do yousubscribe?Regular exposure to violent video games makes it difficult for childrenand teenagers to tell the difference between right and wrong and weakensempathy for others, according to this research report by Brock University inCanada.Researchers from the ..."
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      string(5626) "Leadership Briefing is a weekly online summary of all that’s new and relevantto education, linked to original source documents that can be downloaded orviewed on screen, and available to everyone in your school leadership team.The briefings here give a sample of what’s on offer.Report update 15Vol 5.6School Leadership Todaywww.teachingtimes.comReportsLeadershipBriefingLabour’s independent Skills Taskforce has recommended major reforms to the14-19 education system in this new report aimed at ending the reputationaldivide between academic and vocational qualifications. It includes introducinga new school-leaver’s qualification – a National Baccalaureate – that givesvocational and academic courses equal value.Under the plans, all students would study an intermediate GCSE-levelbaccalaureate and then progress to a National Baccalaureate. 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Leadership

SLT 5.6 Report Updates

8 Apr 2014

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      string(5625) "coaching relationship.‘Students come first’:  in our school, and in the wider Dulwich College International family of schools, we live by the mantra ‘students come first’.  The aspiration for this wellbeing coaching programme was to positively impact the lives of students in support of their wellbeing through our pastoral interactions. However, an unintended yet positive consequence of this training has been a heightened sense that we can build a stronger culture of wellbeing (and a coaching culture for that matter) for all in our school.  We are moving towards a ‘people come first’ mantra in some ways as trained coaches have found themselves using their new skills with colleagues too. Answers and outcomes, rather than process and self-discovery:  If schools are the place students learn, it stands to reason that they might expect to be given the answers in such a place. Of course coaching is not like that, being built on the coachee bringing their own questions and being supported to find their own answers. As such students have been drawn to seeking options and suggestions, much as you’d expect through a mentoring approach. Blurred lines and a ‘can of worms’:  One can see this work as part of a much wider system of support.  Our wellbeing coaches have engaged in interventions that, at times, have ‘unearthed’ deep rooted and quite unsettling childhood experiencest is clear that the ‘pastoral concern’ that was the catalyst for a ‘wellbeing coaching intervention/ referral’ has begun to uncover an experience for which our coaches are not trained nor able to support – coaching is not ‘social emotional counselling’.We need to be clear that this work is not a replacement nor substitute for professional therapeutic support by highly trained and qualified practitioners.“Do ya get me?” / the wrong garden path:  Having worked in the UK education system for more than 20 years there are times when the nomenclature of a teenager can present a challenge or two.  All our students are EAL (English as an Additional Language) and are being asked to share quite complex emotional ideas in a language that is not their native tongue.It is no  surprise that there are limitations in what can be achieved through an English medium coaching intervention.  Not only can a student’s ability to articulate meaning be a challenge, but the ability to understand subtlety and nuances of a question posed by the coach, can present a limiting factor. Moreover, language is not simply a case of ‘direct translation’.  It is very clear that language is rooted in cultural references and mores.  As such, the complexities of this are significant.Seeds take some time to germinate: it is the belief of some of our coaches, and notably amongst our local bilingual participants for whom we believe have most relevant insight, that students are becoming more receptive to this type of support.  This is heartening as we move towards the development of the programme (see below)By students, for students:  a key characteristic of students in our school is that they are very considerate and caring of and for each other.  We have exposed a small group of students to a coaching programme to establish their perspective. It seems that there is a potential appetite for this amongst them.  Could this be a way to support greater student agency in this area?  One noted: “I think that would be better if more students can get to know about coaching….. putting it into the PHSE course is also a good idea”  What nextAdvanced level coaching for existing coaches – it seems sensible to build in this area.  This will allow us to explore a ‘train the trainer’ / ‘cascade’ model and build a more sustainable model over timeCohort 2 – additional coaches – we need to build more capacity, extend this as a whole school approach.  Critically, to address the challenges we have faced in terms of our EAL and cultural context, we believe it right to extend this programme to engage more local bi-lingual staff.  TThis will, we believe, not only address the challenges noted above, but will give us greater capacity to focus on and build staff agency and wellbeing. Coaching skills for students – given the feedback we have had from students, we have explored the design of a unit of work in a developing PSHCE programme that is built around understanding the triggers and feelings associated with stress and the  ‘tools’ that can be used to self-regulate and manage these.  Necessarily, a coaching element will form part of this –linked to a programme called the Inner Leader Programme.  (https://www.makingstuffbetter.com/programmes/the-inner-leader-programme )Cultural competence – as part of this reflection we have been able to recognise that cultural context (our students having, broadly,  a Chinese upbringing) influences how students  engage in the school’s culture – a western philosophy build around the traditions of a holistic education-  requires greater understanding.  We will be looking to have our expat coaches work more closely with our local bi-lingual trained coaches to support this cross fertilization of ideas, perspectives and practice.Coaching communication – we need to ensure that key stakeholders better understand the programme, its purpose and the opportunities that it represents.  In this way we hope"
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Leadership

