Inside The Mind of Teens and Tweens

This conversation explores the impact of anxiety on teenagers and the importance of managing our own anxiety to assist students better. The guests discuss optimistic teaming as a strategy to foster collaboration among educators, mindfulness practices to enhance emotional regulation, and practical techniques for teachers to implement these strategies in the classroom. The discussion emphasizes the interconnectedness of adult and student mental health and the need for tailored approaches in educational settings. Follow on Twitter: @Ben_SpringerUT @Rlamourelle @bamradionetwork  @jonHarper70bd Related Resources: Kids’ mental health is in crisis. Here’s what psychologists are doing to help  |. The effects of mindfulness-based interventions on cognition and mental health in children Ben Springer is an award-winning and Nationally Certified School Psychologist. Ben is also the author of the popular books, "Happy Kids Don't Punch You in the Face" and "GPS: Good Parenting Strategies: The No-Guilt Survival Guide for Parents During the Pandemic and Beyond" from Corwin Press. Ben has just released his third book with co-author Ben Belnap called, "Optimistic Teaming" also from Corwin Press. Ben received his master's and doctoral degrees from the University of Utah in Educational Psychology. Ben has worked professionally as a teacher, autism specialist, school psychologist, and director of special education. Currently, Ben works as the director of the Family Education Center in Wasatch County School District and manages Optimistic Teaming/Totem PD, a professional learning company focusing on practical, ready-to-use tools for educators. Ben Belnap is an award-winning clinical psychologist practicing in the state of Utah. Dr. Belnap has contributed to state and national professional learning trainings for over a decade focusing on the applications of Positive Psychology, Family Systems, and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy. Dr. Belnap has served in schools as an assistant superintendent of student services, behavior specialist, and school psychologist. Dr. Belnap currently manages a neuropsychology and counseling clinic in Heber City, Utah and helps manage Totem PD as a trainer and consultant. Dr. James L. Floman is an Associate Research Scientist at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. He received his Ph.D. at the University of British Columbia, where he studied the effects of mindfulness and compassion meditation on teacher emotion regulation and prosocial behavior with Dr. Kimberly Schonert-Reichl. Dr. Floman has three core research streams: 1) The assessment of dynamic social-affective processes (i.e., developing and validating EI and well-being measurement tools); 2) EI, mindfulness, and well-being training (i.e., developing, optimizing, and scaling EI and well-being-enhancement interventions for real-world applications); and 3) Affective neuroscience (studying mental training-induced changes in ‘emotional brain’ function and structure).

Year in review lightening presentation of "Inside The Minds of Teens and Tweens" podcast for 2024, offers invaluable insights for teachers, parents, and anyone interacting with young people. The podcast covers a range of topics including executive function skills, the impact of deepfakes, shrinking attention spans, building resilience, managing anxiety, and understanding difficult behaviors. Each episode features experts who provide practical advice and strategies to support teens and tweens. Key themes include the importance of teaching essential skills, fostering critical thinking, creating supportive environments, and modeling healthy behaviors. The podcast emphasizes the role of adults in guiding and empowering young people to navigate today's complex world.

Teachers are seeing continued growth in challenging teen behaviors in classrooms nationwide. What do we need to understand, support, and better manage this trend and its impact on our students? Follow on Twitter: @copingkids @RLamourelle @bamradionetwork @jonharpe.r70bd Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor who has been working with children, teens, and their families for 20 years. She has been helping children and teens build their coping skills throughout her career in a variety of settings, including schools, mental health clinics, and in her private practice. She founded Coping Skills for Kids to help children and teens learn healthy and safe ways to manage big feelings. She has written several books, including the bestselling Coping Skills for Kids Workbook, the Coping Skills for Teens Workbook, and the Social Skills for Kids Workbook. She is also the host of the Calm & Connected Podcast. Her work has been featured in the Boston Globe, CNN, Huffington Post, and The Skimm® Newsletter. Janine lives in Massachusetts with her husband and two children.

