Secrets of the Teenage Brain: Research-Based Strategies for Reaching and Teaching Today's Adolescents [Paperback]

Sheryl G. Feinstein (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1412962676 | ISBN-13: 978-1412962674 | Publication Date: August 12, 2009 | Edition: Second Edition

The updated edition offers a unique blend of cutting-edge research, fresh instructional strategies, and insights into the adolescent brain to help educators better support their teenage students.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This updated edition is a very significant and timely resource for educators and parents of teenagers. Teachers will relate well to the many observations and vignettes about teenagers and will see many of their own students in these descriptions. The science and research-based evidence is explained simply and in easy-to-understand terms with connections to teen behavior clearly established. Readers can easily appreciate how the strategies described in the book link to the neuroscientific findings and research. The newer research, ideas, and supplementary material greatly enhance the book-particularly the new stories, vignettes, and other teaching strategies." (Barry Corbin, Professor of Education, Acadia University )

"This book explains almost all of the 'headshaking' frustrations educators express about teens. Educators will enjoy discovering that there is a biological reason for the behaviors and attitudes that teens demonstrate. They will also appreciate the practical and down-to-earth suggestions to help students find school more appealing." (Kathy Tritz-Rhodes, Principal )

"As a parent, I found myself applying this information to understand my own children’s behavior better. The neurological content coverage is based on very current functional MRI brain science that is being used and understood for the first time. It is an exciting time with the promise of substantially more new information for many years to come. Feinstein presents complex information in an accessible manner with the tone of a real person who has worked with real teenagers." (Judy Filkins, Math and Science Curriculum Coordinator )

About the Author

Sheryl Feinstein is an Associate Professor at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, SD where she teaches in the Education Department. She is the author of a number of books, including Secrets of the Teenage Brain 2nd Ed (2009), Corwin Press; The Praeger Handbook of Learning and the Brain 2 vol. (2006), Praeger Publisher; Parenting the Teenage Brain: Understanding a Work in Progress, Teaching the At Risk Teenage Brain, and Inside the Teenage Brain: Understanding a Work in Progress (2009), Rowman & Littlefield Publisher; 101 Insights and Strategies for Parenting Teenagers (Fall, 2009), Healthy Learning Publishers; and Tanzanian Women in Their Own Words: Stories of Chronic Illness and Disability, (2009), Lexington Press.

In addition to teaching at Augustana College, Feinstein consults at a correctional facility for adolescent boys and at a separate site for Emotionally/Behaviorally Disturbed (EBD) adolescents in Minnesota. She was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship in 2007-2008 to Tanzania where she taught at Tumaini University in Iringa and conducted research involving the adolescent. In 2006 she was a fellow at Oxford, UK.

Prior to joining Augustana College, Feinstein was an administrator for a K-12 school district in Minnesota and taught in the public schools in South Dakota and a private school in Missouri.

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: Corwin Press; Second Edition edition (August 12, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1412962676
• ISBN-13: 978-1412962674
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #130,357 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fast and Enlightening Read - Excellent for Teachers and Parents, May 16, 2007

By 

Fun Life - See all my reviews

This review is from: Secrets of the Teenage Brain: Research-Based Strategies for Reaching & Teaching Today's Adolescents (Paperback)

I borrowed this book from the library and read it over the course of three days. I found it very "readable" and with plenty of big words about the brain in which I have only a passing interest.

If you are in a rush get this from the library, otherwise wait and buy one or more of her upcoming books titled:

"Parenting the Teenage Brain: Understanding a Work in Progress" (due in July 2007, 162 pages),

"Learning and the Brain: A Comprehensive Guide for Educators, Parents, and Teachers" (due in August, 2007, 576 pages),and

"Teaching the At-Risk Teenage Brain" (due in October 2007, 136 pages), [I believe this may be an update of "Secrets of the Teenage Brain" but am not sure.]

The chapters in "Secrets of the Teenage Brain" are:

1 - Teen Brain: Under Construction - talks about how the brain is like the framing of a house that still needs walls, wiring and a roof.
2 - Teen Cognition and Learning - keys to understanding how the teen learns and how teachers and parents can help in the process.
3 - The Social Brain - a great way to see life from your teen's point of view.
4 - Communication and the Unfinished Brain - yes it is possible to have meaningful communication with a teen.
5 - Self-Concept Under Attack - advice on how to improve the teen's (and your own) self view.
6 - The Risk-taking Brain - why they do it and how to help them not make such bad judgments that may have a lifelong impact.
7 - Reaching and Teaching Today's Adolescents - Tomorrow - Make a school that ....

