DED 101EDUCATIONAL

PSYCHOLOGY, GUIDANCE AND COUNSELING

THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF ZANZIBAR5th July, 2011

OUTLINE

• Meaning of Adolescence• Adolescence’s needs• Adolescence’s problems• Dealing with adolescence so as to:

• Perform well in their learning• Positive adaptation to their environment

DEFINTIONS• (Oxford Concise Dictionary:2009) defines adolescence

as the period following the onset of puberty during which a young person develops from a child into an adult.

• (Holmbeck:1994) defines adolescence as a transitional period between childhood and adulthood which is characterized by a host of biological, psychological, and social rol changes.

• (Baron:1996) defines adolescence as a period beginning with the onset of puberty and ending when individuals assume adult roles and responsibilities

Stages of Adolescence

• Early Adolescence: 12-15 yrs; a time for self-conciseness.

• Middle Adolescence: 15-18yrs; interest in opposite sex, sex role expectations.

• Late Adolescence: 18-22; education, career, marriage, children, and life-style.

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Physical Development• The biological changes that occur during adolescence

are greater than those of any other time of life, with the exception of infancy.

• Unlike the newborn, adolescents are aware of the changes that are taking place and of what the changes mean. These changes and this awareness may be pleasing or horrifying; lack of information about puberty/sexuality can contribute to emotional upset

• The sequence of events at puberty is generally the same for each person, the timing and the rate at which they occur vary widely.

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Physical Development

• Puberty—specific developmental changes that lead to the ability to reproduce.Primary sex characteristics—directly involved in reproduction.• The body organs and reproductive structures and functions that

differ between women and men. • Gonads (testes and ovaries)

• Secondary sex characteristics—not directly involved in reproduction– Examples: growth of hair on certain parts of the body– Deepening of the voice– In females, rounding of hips and breast

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Physical Development

• Changes in Males– Pituitary gland causes the testes to increase

output of hormone testosterone– Sexual organs grow– Voices deepen– Hair begins to grow on face, and later on chest– Develop broader shoulders and thicker bodies– Develop muscle tissue and larger hearts and lungs

Physical Development

PHYSICAL CHANGES IN FEMALES• Hormones from the pituitary gland stimulate the

ovaries to secrete more estrogen which spurs the growth of breasts.

• First menstrual cycle usually begins between the ages of 11 to 14.

• Pelvic region widens, hips become rounder

How teachers can support the physicaldevelopment of young adolescent students

• Respect and understand the physical changes that students are going through.

• Vary instructional methods to allow for physical activity and movement

• Vary instructional methods to allow for physical activity and movement

• Allow enough time in the school schedule for developing physical fitness.

• Allow for stretch, bathroom, and snack breaks during long blocks

• of time.

Adolescent’s Needs

• It doesn't matter what stage of life you are in, everyone has the same basic needs. These needs can be physical, emotional, social, intellectual, spiritual, and creative.

• When all of these needs are satisfied, you'll discover that your life is brimming with joy and good feelings. You'll find your self-esteem at its highest peak whenever you are fulfilled within your daily life and activities.

Adolescence’s Social Needs• Young adolescents are becoming aware of the larger world around them

for the first time. They are beginning to consider themselves as individuals outside of their families

• Needing to belong to the peer group is probably the strongest single characteristic of adolescence.

• Who am I? How do I fit in? What does everyone think about me? are questions constantly running through young adolescents’ heads as they experiment with their new independence and develop strong relationships with their peers

• Social and emotional concerns(needs) often block out academic issues. The young adolescent’s primary lens is that of social interaction: finding one’s place in the social context

• As the world of young adolescents expands and they begin to develop their own beliefs, attitudes, and values, the media, adults outside the family, and peers influence their decisions more and more.

Everyone needs to belong — to feel connected with others and be with

others who share attitudes, interests, and circumstances that resemble their

own. People choose friends who accept and like them and see them in

a favorable light.

Social Needs• Need to make personal choices• Need for social acceptance• Need for relations with the opposite sex, but same sex friendships

dominate• Need to define sex role characteristics• Need for independence• Need of adults’ identification but not always willing to accept

their suggestions• Need for frequent reinforcement that significant adults including

parents care• Need moderate amounts of time alone, in order to regroup and

reflect on daily experiences

How teachers can support the social needsof young adolescent students?

• Provide cooperative learning opportunities as well as time for large group and one-on-one discussions.

• Require students to apply their knowledge and skills to social issues and topics of concern to young people.