Most educators following the growing interest in ChatGPT see the positive possibilities and peculiar problems with using AI tools for teaching and learning. This thoughtful discussion explores how artificial intelligence can either decrease bias in education and create new options for disadvantaged students of all types or accelerate bias exponentially. Which way are we heading? Follow on Twitter: @klrembert @Digital_Empower @RLamourelle @bamradionetwork @jonHarper70bd Carrie Rogers-Whitehead founded Digital Respons-Ability, which works with educators, parents and students to teach digital citizenship. Her company provides training to tens of thousands of students, parents, and educators across Utah and beyond. Carrie is also the author of several books, including Deepening Digital Citizenship (ISTE, 2022) with Vanessa Monterosa and Digital Citizenship: Teaching. Keisha Rembert is a passionate learner and fierce equity advocate. She is an award-winning educator who taught middle school ELA and United States History teacher for many years and now instructs future educators. She hopes to change our world one student at a time.

We are discovering many engaging ways to use ChatGPT to engage teenage students in the classroom. My guests agree that once you begin to experiment with the platform, the more your mind begins to find additional possibilities. @jmattmiller @ideasforteacher @RLamourelle @bamradionetwork @jonHarper70bd Matt Miller spent more than a decade in the classroom, creating unique learning experiences for my students through technology and creative teaching. He is the author of Ditch That Textbook on innovative teaching ideas and rethinking education. He is a Google-Certified Innovator. and one of the top 10 influencers in educational technology and elearning worldwide. Dan Jones earned a BS in Middle Grades Education from Ashland University and a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from American College of Education. Dan is an FLGI Master Teacher whose professional interests include e-learning and technology, as well as Project-Based Learning. He is the author of Flipped 3.0 Project Based Learning: An Insanely Simple Guide. Dr. Regina Lamourelle is a professor of Human Development at Santiago Canyon College in Orange, CA, where she is also the department chair. She serves on the Board of Orange County Association for the Education of Young Children and is a former Orange County representative to the California Association for the Education of Young Children.She speaks three languages and holds a doctorate in Child and Youth Studies. Since 1996, her passion has been to teach educators how the young-to-adolescent brain learns so that they can care for children with kind hearts and with the knowledge of the child or adolescent brains’ unique developmental needs.

As we head back to school this year, right up there with getting through the learning objectives, is helping students navigate the big emotional ups and downs they’ll experience throughout the school term. In this episode, we unpack what we can do to help our students self-regulate. Follow on Twitter: @copingkids @RLamourelle @bamradionetwork @jonharper70bd Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor who has been working with children, teens, and their families for 20 years. She has been helping children and teens build their coping skills throughout her career in a variety of settings, including schools, mental health clinics, and in her private practice. She founded Coping Skills for Kids to help children and teens learn healthy and safe ways to manage big feelings. She has written several books, including the bestselling Coping Skills for Kids Workbook, the Coping Skills for Teens Workbook, and the Social Skills for Kids Workbook. She is also the host of the Calm & Connected Podcast. Her work has been featured in the Boston Globe, CNN, Huffington Post, and The Skimm® Newsletter. Janine lives in Massachusetts with her husband and two children.

Most of us have accepted that managing student trauma is part of every teacher’s job in the wake of the pandemic. In this episode, we look at strategies and tools we’ve been using for years that can be repurposed to help students manage the social-emotional issues they’re bringing to school. Follow on Twitter: @GaskellMGaskell @RLamourelle @bamradionetwork @jonharper70bd Dr. Michael Gaskell is Principal at Hammarskjold Middle School in East Brunswick, NJ. following experience as a special educator and assistant principal in Paramus, NJ. He continues to model the pursuit of lifelong learning as he serves to mentor new principals through the New Jersey Leaders to Leaders program. An NJPSA Stars recipient, he has been published in over 2 dozen articles in education journals and blogs, including eSchoolNews, NASSP, Edtech and ASCD Smartbrief, he has made the most-read section of ASCD Smartbrief numerous times. Mike had a book published in October, 2020 (Microstrategy Magic), and a second book published in September 2021 (Leading Schools Through Trauma).

From discipline and punishment to academic expectations, stereotypical perceptions cause many of us to treat black teenage girls differently. The phenomenon is called adultification and our guest explains how placing grownup expectations on black teens in the classroom adversely impacts their academic performance. Follow on Twitter: @socprofjones @RLamourelle @bamradionetwork @jonHarper70bd Nikki Jones is professor and H. Michael and Jeanne Williams Department Chair of African American Studies at UC-Berkeley. She is a Black feminist scholar and author of two books, The Chosen Ones: Black Men and the Politics of Redemption (2018), winner of the American Society of Criminology’s Outstanding Book Award in 2020, and Between Good and Ghetto: African American Girls and Inner-City Violence (2009). She is frequently cited in local, national, and international news outlets as an expert on race, violence, and policing.