Using Coaching To Build Student Agency and Wellbeing

28 Mar 2021

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      string(4389) "Research has proven time and time again that school PE kits are putting girls off sport – and the impact continues right into adulthood. So what’s wrong with the current kits, and what can schools do to ensure girls – and indeed their entire student body – feel happy and confident taking part in PE?At the start of the year, the Daily Mail published a study looking at the effects PE kits have on schoolgirls. According to the survey, 75 per cent of girls in secondary schools have at least one concern about taking part in school sports, with the majority citing the discomfort and embarrassment of wearing their PE kit as a major factor for sitting on the sidelines during sports lessons. This survey echoes the findings of a similar study carried out by The Telegraph in 2014, in which nearly half (46 per cent) of schoolgirls surveyed admitted to actively avoiding sport due to the embarrassment caused by their school PE kit. In this instance, most girls said they enjoy being active, but shun physical activity because their sports kit makes them feel ugly. This, coupled with the Mail’s more recent survey, is undoubtedly the reason why encouraging teenage girls to become more active is now considered a major problem across the UK and beyond. Research shows that 90 per cent of girls under the age of 16 are not getting enough exercise to meet the government’s recommended guidelines – a worrying statistic, and one that could have a detrimental impact on the future health of those affected. So what’s going wrong with school PE kits, and how can schools better promote sport and exercise in young school students? Jennie Price, head of Sport England, believes the problem with PE kits rests in their outdated design and impracticality. Speaking at a recent conference of school leaders, Price said that female pupils should be allowed to wear a PE kit that they feel comfortable in, and that the traditional ‘short skirt’ kit still favoured by most primary and secondary schools is outdated and in need of a complete overhaul. She went on to add that schools should install cubicles and hair dryers in their changing areas, so that girls can reconstruct their personal image after taking part in sports and physical activity in school.But if, as Price suggests, schools were to introduce new PE kits for their pupils, what would they look like, and how would they help to alleviate the problems associated with girls not taking part in sport and physical education? School uniform and sportswear specialists, SWI, believe the key to a successful PE kit rests in innovative fabrics and new garments specifically designed to help foster an interest in sport among young girls. They said: “By providing a PE kit which benefits from breathable performance fabrics and flattering design features, schools can help their students feel more comfortable in their sportswear. A PE kit should empower young girls to engage more freely with sport, as well as generate a sense of pride and professionalism. We’d recommend garments which offer practicality as well as style, such as opaque leggings and breathable, high-necked collared training tops. Dark fabrics are also a good choice, as they hide sweat patches and keep the body cooler.”Of course, introducing a new PE kit is only the first step in encouraging school pupils to take a more active interest in sports and physical education in schools. The Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation has previously reported that 23 per cent of women say PE put them off sport and physical activity for life, so it’s important school governing bodies take steps to better endorse sport in school in the future. Looking for exciting ways to engage children, especially girls, in sports? Discover creative approaches to PE in these related articles:Sports in the spotlight – A series of activities related to some of the world’s most celebrated sporting events: Wimbledon, The Ashes and Euro 2016.    Sport in the urban school – Not all schools have playing fields or wonderful sports halls. Crispin Andrews visits a Victorian London primary school which has made the best of their fenced in playground.    Making the most of your primary sports funding – Ringfenced funding for sports in primary schools was a welcome move. But how can you get the most for your money?"
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Leadership

What's wrong with school PE kits?