• Maintain clear expectations for social interaction.• Create learning experiences in which students practice democracy,

governance, and conflict resolution• Foster opportunities for personal reflection and for students to share

their concerns and feelings with teachers.• Foster classroom and team identity, and provide time for regular

student-led meetings to discuss issues, plan events, and make important decisions regarding the team.

• Create peer editing, tutoring, and mentoring activities.

Personal and Learning Needs

• Adolescents like anybody else have personal needs that need to be fulfilled.

• It is common to adjust one’s personal goals and beliefs as one matures and views the world from a new or broader perspective.

• Personal needs of adolescents includes the need to identity formation which is the process of developing a sense of who one is and what one stands for. Thus personal needs include:o Need to have a sense of individual selfo Need for Selection of commitments, beliefs, valueso Need to experiment with different values, beliefs, roles,

and relationships.

Learning Needs• Young adolescent learners are curious, motivated to

achieve when challenged, and capable of critical and complex thinking.

• This group of students can be both a delight and a challenge for teachers to motivate, hold their attention, and channel their enthusiasm and energy into real learning.

• As adolescents learn they focus mainly on self relation and thus they ask themselves these questions Why does this matter to me?” “How can I help or influence this situation?”

• “How good will I be at this?” “What are others doing and thinking?” “What will they think of me?”

Learning needs• Learning needs of adolescents, include necessary competencies

such as:• self-esteem, • self-reliance, • teamwork/cooperation,• respect for diversity and the rights of others,• peaceful negotiation and conflict resolution,• cultural awareness,• creative thinking/innovation,• acquiring and using appropriate information,

How teachers can support the learning needs of young adolescent students

• Each and every middle school teacher needs to develop strong relationships with his or he students. Such relationships are the foundation for powerful learning.

• Focus on complex thinking skills that ask students to apply their knowledge and skill to worthwhile tasks.

• Ask students to make choices and pursue their own interests.• Provide cooperative learning opportunities, one-on-one feedback,

and time for personal reflection.• Differentiate instruction.

Remember

By taking time to listen to students and personalize their learning, schools can help young adolescents feel safer and less vulnerable to criticism, less concerned with their changing bodies, and more aware that they are not alone with their personal problems and feelings, that these are natural and often shared experiences among people.

Adolescence’s Problems

• The physical and psychological characteristics of adolescents and the nature of developmental tasks which they are expected to perform often pose certain challenges and problems for adjustment. Basically adolescents face problems related to their home, school and society. They are presented in Table 1

Table 1Social Problems Academic

problems/school problems

Self problems Home related problems

Gender bias, casterelated problemsGeneration gapPracticesOver expectationsLack of friends

Strict teachersClosed schoolatmosphereNot acceptableclassmatesPoor marksToo much homeworkNo co-curricularparticipation.Long school hours

Body imagePimplesBody changesMoodinessAngerFeeling of rebelCrushesDay dreamsPersonality

Authoritative parentingPoor rapprt withparentsLack of communicationLow socio-economicbackgroundNon conduciveatmosphereSpace constraintComparison withothers

Adolescence’s Problems

• The major problems that adolescents face include :

• Increased risk for delinquent behaviors.• Increased risk of depression and anxiety.• Impaired cognitive and school perfomance• Difficulties in forming meaningful relationships

including stable romantic ones

Helping Adolescents Counseling and Guidance

• Adolescence is a phase which makes a person enter into the adult world. Growing into an adult a child makes us experience the problems in various domainssuch as

• Personal• Social• Educational• Vocational and career related• Through guidance and counseling services adolescents can be

helped to solve these problems. With the help of career counseling and vocational guidance they can be helped with insights into the various career opportunities and educations choices that are available. Personal and social counseling can help them in resolving their problems

Remember• Adolescence is an important stage in the life span of human

beings. It serves as the bridge between childhood and adulthood.• This period is marked by rapid physical and psychological

transformation of the individual.• The sex characteristics develop during this phase.• This is period during which significant bodily changes occur that

characterize.• Some of the developmental tasks of adolescents are achieving

new and mature relations with mates, achieving masculine/feminine social role, achieving lindependence etc

• The adolescents face problems related to home, self, school and society.

• The process of guidance and counseling can help the adolescent for a smooth transition of adulthood..

Questions?

Can you answer these questions?

• Question:1. How do males and females change physically during adolescence, and

what are the psychological effects of these changes?2. What role do parents and peers play in the lives of adolescents?3. What reasons might we have for thinking adolescents are particularly

vulnerable to aggression/violence?4. Why do adolescents become increasingly aware of their cultural roles

and what is expected of them?5. What are some of the challenges that adolescents face in today’s

society?

END OF LECTURE SEVEN

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