The Adolescent Learner: Making a Difference in the Middle
               
When we know our learners, we can meet them with understanding, compassion and effectiveness.

​Intellectual Development

• Highly Curious
• Imaginative
• Argues to clarify own thinking (begins to think about ideas)

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​Physical Development

• body and brain going through massive changes
• prefrontal cortex not fully developed (thinking/problem solving challenges- planning, reasoning, decision making)
• growth is accelerated and uneven
• experimentation and confusion are common 

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​Social Development

• peer approval/social acceptance is critical (socially vulnerable at this time)
• testing limits and boundaries
• challenging authority (beginning to develop own ideas)
• need time alone to regroup and reflect on experiences
• social maturity lags behind physical and Intellectual development

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​Moral/Ethical Development

• idealistic
• strong sense of fairness
• aware of flaws in others but not in self
• moving from self-centered perspectives to having consideration for rights and feelings of others

​​Emotional Development

• quest for identity and independence
• self-conscious; prone to lack of self-esteem (vulnerable)
• highly sensitive to criticism
• feel their experiences, feelings and problems are unique
• inconsistent behaviours and moods