It’s been a challenging year for all of us, and if adults are struggling to navigate these unsettling times, how are teens and tweens coping? In this session, we talk about how to assess how students are getting along and what we can do to help those who need support.\r\n\n\nFollow on Twitter: @RLmourelle @bamradionetwork @jonHarper70bd @bamradionetwork\r\n\n\nRobert C. Schmidt, Ed.D, LCPC, NCC is a national speaker and consultant on building sustainable school mental health and suicide prevention programs centered on data collection, outcomes, quality of services, and student achievement. With interests embedded in research, Dr. Schmidt has published chapters in recognized books including the award-winning book by Dr. Kathryn Seifert, How Children Become Violent (2006) and Youth Violence (2011). He has led studies in the field of youth suicide, school mental health and was a contributor to Preventing Suicide: A Toolkit for High Schools: Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). In 2009 Dr. Schmidt published and is the author of the Risk Identification Suicide Kit (RISK) and in 2018 the RISK2, a suicide assessment instrument for ages 7-24. Dr. Schmidt previously worked at Johns Hopkins BayView Campus in Baltimore, Maryland and provided coverage to the Johns Hopkins Psychiatric Children’s Center, Baltimore Adolescent Treatment Program, Outpatient Clinic, and 24-hour Baltimore Child & Adolescent Crisis Response Team. He is the Mental Health Coordinator for Talbot County Public Schools and provides outpatient mental health services in Centreville, MD.\r\n

The COVID-19 pandemic is driving change across the global education community, including the transition to college. Join us as we look at the new role and significance of “the gap year” and how to help students make the most of it.\r\n\n\nFollow on Twitter: @RLamourelle @MeganMOConnor @bamradionetwork @jonHarper70bd\r\n\n\nMegan O’Connor is serving as an Entrepreneur in Residence at Kaplan, one of the world’s largest and most diversified educational services providers. She is currently spearheading development of Kaplan’s new Boost Year program, designed for pre-college students to help bridge the gap between the college experience and work readiness. Prior to joining Kaplan, Megan founded, led and sold Clark, a provider of end-to-end operation software, education services and coaching for teachers who want to grow their tutoring business\r\n

There was a spike in mental health issues among teens before the pandemic, but there were many eyes on our students who could reach out and help. Pandemic isolation has introduced a new level and type of mental health struggles. What are the red flags? What can teachers and parents do?\r\n\n\nFollow on Twitter: @pfagell @RLamourelle @bamradionetwork @jonHarper70bd\r\n\n\nPhyllis L. Fagell, LCPC is the school counselor at Sheridan School in Washington, D.C. and a therapist at The Chrysalis Group. Phyllis frequently writes columns on counseling, parenting and education for The Washington Post, and she’s the author of \"Middle School Matters\" (Hachette, 2019). Phyllis blogs at phyllisfagell.com.\r\n

Covid-19 is turning teachers’ dining rooms into classrooms shared with their own kids. Our guest takes us inside the mind of teens and tweens who need you to be there for them while you are trying to be there for your students remotely.\r\n\n\nFollow on Twitter: @RLamourelle @bamradionetwork @jonHarper70bd @ideasforteacher @bamradionetwork @peter_santoro @MrHabegger @DrBioTom\n\r\nLoretta Jordan, Psy.D. is an AMFT- Associate MFT has been in higher education for 29 years and performing psychotherapy for 8-years, specializing in couples therapy. She created a high school program at Cal State Fullerton offering skills-building curriculum in 23 high schools in Orange County, CA. She earned doctorate in psychology from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology where she is also adjunct faculty: dissertation topic: The Biracial Experience within Constructs Created by the White Majority.\r\n

The pandemic-driven closing of schools is forever altering the lives of teens and tweens in ways big and small. Canceled activities and traditions from proms to graduations have amplified significance to our students and parents. How can we help tweens and teens through this period?\r\n\n\nFollow on Twitter: @RLamourelle @raisinghappines @bamradionetwork @jonHarper70bd @ideasforteacher @bamradionetwork @peter_santoro @MrHabegger @DrBioTom Rapid Transition to Online Learning\r\n\n\nEpisode Guests\n\r\nChristine Carter, Ph.D., is a sociologist and the author of The New Adolescence: Raising Happy and Successful Teens in an Age of Anxiety and Distraction (2020), The Sweet Spot: How to Accomplish More by Doing Less (2017) and Raising Happiness (2011). A senior fellow at UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, Carter draws on the latest scientific research in psychology, sociology and neuroscience — and uses her own often hilarious real-world experiences — to give parenting, productivity and happiness advice. She lives with her husband, four teenagers, and dog Buster in Marin County, California.\r\n

