Lesson video

Thank you for joining me today.

Today's lesson is about the brain during puberty.

And this lesson covers issues to do with puberty and growing up.

And if that's sensitive to you, do check in with a trusted adult before starting the lesson or ensure that a trusted adult is nearby.

Thank you.

My name is Mrs. O'Neill.

And this is the second lesson in a unit all about the changing adolescent body.

In the first lesson, we looked at what was meant by puberty, the changes that take place to young people as they start to mature into adulthood.

Today, we take that further and we're going to focus on the changes that happen to the brain.

Thank you for joining me.

And so, in this lesson, you will need something to write on, an exercise book or a piece of paper, and something to write with, a pen or a pencil of any kind.

Let's look at the agenda for today's lesson.

We're going to start off with the intro quiz, which I'm sure you've already completed.

We're going to look at some keywords.

We're then going to look at something called neuron growth and brain rewiring.

Little bits of a crossover there with science.

We're going to look at something called the amygdala, which is to do with emotions and impulses.

And then I'll direct you towards your exit quiz.

So let's start with the keywords and terms for today's lesson.

We're starting off with neuron.

Essentially, a specialised cell.

A basic part of the brain.

Learning spurt, describes the years after puberty.

Learning can become easier and faster.

Amygdala, probably the trickiest of all the words that you'll come across today.

Can you say the word amygdala back to me, please? Thank you.

It's the parts of our brains linked to emotions and impulses.

And finally, the word adolescence.

So puberty, which we looked at last time, describes the initial years where those changes happen to our bodies that prepare us to become adults.

And adolescence is the years that follow puberty.

Really it's the later teenage years.

So I'm going to ask you a question, something I'd like you to consider.

I'd like you to consider, just think about, how you think puberty might affect the brain? So going through puberty, changes to the body that happen between the years usually aged nine to about 13, 14 years old.

How do you think the brain might be affected? Think about the behaviours of some teenagers that you might know, older brothers and sisters perhaps, might be changes you yourself are or have experienced.

Okay.

Hopefully, today's lesson will answer the question as to why the behaviour of teenagers is sometimes tricky, sometimes difficult, and why emotions might not be the same as they were when you were a younger child or for people once they've grown up.

So let's start by looking at neuron growth and brain rewiring.

When we're thinking about how during puberty, the brain essentially rewires new cells and gets rid of unconnected brain cells.

So it's new cells.

Rewiring is more of an informal descriptive term rather than a scientific one.

But it describes really well what's happening in our brains.

Brain function also speeds up during this time.

Can lead to something called the learning spurt, where learning and where brain function actually starts to speed up.

So in a moment, I'm going to ask you to reflect on this information on this slide.

On the slide here, you can see that there are four different options.

One of these options is essentially false, I mean it's truth.

It doesn't happen to the brain during puberty or adolescence.

So let's go through those options and remember, we're trying to identify the option that is false, that doesn't happen during puberty or adolescence.

First of all, neuron growth.

The rewiring of brain cells.

The learning spurts, where learning becomes easier and faster for many.

Brain function slowing down, not able to work as fast.

And unconnected brain cells being gotten rid off.

I would like you to reflect on these options, to think about the option that doesn't take place during puberty and adolescence, and I'd like you to point to the screen, please, for the option that is incorrect.

Do that now.

Let's see if you are correct.

Well done, if you got the fact that brain function slowing down is not correct and doesn't happen during puberty and adolescence.

Because in actual fact, it is the opposite that is true.

Brain function actually speeds up.

And that connects to the term learning spurt that we've mentioned.

Well done, if you got that right.

So, we are now going to do a task.

Again we are reflecting on the learning about the brain during puberty and adolescence that we have just talked about.

First of all, I'm going to ask you to recall.

To recall how the brain changes during puberty and adolescence.

And then, going to ask you, to make a list of examples that happen to the brain during this time.

I'm going to ask you to pause the video now.

When you've completed the task that's on the screen, please press play and we will review your answers.

Thank you for rejoining me.

Let's have a look now and see if your answers match the examples I'm going to give you.

So, for the recall part of your task, you may have talked about the fact that the brain rewires.

You may also have mentioned neuron growth.

In your list, you may have talked about the brain speeding up or the learning spurt taking place.

Now let's move on to talk about the amygdala.

That's the tricky word we mentioned earlier.

And it's all to do with emotions and impulses.

So, there's some information here on the screen, about the amygdala.

