The Middle School Brain Pt. 2Online version This matching activity is designed to provide you with an understanding of the changes taking place in the brains of our middle school students and the implications those changes have for our daily instruction and interaction with middle school students. by Carrie Hill 1 Why are They So Difficult? 2 How to Engage This Brain 3 Teaching the MS Brain 4 Assessing the MS Brain the molecule vital for developing fear of dangerous situations is less active they are mostly immune to threat of punishment and tend to misinterpret body language the changes in their brains make it difficult for them to control impulses or inappropriate behavior they have an increased NEED for social interaction (they will seek it out if it is not provided) their brain is still learning how to use the new networks it is in the process of creating stress, fatigue or challenges, coupled with the teen brain changes, can cause misfires Provide short (1-min) brain-breaks Flash a picture between PPT slides (create the unexpected) Use music and visuals as much as you can Create an active/stimulating classroom where kids talk, share and move Gamify as often as you can Inject humor and laughter, often Use a variety of strategies/activities...keep them involved (not busy) Give students different ways to play with and manipulate information (no rote memorizing) Place your content in the context of their world AND the real world Present limited amounts of new info (5-7 bits at a time) Build in opportunities for students to process and reinforce new info (debate, summarize, discuss, etc...) Create lessons that require problem solving and critical thinking Provide opportunities for students to demonstrate mastery using their unique strengths (Learning Preference) Assess content/skill/standard multiple ways and multiple times Build in choice (tic-tac-toe boards, learning menus, etc...) Make the assessment authentic and connected to their own lives Teach, revisit, test and re-test Provide timely and meaningful feedback
New game