Tips for Teaching Transescents

Students are going through incredible changes during the adolescent time period of their lives. Adolescents are going through cognitive, emotional, and physical development. It is at this time that many students begin to be able to “think” for themselves. This is also the time where students begin to test the boundaries in the classroom. Below are some suggestions for providing a positive school experience for adolescent children.

First, a new teacher needs to work hard to provide an engaging learning atmosphere. An engaging learning environment motivates kids. This environment is one where student work is celebrated and showcased around the classroom. An engaging learning environment also needs to maintain high learning expectations. Learning can be fun, but there must be a learning outcome for each lesson with results showing achievement of that outcome. In this day and age an engaging learning environment will also be media-rich. A media-rich classroom may include many different resources such as books, computers with internet access, power-point presentations, and hands-on manipulatives. This is no longer the time to solely use a textbook to teach effectively. An engaging learning environment should be task-based, but follow the student interests. It is possible to follow student interests and address core content and skills at the same time. If student interests are tapped into, then there will be a natural motivation to learn. Finally, students must be involved in the lesson from the moment they enter the classroom until the moment they leave. Work from bell to bell.


Second, a new teacher of adolescents must maintain a structured learning environment. It is important to set up classroom rules, routines, and procedures at the beginning of the year. Next, the new teacher must remember to consistently enforce these rules, routines, and procedures. Adolescent children like routine because it makes class predictable and the students are aware of the expectations placed upon them. A structured learning environment will be very helpful to any teacher when adolescent students begin to test the boundaries in the classroom as part of their developmental process.


Third, starting teaching for the first time can be exhausting at any grade level. In order to avoid severe exhaustion, new teachers should get involved with a mentor teacher program. Even if there is no organized program in your school or district, find an experienced teacher who you can work with. This is not a time to reinvent the wheel. This is a time for new teachers to breathe life into a good lesson that may have already been established by an experienced teacher. A mentor teacher can be a great help in planning engaging lessons for adolescent students. Finally, let your mentor teacher help you to say no to taking on too much responsibility in your first years of teaching. A new teacher who is stretched too thin will not be as effective in the end.