NGSC Newsletter

MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS

Mr Simon Scoullar

Middle Sub School Manager 

 

Students, Parents and Guardians;

 

Students have now sat their exams and it is incredibly important students utilise this experience to gauge their understanding, receive feedback on strengths and weaknesses and form good study habits.

 

A lot of students find the exam period quite stressful which is partly why we implement them early on. Also exams coincide with a time where the adolescent brain is changing dramatically.

 

I have included some information below with regards to brain development. In my role and from what I observe in the classroom I think it is particularly poignant to read the section on sleep.

 

Thinking strategies for teenage brain development;

 

Brain growth and development during these years mean that your child will start to:

  • think more logically
  • think about things more abstractly and understand that issues aren’t always simple
  • pick up more on other people’s emotional cues
  • solve complex problems in a logical way, and see problems from different perspectives
  • get a better perspective on the future.

You can support the development of your child’s thinking with the following strategies:

  • Encourage empathy. Talk about feelings – yours, your child’s and other people’s. Highlight the fact that other people have different perspectives and circumstances. Reinforce that many people can be affected by one action.
  • Emphasise the immediate and long-term consequences of actions. The part of the brain responsible for future thinking (the prefrontal cortex) is still developing. If you talk about how your child’s actions influence both the present and the future, you can help the healthy development of your child’s prefrontal cortex.
  • Try to match your language level to the level of your child’s understanding. For important information, you can check your child has understood by asking him to tell you in his own words what he’s just heard.
  • Help your child develop decision-making and problem-solving skills. You and your child could work through a process that involves defining problems, listing options, and considering outcomes that everyone is happy with. Role-modelling these skills is important too.

 

Sleep and teenage brain development;

 

During the teenage years, your child’s sleep patterns will change. This is because the brain produces melatonin at a different time of the day. This makes your child feel tired and ready for bed later in the evening. It can keep your child awake into the night and make it difficult for her to get up the next morning.

 

Sleep is essential to healthy brain development. Try the following tips:

  • Ensure your child has a comfortable, quiet sleep environment.
  • Encourage ‘winding down’ before bed, away from screens including phones.
  • Reinforce a regular sleeping routine. Your child should aim to go to bed and wake up at regular times each day.
  • Encourage your child to get enough sleep each night. On average, teenagers need 8-10 hours each night.

 

Risk-taking behaviour and the teenage brain;

 

The teenage brain is built to seek out new experiences, risks and sensations – it’s all part of refining those brain connections.

Also, teenagers don’t always have a lot of self-control or good judgment and are more prone to risk-taking behaviour. This is because the self-monitoring, problem-solving and decision-making part of the brain – the prefrontal cortex – develops last. Hormones are also thought to contribute to impulsive and risky behaviour in teenagers.

 

Teenagers need to take risks to grow and develop. You can support your child in choosing healthy risks – like sports and travel – instead of negative ones like smoking and stealing. All risk-taking involves the possibility of failure. Your child will need your support to get over any setbacks.

 

Stress and the teenage brain;

 

With so many changes happening to your child’s brain, it’s especially important that your child is protected and nurtured.

The incidence of poor mental health increases during the teenage years. It’s thought this could be related to the fact that the developing brain is more vulnerable to stress factors than the adult brain.

 

Teenage stresses can include alcohol and other drugs, high-risk behaviour, experiences like starting a new school and peer pressure, or major life events like moving house or the death of a loved one. 

 

But too much protection and attention might not be good for your relationship either.

Instead, staying connected and involved in your child’s life can help you to learn more about how your child is coping with stress. It can also help you keep an open relationship with your child and ensure that your child sees you as someone to talk to – even about embarrassing or uncomfortable topics.

 

It’s thought that children are more likely to be open to parental guidance and monitoring during their teenage years if they’ve grown up in a supportive and nurturing home environment.

 

Every teenage child is unique, and teenagers respond to stress in different and unique ways. You know your child best, so it’s OK to trust your instinct on how to support your child if he’s going through a stressful time. It’s also OK to ask for help from friends, family members or professionals like your GP.