Tom Songer, M.Ed Author
Aug 25, 20206 min
Being a teenager is one of the most difficult stages of our life. Teenagers would face difficulties since they are in the stage when they are trying to figure out their identity and try to fit in. If being at this stage is difficult, imagine dealing with more than a dozen of teenagers in a classroom setup and trying to teach them something that is not event their interest. Inside are “Things to Know 1-5” and “Brain Compatible Strategies for Increasing Learning,” and practical tips for teaching teenagers in “Teaching Tips to Keep in Mind When Presenting.”
If you are a new home school teacher, then adjusting or dealing with teenagers could be very difficult but also a challenging experience. Some parents would say that teenagers could "smell fear". When you are teaching teenagers, first impressions are very important. It's important you appear that you are a professional, knowledgeable in your field as a teacher and that you are there to help them as a parent.
Here are 10 tips through trial and error from National Association of Music Education
Talk like an adult, but remember they’re still children. Teens hate to be patronized, so use the same tone you do with adults. But still give step-by-step directions—including putting their names on the paper.
Be proactive, not reactive. Don’t leave yourself to figure out how to respond to a situation on the spot. Anticipate potential problems, and plan their solutions. Remind students often of expectations and consequences, and apply consequences consistently. Adjust your plans for possible logistical problems.
Respond to the small stuff. If they can get away with mild attempts at rebellion, students may try getting your attention with more serious misbehavior. Make them throw out their gum, insist on full participation, and correct them for inappropriate language like “shut up.”
Encourage appropriate self-expression. Allow students to do extra-credit projects on favorite recording artists, ask how they feel about a listening selection (after listening), and ask open-ended questions to encourage creative thinking. Insist that all opinions be treated with respect. Students will learn that their views are valued and how to treat others’ opinions with respect.
Find the hidden reason for misbehavior. Students would rather get in trouble for breaking the rules than for being unable to complete an assignment. Be aware of students’ special needs, and adjust plans accordingly. Reward students for effort and make sure your directions are very clear.
Hold your ground today, and tomorrow will be better. Adolescents hate giving in to the teacher in front of peers. However, stand firm, regardless of the student’s protestations. Tomorrow, the student may be able to meet your expectations without embarrassment or feel that rebellion just isn’t worth it.
Beware of free time. Students are extremely creative in thinking up what to do during free time. Save yourself the dismay, clean up, and follow through on misbehavior, and keep your students very, very busy.
Show sincere appreciation. Students want to be acknowledged when they do the right thing. Rather than singling out a student in front of the class, direct your compliment to a group of students, or use a hit-and-run method: speak to the student privately at the end of the lesson, then immediately send him or her to class. This doesn’t put the student on the spot.
Model the behavior you desire. If you’re sarcastic and impatient, students will be sullen and resentful. When you use an angry voice or yell, conflict will escalate. The more we yell, the less our students listen and the more amused they can become.
Graciously admit when you’re wrong. If you don’t, students can’t wait to prove you wrong. By admitting an error, apologizing, and moving on, we show our students how we learn from our mistakes. (2020 National Association for Music)
Of course you would also like to project that they could approach or ask for your guidance and advices, you are not only their teacher for their academic subjects but also their parent. You are also their life coach and example. You can act goofy sometimes, you can inject humour into your classes. But be sure that you would make them understand that there are limitations, when they have to get down to their lessons then that should mean business.
Here are five examples from Teaching English:
If you want students to write a narrative or argumentative essay or any other type of text, you can provide a few alternative titles for them to choose.
If you want to revise certain vocabulary or grammar, you can write at least two different task types for the same concept.
If you want students to make a presentation on a specific topic, you can let students choose what tool to use to make the presentation. Powerpoint? A video? A poster? Let them choose!
If you want students to improve their presentations skills and fluency, you can allow them to choose the topic. Let it be something they are interested in! (which links to the previous tip)
If you have worked with a book and you want students to do a wrap-up project, you can let them come up with ideas of what to do. You can always guide them by giving them a few options so that they know what you expect from them. In this case it is a wise idea to approve the choices before any work is done in order to avoid misdirected tasks or projects. (2020 Teaching English)
When teaching teen-agers you could incorporate pop culture into your lessons to make it more interesting. Some experts said that a teenís attention span could last as long as 5 minutes. But with numerous and different kinds of media around us, the attention span of teens are continuously decreasing. What better way to capture your studentís interest other than using medium that they really like. For example: songs, sports and other kind of entertainment. So it would be great, if you would also be updated with new trends in culture.
Top Five Learning Strategies Every Parent Must Know
The adolescent brain is still developing and therefore requires different brain compatible strategies for learning. This section describes the adolescent brain, details specific learning strategies in “Things to Know 1-5” and “Brain Compatible Strategies for Increasing Learning,” and offers practical tips for teaching teenagers in “Teaching Tips to Keep in Mind When Presenting.”
Example: Thing to Know # 2: The addition of emotion can help students remember.
Aside from using different kinds of media form for instruction, you could also use or maximize having fillers or ice-breakers in class. This would snap them out of the daydreaming and put them back into their lessons. You can even include interactive online activities or games, you just have to make sure that rules and objectives are clear. Expectations are extremely important. This would help in avoiding any kind of misunderstanding between student and parent.
Although, teenagers do not accept it easily, making them work with others would make it easier for them. When breaking teenagers into small groups, you just have to have a plan that would allow you to monitor them easily and aside from that encourage them to do collaborative work online.
Some teachers would just teach or instruct their students, not fostering any kind of active participation. It would be surprising for some teachers that teenagers would know a lot about something. So, allow your students to bring their knowledge inside the forum. It would surprise you that they can share a lot and educate their classmates about numerous things.
When asking them to work into project, give or allow them to explore their creativity and express themselves. You can display the projects inside the forum. Just like when you are teaching any level, positive reinforcement means a lot. So give them a pat in the back for a job well done. You can use positive and encouraging words rather than use words that single out their weaknesses and tend to humiliate them in front of the classmates and peers in forums.
Teaching, regardless of any level, is a very rewarding experience. But do not get too depressed if your expectations are not met or they are not responding in the manner that you hope that they would.
Book Review: From the author of the wildly popular bestseller The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens comes the go-to guide that helps teens cope with major challenges they face in their lives—now updated for today’s social media age.
In this newly revised edition, Sean Covey helps teens figure out how to approach the six major challenges they face: gaining self-esteem, dealing with their parents, making friends, being wise about sex, coping with substances, and succeeding at school and planning a career.
Covey understands the pain and confusion that teens and their parents experience in the face of these weighty, life-changing, and common difficulties. He shows readers how to use the 7 Habits to cope with, manage, and ultimately conquer each challenge—and become happier and more productive.
Now updated for the digital and social media age, Covey covers how technology affects these six decisions, keeping the information and advice relevant to today’s teenagers.