Should an Educator be Knowledgeable of Adolescent Psychology and Apply it to her or his Classroom?

Adolescence is a transitional period we will all come to experience. What makes adolescence stand out is that it is a period in our lives that links what we have experienced in our childhood to developing and shaping the individuals we will become during adulthood. This particular field in psychology calls for a focus on young people’s abilities, strengths and developmental needs. There is an extensive amount of research that focuses on adolescent development and how it impacts an individual socially, emotionally and psychologically. While the research that supports youth developments is ongoing, it is critically important that educators focus on adolescent psychology in order to be knowledgeable about youth concepts in the context of education. Taking this course has helped be further my knowledge of this field with a strong focus on theories that have shaped the way we think about adolescent development. Not only have I learned about youth development, I have also had the opportunity to reflect on my own upbringing during my adolescence and perhaps find answers to questions I never had bothered to raise back then. I take learning about adolescent psychology very seriously because as a future educator it would better prepare me to be culturally competent in the classroom. Instead of making judgments about my students’ behaviors or attitudes, I would try to understand them from the cognitive level in which they are. As a future teacher preparing to enter a middle school and high school next semester for my student teaching experience. Being in the field of education will allow me to dig deeply into the principles and practices of adolescent education, to consider my role as an advocate, and to think about how yo...

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