Going back to school can be particularly challenging for teens and tweens. Making new friends, stresses outside of school, and the motivation to attend can add to the pressure. In this episode, we approach the discussion through the lens of parents, teachers and the teens themselves. Follow on Twitter: @ChalSuccess @rrlamourelle @bamradionetwork Denise Pope, Ph.D., is Co-Founder of Challenge Success, a Senior Lecturer at the Stanford University Graduate School of Education, and author of Doing School: How We Are Creating a Generation of Stressed Out, Materialistic, and Miseducated Students and Overloaded & Underprepared: Strategies for Stronger Schools and Healthy, Successful Kids. Dr. Pope lectures nationally on parenting techniques and pedagogical strategies to increase student health, engagement with learning, and integrity.

Many teachers have noticed that the attention span of students in their classes appears to be shrinking. What is the solution to this increasing trend? Follow: @rrlamourelle @bamradionetwork @uhmms #edchat #parenting Patricia Scott has more than 15 years of corporate leadership experience--coupled with a Ph.D. in Communication, 13 years as a lecturer in the Communication Program at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and author of two national best-selling books including Getting a Squirrel to Focus: Engage and Persuade Today’s Listeners.

Teen exposure to porn on school grounds is a subject that many school leaders have been unwilling to confront. The known impact on students is profound, but not fully understood. Join us for the first in a series on the pandemic of pornography in schools. Follow: @rrlamourelle @bamradionetwork @protectyoungminds #edchat #parenting Kristen A. Jenson is the author of the Good Pictures Bad Pictures series of read-aloud books including the best-selling Good Pictures Bad Pictures: Porn-Proofing Today’s Young Kids and Good Pictures Bad Pictures Jr.: A Simple Plan to Protect Young Minds. She is the founder of ProtectYoungMinds.org, a website dedicated to helping parents empower their kids to resist and reject pornography.

Most teachers know that we have to connect with students before we can teach them, but how do we make those connections. Join us as we explore several practical strategies. Follow: @rrlamourelle @bamradionetwork @vickysaumell #edchat #parenting Vicky Saumell is the Overall Coordinator of the EFL department at Instituto San Francisco de Asís, a private school in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she has worked for over 20 years. She is co-author of Teacher Development Interactive: Preparing for the Teaching Knowledge Test (TKT). She has written two online professional development courses.

Though our attitudes about inclusive classrooms have come a long way, the challenges persist. Our guest offers practical tips for managing widely diverse student needs in one classroom. Follow: @rrlamourelle @bamradionetwork @ID@TJK2INCLUDE #edchat #parenting Toby Karten, a staff developer, instructional coach, educational consultant, author, adjunct professor and inclusion specialist, has taught populations of learners ranging from kindergarten to graduate level and has helped staff translate the research into practical applications for PreK-12 classrooms. Twitter ID@TJK2INCLUDE

In a climate obsessed with performance and perfection, how can we teach teens that mistakes, missteps and failure are part of learning and growth? Follow: @rrlamourelle @bamradionetwork @jesslahey #edchat #parenting JoAnn Boaler has been a professor at Stanford University since 2010. She has written several books including Mathematical Mindsets. Jessica Lahey is an educator, writer, and speaker. A former middle and high school teacher, Jess is a correspondent for the Atlantic, a commentator for Vermont Public Radio, and writes "Parent-Teacher Conference" advice column for the New York Times Motherlode blog.

To rethink how we prepare all kids for an uncertain future we have to legitimize other pathways. Follow: @rrlamourelle @bamradionetwork @bjnichols #edchat #parenting Dr. James Stone is Professor Emeritus, University of Minnesota; Distinguished University Scholar, University of Louisville; Director, National Research Center for Career & Technical Education at the Southern Regional Education Board and author of Career Ready Curriculum- Should We Bring Back Career Technical. Brian Nichols is currently the Executive Director of School Leadership for Newport News Public Schools, located in Newport News, Virginia. He was previously the principal of two award-winning Title I K-5 schools.