The teen brain and learning

Dr Asha Pemberton

teenhealth.tt@gmail.com

The official start of the new academic year was a few days ago. While we are all adjusting to new routines, it is important for parents to understand the ways in which they can support the learning and academic development of their teens especially in the online context. Learning styles, refer simply to the ways in which people process and retain information. While some teenagers prefer reading in silence, others learn best in groups or by actively engaging their senses. Since parents will be called upon to play additional educational roles this term, knowledge of the teen brain and learning methods is useful.

The teen brain

Adolescent brains are still undergoing dramatic development. During the early teen years, there is growth of “grey matter” as well as increasing complexity of the connectivity between brain cells. The process of full maturation is not completed until age 25, which means that the adolescent brain does not manage and interpret information in the same way as the adult brain. Sustained attention, critical thinking and organisational skills are being learned and are not consistent. This is a common source of frustration and conflict. Teens are simply not completely equipped to manage every aspect of their lives and do require supervision and additional support.

Learning styles

Learning styles and preferences take on a variety of forms during adolescence. While all teenagers may not necessarily fall perfectly into one category, in general four types are described. Understanding each style of learning and ways in which it can be supported are integral to optimal education.

1. Visual learners

Teens with a preference for visual learning gravitate towards pictures, diagrams, written directions and charts. Also referred to as the “spatial” learning style, teenagers who learn through sight understand information better when presented in a visual way. Typically, these young people enjoy making lists, notes and tables and tend to use highlighters and coloured ink on their books.

Supporting visual learners involves providing them with the physical resources to create images that assist their learning. Paper, coloured pens, whiteboard and markers are typical favourites. In the digital setting, these learners may opt to make their own notes or presentations using programmes such as Powerpoint and then tweak them to their preferences. Visual learners may also need more time to process material, as they observe the visual cues before them.

2. Auditory learners

Auditory learners tend to learn better when the subject matter is reinforced by sound. These teens would much rather listen to a lecture or podcast than read written notes, and they often use their own voices to reinforce new concepts and ideas. In essence, they may read aloud or talk to themselves.

Since these students generally find it hard to stay quiet for long periods of time, they tend to be quite active and dislike silence. They may prefer study groups, which they can now easily create in the online setting and may ask you to ask them questions for them to respond. Supportive resources include videos, podcasts and audiobooks in the digital environment.

3. Kinesthetic learners

Kinesthetic learners, sometimes called tactile learners, learn through experiencing or doing things. They like to get involved by acting out events or using their hands to touch and handle in order to understand concepts. These types of learners often struggle to sit still and often excel at sports or like to dance. They may need to take more frequent breaks when studying and will require an at-home environment which supports movement while preventing excessive distraction. This can be challenging. The online educational world provides less hands-on opportunities, and so parents will be required to assist teens who are kinaesthetic learnings in making some aspects of their learning more “real” for them.

4. Reading/writing learners

Reading/writing learners prefer to learn through written words. While there is some overlap with visual learning, these types of learners are drawn to expression through writing, reading articles or books, writing in diaries, and researching information. Of the four learning styles, this is probably the easiest to support since most traditional learning happens through printed word. In the new online setting – which will be a fusion between video presentations and personal review of text books – some read/write learners may struggle to adapt to other forms of media. Support them at home by encouraging them to correlate online teaching to their text books, which are likely more within their comfort zone and if required, print resources in hard copy for them to read.

Through an understanding of the types of learning styles, parents can assess their teens and determine their optimal methods. This information can then assist in providing the optimal learning support so that our young people continue to move forward and achieve their fullest potential.