And finally she wraps it all up with a four page summary of the entire book.

There is a lot of meat in this book for teachers and parents. I plan to purchase all three of her upcoming books as I am a volunteer working with pre K - 14 at risk students but I suggest you star with the one that is most appropriate to your needs.

For those interested a description of the upcoming books follows:


PARENTING THE TEENAGE BRAIN

Teenagers are perplexing, intriguing, and spirited creatures. In an attempt to discover the secrets to their thoughts and actions, parents have tried talking, cajoling, and begging them for answers. The result has usually been just more confusion. But new and exciting light is being shed on these mysterious young adults.

What was once thought to be hormones run amuck can now be explained with modern medical technology. MRI and PET scans view the human brain while it is alive and functioning. To no one's surprise, the teenage brain is under heavy construction! These discoveries are helping parents understand the (until now) unexplainable teenager. Neuroscience can help parents adjust to the highs and lows of teenage behavior. Typically, this transformation is a prickly proposition for both teens and their families, but the trials and tribulations of adolescence give teenagers a second chance to develop and create the brain they will take into adulthood.


LEARNING AND THE BRAIN

Nearly 100 entries describe current brain research as it relates to education, as well as the relationship between the brain and learning and instructional strategies. Over 100 expert authors contributed to this work, covering the cognitive, social/emotional, and physical aspects of learning as the brain develops. Topics include: brain development, learning, curriculum, at-risk, classroom management, culture, emotion, foods, intelligence, learning environments, learning challenges, learning theories, and physical movement. Focus is on K-12 education, but the books also offer information on the pre-school and adult learner. Cross-references and recommended readings conclude each entry. Supplemental reference sources include a glossary devoted to the brain and an extensive bibliography.

Ideal for educators, parents and teachers, this encyclopedia provides a wealth of knowledge about why educational experiences are structured the way they are and how this helps students learn more. Cognitive neuroscience and its practical use in education provides much of the research for this book, however, the entries are written at a level appropriate for a general reader.


TEACHING THE AT-RISK TEENAGE BRAIN

While all teenage behavior and character traits can be challenging, the issues facing the at-risk teenager are particularly thorny and deserve special attention. Anger, aggression, and a total lack of good decision-making happen on a minute-to-minute basis, as teachers patiently try to guide these young adults. Unlocking the key to keeping them in school and facilitating proficiency in reading, writing, and math is not for the weak of heart. A strong constitution, compassionate spirit, and solid knowledge base make the difference in this meaningful work. Neuroscientists now have the technology to make amazing and startling discoveries about this unexplored territory. Combining their work with the work of psychologists and educationists is creating a new and exciting landscape for educators.

In Teaching the At-Risk Teenage Brain Sheryl Feinstein provides research in a reader-friendly way to help teachers and administrators better understand the at-risk student. Feinstein also includes numerous brain-compatible instructional strategies and classroom management techniques, all intended to teach, support, and guide at-risk teenage students

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Source for Middle & High School Teachers, July 23, 2007

By 

Georgia Martinez "Teen Teacher" (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Secrets of the Teenage Brain: Research-Based Strategies for Reaching & Teaching Today's Adolescents (Paperback)

I am a continuation high school teacher. My students come from situations of illness, abuse, preganacy,trouble with the law and different styles of learning. They are in my classes because they didn't make it in a regular school setting. This book has given me such insight to the brain development of my students. "Secrets," has provided an understanding of the "neurological and biological changes that teenagers experience." The most useful aspect, included in each chapter, of "Secrets" are the sections on "Instructional Strategies," and "Things to Try." I will definitly use these suggestions in my classroom next term. This is a great tool to add to my teacher's bag-of-tricks!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, October 5, 2008

By 

Daniel R. Johnson "Dan" (Sioux Falls, SD) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Secrets of the Teenage Brain: Research-Based Strategies for Reaching & Teaching Today's Adolescents (Paperback)

Dr Feinstein is one of my professors. I have taken two courses from her. I walked away from each course feeling better equipped as I prepare to teach my first class of students.