3 May 2016

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      string(315) "Education settings can be high pressure environments for staff, particularly at certain points in the academic
year. Whilst it is not always possible to prevent staff experiencing stress at work, a good manager will know
and be able to implement strategies for effectively managing stress and be able to support ..."
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      string(318) "... private, informal word with the individual: Ask if he/she is okay and whether you can help in any way. Don’t seek to ‘diagnose’ what’s wrong with them or seek to give advice on mental health conditions – leave this to the professionals. Encourage the individual to seek professional ..."
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      string(546) "Education settings can be high pressure environments for staff, particularly at certain points in the academic
year. Whilst it is not always possible to prevent staff experiencing stress at work, a good manager will know
and be able to implement strategies for effectively managing stress and be able to support an employee
experiencing other mental health difficulties. This guidance looks at some of these strategies as well as the
legal risks associated with ignoring workplace stress and the need to promote positive mental health in general."
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      string(5611) "may be tiredthrough poor sleep quality, take unexplained absence, be performing poorly orunable to concentrate properly. It is important to act promptly but sensitively on suchwarning signs, seeking a private, informal word with the individual: Ask if he/she is okay and whether you can help in any way. Don’t seek to ‘diagnose’ what’s wrong with them or seek to give advice on mental health conditions – leave this to the professionals. Encourage the individual to seek professional help where appropriate. If the employee indicates there is a short-term problem unrelated to work, it may be that nothing further is required at this stage, although you should keep an eye on the situation and seek to be understanding of the circumstances. 2)Be proactiveIf the issue is more than just a short-term personal problemyou will need to engage with the employee more thoroughly. Arrange a meeting with prior notice in a private location. Think about what you already know about the situation and/or how the employee’sbehaviour has changed and alerted you to a problem. In the meeting Ask open questions – ask them how they are feeling, whether they are having any difficulties at work. If necessary, point to some examples of out-of-character behaviour which has led you to be concerned about them. Be non-judgemental: listen to their responses and ask any further questions for clarification. Ask if there are ways in which you can help them to manage the concerns. Point them towards sources of support as appropriate and consider referral to occupational health. Seek to agree between you a way forward and a review date to meet again. 3)Ongoing meetingTry to encourage a culture of openness where employees cancome to you (or their own line manager) if they have concerns. Where you know an individual is experiencing, or has experienced,mental health problems make sure you are alert to any changes that may impacton how you manage the situation, such as an escalation of symptoms or a newdiagnosis or treatment plan. Pay attention to any particularly stressfulsituations they may find themselves in, for example because of a particularlybusy period or a change management programme. You may have to put additional efforts into ensuring suchindividuals remain engaged and motivated and ensure that review meetings arescheduled during the year. Summary of the legal issues: work-related stress and psychiatric injury  There is no standalone legal claim relating specifically towork-related stress but employees may nevertheless be able to bring a claim onvarious grounds in circumstances where it was reasonable for an employer tohave taken action and the employer failed to do so, or failed to do what wasreasonable. Possible claims might include: A personal injury claim on the basis of the employer’s negligence where this has resulted in the employee developing a recognised mental illness. Constructive dismissal and/or breach of the contract of employment, usually on the basis of an implied duty to ensure the safety of the employee or the implied duty of mutual trust and confidence). A discrimination claim, for example resulting from unlawful harassment or disability discrimination: this may include an element of damages for psychiatric injury caused by the harassment or discrimination. These threepotential claims all involve complex areas of law, relying heavily on caseprecedents. There are, however, common themes. In terms of duty of care, thekey issues will tend to be around whether the employee’s psychiatric injury wasreasonably foreseeable and whether the employer had taken reasonable steps toprevent the harm. It must also be demonstrated that it was work-related factorsthat caused, or materially contributed to, the employee’s illness. Employersare, however, entitled to assume that any individual employee can cope withnormal work pressures unless they know, or ought to have known, that there wereproblems or signs of work-related stress, such as stress-related absences. In cases involvingharassment and discrimination, the foreseeability of the injury is lessrelevant as it is generally assumed that such treatment is likely to result inpsychiatric injury. It is particularly important, therefore, to ensure that anysuggestion that the employee may have suffered discriminatory treatment isrobustly and promptly addressed. Note also that theprovisions of the Equality Act 2010 allow for various mental illnesses toqualify as disabilities provided there is a substantial and long-term effect onthe employee’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. In suchcases, the usual requirement to make reasonable adjustments will apply.  Talking about mental health  It is understandable that managers can feel uncomfortablediscussing mental health with those they manage. Whilst attitudes towardsmental health have changed in the last 20 years there is still sometimes astigma attached to it. Physical illnesses are generally easier to talk about:they manifest in more obvious ways and treatment and recovery can often be moreclear-cut. Mental illnesses can sometimes still be viewed, by employees ormanagers, as a sign of weakness or lack of self-discipline, or even assomething disturbing. For managers it is usually helpful to think of physical and mental illnesses in the same way by: Focussing on the work impact, whether any action can be taken to make staying in work easier; Involving the person in discussing and coming up with solutions; Keeping communication lines open: encouraging a culture of openness and"
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Leadership

Promoting Positive Mental Health in the Workplace

1 Jan 2020