"The only way to be totally free is through education" - Jose Marti

Explain how you as a teacher can influence adolescent development in these domains and/or how adolescent development will influence you as a teacher. 

 

I've elected to focus my first meta-reflection on Topic 2: Puberty and Physical Health and Topic 5: School and Work. Though teachers cannot affect the rate or extent of puberty and physical development in their students, as a teacher I will be able to guide my students to make the best possible health choices during their developmental years. These health decisions can be influenced in large part by the school environment that I help create. My investigative research and our class discussions generated two areas of concern that teachers should be aware of: how female students are affected by body image issues and how male students are affected by alcohol abuse. In the class discussion and reading for School and Work, I discovered that there are a number of elements in an adolescents school and after-school life that have a significant influence on their healthy choices. Silverstone (1992) linked low self-esteem with body issues and eating disorders, while Scheier et al. (2000) showed an inverse relationship between self-esteem levels and alcohol use. In our text, McMahan and Thompson (2015) outline several associations between school, work, and self-esteem. 

 

McMahan and  Thompson (2015) state that the transition from middle school or junior high to high school is particularly difficult for adolescents as the decreased support from teachers corresponds with a time of life in which they need more guidance and mentorship. This decreased support can result in higher levels of depression and lower self-esteem (McMahan and Thompson, 2015). Since I plan on teaching at the high school level, these findings are particularly relevant to me. I will be playing a vital role in helping students transition from dependence to autonomy, keeping in mind that autonomy does not mean abandonment. It is important that I am seen as a supportive adult figure who can be approached in times of need, especially for students who have just transitioned to high school. I plan of providing appropriate emotional scaffolding that will be reduced as students grow to be more independent and prepare for the world of work or ongoing studies. In order to prepare myself for this important role, I plan on acquiring more knowledge about social and emotional learning (SEL) and how to integrate SEL methods into my teaching practice.

 

The advent of differentiated learning means that the learning process is more heavily focused on skill mastery as opposed to interpersonal competition. In spite of this, the current evaluation system is largely dependent on grade achievements. Such a performance-orientation is related to lower self-esteem, as well as higher rates of student depression (Meece, Anderman, & Anderman, 2006; Eccles, 2004; Wang, 2009). In order to prevent my students from falling victim to lower self-esteem, I will have to redirect my instruction style to focus on skill mastery. Northern Illinois University outlines practices that support mastery-orientation. I plan on adopting their Guide for Creating Mastery Oriented Classrooms into my future classroom as it focuses on building student learning strategies before introducing students to mastery-oriented goals. By giving students the tools they need to master skills and take ownership of their own knowledge I will be promoting a better sense of belonging among adolescents.

 

I interpret a better sense of belonging as identifying with the school and school community and an increased school membership. Adolescents who have a greater sense of school membership are more likely to avoid health-compromising behaviours (Faulkner et al., 2009). Another way in which school connectedness can be fostered is through participation in extracurricular activities. Participation in extracurricular activities is associated with higher self-esteem, and less substance abuse. Generally there is less participation in extracurricular activities as teens age. In order to address this, I hope to organize or be part of a number of extracurricular groups in my future school, including a Spanish cultural club and a biology-based healthy habits club. In providing students with more extracurricular options at a low cost to the school, it is my aim to involve more students in activities they are interested in and give them the skills they need to make their best possible health choices. 

 

In providing social and emotional scaffolding, guiding students to become mastery-oriented, and offering extracurricular options for students, I hope that my students will come to see me as a mentor. Adolescents who feel they have a mentor are less likely to use drugs and alcohol (Tierney, Grossman, & Resch, 1995), have higher self-esteem, and are less likely to engage in unhealthy risky behaviour (King et al., 2002). In acting as a teacher-mentor, I aim to give students the tools they need throughout their formative years to become well-adjusted, healthy young adults.

 

Citations: 

 

CASEL: Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning. SEL Defined. (n.d.). Retrieved October

12, 2015, from http://www.casel.org/social-and-emotional-learning/

Eccles, J. (2004). Schools, academic motivation, and stage-environment fit. In R. M. Lerner & L. Steinberg

(Eds.), Handbook of adolescent psychology. New York: Wiley.

Faulkner, G., Adlaf, E., Irving, H., Allison, K., and Dwyer, J. (2009). School disconnectedness: Identifying

adolescents at risk in Ontario, Canada. Journal of School Health, 79(7), 312-318.

King, K., Vidourek, R., Davis, B., McClellan, W. (2002). Increasing Self-Esteem and School Connectedness

Through a Multidimensional Mentoring Program. Journal of School Health, 72(7), p. 294-299.

McMahan, I. & Thompson, S. (2015). Adolescence: Canadian Edition. Toronto: Pearson.

Meece, J., Anderman, E., and Anderman, L., (2006). Classroom goal structure, student motivation, and

academic achievement. Annual Review of Psychology, 57, 487-503.

Silverstone, P.H. "Is chronic low self-esteem the cause of eating disorders?". Medical Hypotheses, 39, 311-

315. 1992.

Scheier, L., Botvin, G., Griffin, K., and Diaz, T. (2000). Dynamic Growth Models of Self-Esteem and Early

Adolescent Alcohol Use. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 20(2), p. 178-209.

Tierney, J., Grossman, J., and Resch, N. (1995). Making a difference: An impact study of Big Brothers/Big

Sisters. Philadelphia: Public/Private Ventures.

University of Northern Illinois. Practices that Promote Mastery Orientation - NIU - ETEMAS. (n.d.).

Retrieved October 12, 2015, from http://www.niu.edu/eteams/goal_orientation/PracticesPromoteMasteryOrientation.shtml

Wang, M. (2009). School climate support for behavioural and psychological adjustment: Testing the mediating

effect of social competence. School Psychology Quarterly, 24(4), 240-251. doi: 10.1037/a0017999.

 

Additional Resources:

 

Alberta Education - Managing School Transitions: Promising Practices in Alberta's Schools: A Support Resource

 

Dove Self-esteem Project - Mindful Me: A mindfulness activity guide for mentors of girls 11-14 years

 

Guevremont, A., Kohen, D., Findley, L. Do High Levels of Extracurricular Activities Help or Hinder Child Development? Health Information and Research Division, Statistics Canada

 

Svinicki, M. Fostering a Mastery Goal Orientation in the Classroom