Skip to content
Free school trialMy learning
Behaviour

Understand Teenagers Brains

Know what's going on in a teenager's brain when a small request gets a huge reaction, and teach in a way that works with it.

  • 49 minutes
  • 1 CPD hour
  • Certificate
Start free trialBuy this course

Free for 14 days, then £7 a month or £70 a year. Cancel before day 14 and you won't pay anything.

About this course

You ask a Year 9 to take their blazer off and get 15 minutes of fury in return. It's tempting to put that down to hormones or attitude. There's a better explanation, and it's far more use to you.

The emotional, reactive part of a teenager's brain develops well before the part that plans and reflects, and that development carries on from about 12 to 24. Once you know that, a lot of classroom behaviour starts to make sense, and you can plan for it: calmer starts to lessons, less pressure piled on at exam time, and more room for the novelty and belonging teenagers crave.

A behaviour and education specialist takes psychiatrist Dan Siegel's ESSENCE model and the window of tolerance and turns them into things you can do in your own classroom.

Modules

11 modules
  1. 1Introduction2 min
  2. 2How is the teenage brain different?4 min
  3. 3Myth 1 – Teens have raging hormones and just need to grow up5 min
  4. 4Myth 2 – Teens are crazy, lazy and out of control4 min
  5. 5Myth 3 – Teens need to push against adults6 min
  6. 6The window of tolerance6 min
  7. 7Introducing ESSENCE 1 – Emotional Spark6 min
  8. 8ESSENCE 2 – Social engagement5 min
  9. 9ESSENCE 3 – Novelty4 min
  10. 10ESSENCE 4 – Creative exploration6 min
  11. 11Wrap up3 min

Across all our courses

91%

of people who rated one of our courses would recommend it to a friend or colleague. From more than 95,000 ratings.

Other courses on this topic

See all courses

Good to know

  • A certificate with your CPD hours that anyone can check online.
  • Buy the course and you have 12 months to finish it.
  • Stop when you like and pick up where you left off.
  • Your school is a member? Log in and it’s already there. You won’t pay twice.

Start this course today

Try it free for 14 days. The trial opens every course in the library, including this one.

Start free trialBuy this course