And it's important first of all to remember that during puberty the brain is essentially maturing.

The brain is itself growing up.

And when making decisions young people will rely more on the amygdala.

And the amygdala is the part of the brain linked to emotions, aggression and impulses.

You yourself may be going through changes we associate with puberty and adolescence, and may be able to identify times where you've felt perhaps angry, you might've done something really irrational, behaved a little bit out of character, you may have felt really emotional, you may have older siblings or friends who you can recall a time where their behaviour has been out of proportion or what you may have considered at the time overemotional.

And that is more than likely to have linked to the amygdala in their brains.

The part of the brain that as teenagers, often young people are relying on.

I'd like to finish this sentence, please, the amygdala is part of the brain linked to.

You might want to jot this down or you may simply want to speak it out loud.

The amygdala is the part of the brain linked to.

Now, does your answer match mine? Emotions, aggression and impulses.

If you got any of that aspect of the answer within your answer, well done.

So, the fact that young people are relying on the amygdala part of their brain, it means that their behaviour might mean they take more risks, have stronger emotions or be a little bit angry, find it really hard to express themselves or had to deal with certain social situations.

Now, I do not want to scare you.

This is not about young people becoming monsters.

Young people can still be warm, sociable, and make really sensible decisions.

But sometimes they might need a little bit of extra help, during the teenage years of puberty and adolescence.

So that leads us on to this question.

Young people will never be able to make sensible decisions during puberty? Do you think that that is true or do you think that that is false? Please point to the correct answer, now.

Indeed it is false.

Because young people can still be warm, can still be sociable, they can still make really good decisions, but as we've said, just might be a little bit more tricky at times.

They may need a little bit of extra help.

And the thing to reiterate here is, this is completely normal to be feeling a little bit like, a little bit more aggressive, a little bit more emotional, struggling to handle certain situations, it's really, really normal.

You may have heard adults talk about teenagers being hormonal.

Essentially, this is what they're referring to.

So, we're going to look at a scenario now.

And this is the basis of a penultimate or second to last task of today.

So this scenario is a situation.

And it's all about John.

John is 13.

And for the last week or so he's been in a really bad mood.

His dad made a simple comment the other day, reminding him, you didn't put two sugars in my tea, John.

And John screams, he completely overreacts, I can never do anything right, can I? John storms off to his room and cries for the first time in a long time and he feels really confused.

His friends asked him to come and play football, and he doesn't even want to leave his room.

And this is rare a character for John.

So your task, which is going to appear on the next slide, relates to this scenario.

And you will be able to download a worksheet with this scenario on and with the task on, if you need it.

So here's your task.

You're going to consider why John might be feeling angrier and less sociable than usual.

I want you to imagine that you are a really close friend of John.

You're going to draught an imaginary email offering words of reassurance.

Try to explain to him why he feels the way that he does using the knowledge that you've learned from today's lesson.

You might want to use the phrases that are on the screen and on the worksheet here to help you put your imaginary email together.

When you're ready to do the task, press pause.

When you've completed it, please return.

Thank you.

Thank you for rejoining me.

I'm wondering if the sorts of things that you've put in your email have mentioned some of the scientific words we've used today like neuron growth, brain rewiring or amygdala, which are some of the reasons why teenagers or young people going through puberty or adolescence, like John probably is, would feel particularly emotional.

You may have mentioned to John that he shouldn't worry because his feelings are absolutely normal and that's something I'd like you to reflect on as well.

And to realise that if you're confused about some of the emotions you're going through at the moment, if you're going through puberty or adolescence, you actually understand that it's normal to feel the way that you do.

We're going to end today's lesson now with a short reflection about our learning so far.

I'd like you to think of three describing words for the changes to the brain during puberty.

It can be any three words and I'm happy for you to simply think of them, to speak them out loud or to write them down.

So I'm just going to give you a moment to do that.

Three describing words for the brain during puberty.

Okay.

Shall we see if any of your words match my list? Can you see any of your words on my list there? Well done, if any of your words match mine.

And I'll also remind you of the word normal, which we've come back to again and again today, to help you understand that the changes that are happening to you are normal too.

Thank you so much for joining me today.

I really hope that I'm going to see you again in our next lesson.

Where we'll be exploring some more of the reasons and examples of changes, that happen to young people during puberty and adolescence.

Have a wonderful day.

Thank you.

Please don't forget to complete the exit quiz for today's lesson.

It's been wonderful to have you with me today.

Goodbye.