What We Know About Teaching Teenagers: A Guide for Teachers, Parents, and Administrators (COURSE 1)

Book excerpt: COURSE 1 TEXTBOOK: This book contains the first nine chapters of the Book and is used for Course 1 (see http://richardnesmith.obior.cc). IF you are seeking the full 20-chapter book, look for SECOND EDITION> A research-based book addressing brain-based learning and how secondary age students best learn and how teachers can best teach to meet those needs. American public education is on life support like never before. Why? The shift from LEARNING to standardized testing, ticking boxes for administrators, and watering down curricula are some of the reasons. This synthesis of brain-based research emphasizes how students best learn. It is NOT a checklist, it is a strategy that empowered teachers can utilize to improve student learning. But, knowing how teens think enables teachers to know HOW TEENS best LEARN. --Dr. Richard NeSmith What Educators and Parents are Saying! Eric Demoncheaux, FRSC, Teaching Professional l Discoverer of the 'Nitrite Effect' l Founder & Editor Science Teachers Network. ence Teacher Network I am posting this note to thank Dr. Richard NeSmith for helping me know more about what goes through teenagers' minds and grow into a better teacher. Dr. NeSmith's 28-plus years teaching experience and careful study of biology, developmental and cognitive psychology make him one of the best experts in the field. His book explains the difficulties students have learning at school and reflects on how to overcome them, promoting a better understanding of the changes going on in teenagers' lives as well as an elementary understanding of what causes pain points in the brain of the adult-in-the-making. Above all, Dr. NeSmith reminds us that teenagers are individuals, with their personality, strengths, weaknesses and their ways of showing love and concern. The book has been carefully researched and will make you aware of the cognitive-emotional interactions going on inside the mind of preadolescents to improve your teaching strategies. It is such a privilege to teach and take teenagers from childhood to adulthood. Whether you are a parent, a teacher, or a school administrator you will find in this book strategies to facilitate learning and encourage lifelong learning. #teaching #cognitivescience #neuropsychology ​Everyone that teaches teens in someway needs this book! From teachers to school leaders and parents, TeachingTeenagers gives an intriguing look into the why behind what teens do. I wish I had this book many years ago at the start of my teaching career! Dr. NeSmith makes hard-hitting, research-supported, statements on curriculum, community,teaching and learning that expose what so many of us know needs to be changed in schools and, even offers a call to action. He has curated what we know about teens to equip us to advocate in our communities that there is a better way to "do school." This book is an exciting manifesto for anyone that wants to see a needed revolution in education. --Dr. Toni Hull, Middle School Principal, Department of Education Teaching Fellow, Las Cruces,New Mexico (27-year veteran teacher/principal) "As a parent and educator, Dr. NeSmith has a wealth of knowledge and research to share with us all. In this book, What We Know, he has provided a detailed guide for administrators, teachers, and parents who strive to learn more about the adolescent experience in education. This book would be beneficial in a preparation programs for teachers and administrators." --Dr. Ellie Baldwin, former Chair of Teacher Education,Regis University, Denver, CO "I think that this book should be read by parents and teachers. This reading has enlightened me to a new observation of students and their ways of learning. Thank you for sharing this with me as I will cherish it and refer back to it regularly to help me in the future!" --Tara LaRocca, Biology Teacher, Plaquemine High School, Plaquemine, Louisiana (6th-year as a teacher). "I think this should be required reading for every parent, teacher, and administrator. I love that it addresses so many of the problems within our schools today and also offers practical, common-sense solutions." --Dana Fideline, Inola Public Schools, Inola,Oklahoma (12th year as teacher) "After teaching 19 years in a middle school setting, one would think there is not a lot to learn about how adolescents learn, but I was wrong. Dr. NeSmith's book, What We Know about Teaching Teenagers! A Guide for Parents, Teachers,and Administrators, not only provided copious amounts of current scientific research about how students learn, what affects their learning potential, but also how adults in their life can help them become the person they want to become. Often when the parent of a struggling student is contacted, many parents are at a loss of what to do to help their child and seek advice from the school. I appreciate the many suggestions teachers or administrators can give to those parents to help positively impact the developing teenage brain." --Julie Allender, Teacher of 7th & 8th grade Integrated Science, DeAnza Middle School, Ontario, CA "When I think of middle schoolers I think of them as quirky and that's why I love them. When I attempt to provide words of conciliation to mothers of teens the best advice I can give it that they are works in progress. Richard captures these sentiments in a well-researched study of the teen and his/her quirks and habits and elaborates on strategies to improve the educational climate for ALL in a structured solution to teachers, parents AND administrators." --Mary Howard, Sixth Grade Teacher. Master Teacher and New York State Teacher of the year finalist. Grand Island Central School District, Grand Island, New York