Adolescence Teaching and Learning

This article discusses the key development issues faced by Dylan during his adolescence, including physical and social development. It proposes an education plan that focuses on developing Dylan's talents and engaging him in social activities. The advantages and disadvantages of the plan are also discussed. The article concludes with the author's opinion on the importance of understanding a child's behavior during adolescence and using theories of child development to inform teaching strategies.

Running head: ADOLESCENCE TEACHING AND LEARNING
ADOLESCENCE TEACHING AND LEARNING
Name of Student
Name of University
Author note

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Question 1:
Some of the key development issues that are being faced by Dylan as a part of his
adolescence are physical development and social development. As has been mentioned in the
vignette, Dylan’s physical maturity is lesser compared to his peers. This has resulted in the
lesser growth in his height or lesser development in the limbs. This has resulted him to be a
little backward than his peers, who are maturing properly with the age. At a certain point of
time, when he was younger, Dylan could actively participate in school activities. However, as
he grew into adolescence, his slow maturity left him behind than his peers. Though his
physical development was slow, it can be seen that his brain development was proper, as his
participation in Drama was as active as before. However, the present conditions had a deep
impact on his social behaviour, and drew back from the social interactions. These aspects
have highly affected his social development and has forced him to engage in behaviours such
as smoking and drinking (Chadwick, Miller & Hurd, 2013).
Question 2:
It is very essential to understand a child’s behaviour while passing through the
adolescence phase in order to develop and strategize education plans to help them mature and
develop with the time. According to Knight (2014), in the Freudian psychosexual theory,
every child’s different stage is very important for the self-development. If a stage of
development is hampered, then the negative effects of that particular stage will affect the
entire life. Similarly, an education plan is to be developed which will focus on the key talents
of Dylan. A development of these talents can help Dylan to regain his self-confidence. For
example, despite all the negative impacts, Dylan shows an impressive performance in drama.
Dylan should be encouraged towards his talent, and this can help to develop his confidence,
which will further help him to perform well in other subjects and activities.

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Question 3:
According to Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, the children in the adolescent phase are
more influenced by experiences than by formal teaching (Anh & Marginson, 2013). Social
learning is an important aspect of the adolescent development. The education plan, hence,
focuses on engaging Dylan more into social activities. As Dylan is already good in drama,
social interactions are possible with the co-actors and other peers who are involved in the
drama. Moreover, active participation in drama can help Dylan to interact more with the
audiences and elate the lost self-confidence. The role of the parents also plays a very
important part in the development of Dylan. Active support and external encouragement can
help Dylan to interact socially with the peers and relatives. Knowledge of positive stories and
events can help Dylan to participate more into social activities and lift the stereotypical
dilemma from the mind.
Question 4:
The advantages of the proposed education plan are:
 Dylan can himself identify his talent, invest more time in such activities, and move
away from the negative behavioural activities such as smoking or drinking.
 Dylan might not be able to participate in activities such as basketball or mathematics
due to lesser rate of the development of maturity. However, the development of
talents in other field such as drama is also helpful for the development of the character
and personality. This can help Dylan to socialize and return back to normal life.
 Thirdly, when Dylan restores his normal life, regains his self-confidence, he might
slowly do well in other subjects as well, as he has overcome the prejudices and lack of
confidence towards the other subjects (Eiland & Romeo, 2013).
The disadvantage of the proposed education plan is:

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 As Dylan excels in one subject, his disregard might grow more for the other subjects,
which will not help him to participate in those activities for the fear of being left
behind the peers.
Question 5:
In my opinion, adolescence is a very important phase in the development of a child’s
character. As the child goes through transition towards adulthood, several emotions and
psychological developments take place in a child’s behaviour. I have been able to develop
more empathy and kindness in dealing with the students. I have been able to develop a
teaching method that helps me to interact more with the students to understand their outlook
towards life and education. As a teacher, it is important for me to understand a child’s
behaviour and respond accordingly.
Using the Freudian and Vygotsky’s theory of child development, it can be easier for
me to understand Dylan’s psychological behaviour. Moreover, being an English teacher I can
use several strategies such as comprehensible input, background knowledge building,
developing language and content skills, using visual lessons, vocabulary development, using
learning groups and; interactive tests to employ the confidence in a child’s behaviour.

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References:
Anh, D. T. K., & Marginson, S. (2013). Global learning through the lens of Vygotskian
sociocultural theory. Critical Studies in Education, 54(2), 143-159.
Chadwick, B., Miller, M. L., & Hurd, Y. L. (2013). Cannabis use during adolescent
development: susceptibility to psychiatric illness. Frontiers in psychiatry, 4, 129.
Eiland, L., & Romeo, R. D. (2013). Stress and the developing adolescent brain.
Neuroscience, 249, 162-171.
Knight, R. (2014). A hundred years of latency: From Freudian psychosexual theory to
dynamic systems nonlinear development in middle childhood. Journal of the
American Psychoanalytic Association, 62(2), 203-235.