Question

You have been asked to participate on a committee charged with designing the ideal middle school. Given your knowledge of the developmental stages adolescents are traversing at this age, discuss three recommendations you would offer to promote the social, emotional, and academic development of the students and the rationale for each recommendation. (detailed answer please)

Answer 1

As an answer to the question provided, it would be appropriate to divide the recommendations into 3 parts, each explaining the rationale for facilitating the areas of social, emotional and academic development of the adolescent students, respectively:

Social Development:

For facilitating Social Development in the middle school, the primary focus should be upon the structure and pattern of interaction among the students. The kind of interaction between students and between teachers and students assume great importance when social development is concerned. A curriculum must be constructed such that group activities like group projects, laboratory projects including partners, team participation in sports and other curricular activities are encouraged. There must be classroom activities that emphasize upon the co-operated initiatives of the pupils in completing assignments. Activities must also be designed that include leadership and responsibility-training, and that too, on a rotational basis (by rotating or changing class monitors or class representatives weekly or on a monthly basis). The rationale for adopting these recommendations is that, adolescence marks a stage of transition from childhood to adulthood. It includes an intensive phase of maturation in terms of both physical and psychological perspectives. Thus, social maturation would involve a transition from a state of dependence (towards authoritative figures) to independence (reliance upon self, for the fulfilment of goals). Social development would be facilitated if one is made to realise the importance of responsibility towards self and others. Co-operation training and coordinated activities through group assignments also contribute in this aspect, since interaction with peers lead to the development of understanding the ideal structures of socially-accepted behaviour, social expectations, different perspectives and notions regarding similar problems, creation of competitive and sportsman spirit and so on. These factors contribute in the overall social development of the adolescents.

Emotional Development:

Emotional Development during adolescence marks a transition from child-like, unstable behavioural traits of immaturity to development of stable, balanced emotional characteristics. Emotional regulation during adolescence is greatly impacted by the various physical, hormonal and bio-psycho-social changes that occur during the phases of puberty and post-puberty. Thus, it is important to maintain sensitivity to the emotional changes of the adolescents, so that they do not indulge in harmful, undesirable behaviour, that they are much prone to, during this phase. The ideal school conditions that contribute to a healthy emotional development of the students would include---

• Curriculum that includes topics on health education, sex education, crisis management, psychology, moral development.
• Counselling services should be available in schools that cater to the management of emotional problems, identity crisis, role confusion, conflicts related to family and peer relationships, substance abuse, problems related to sex, depression, suicidal ideations, physical appearance, self expressions, vocational and career choices, and so on.
• Teachers should be trained as such to cater to the different problems of the students and that too with sensitivity and empathy.

These recommendations may be clubbed with programmes that include co-curricular activities including sports, art, theatrical plays and forms of recreation that allow the students to explore and regulate their emotional expressions, and that too in a dynamic manner.

Academic Development:

Academic development forms an integral part of adolescence. This is because it lays a foundation for the career development of an individual. It also helps the person realise and subsequently unfold his potentialities for the attainment of his vocational goals. Academic development includes both curricular and extra-curricular activities because it has a direct association with the all-round development of an individual. Intellectual development, which is a very important variable of academic development, is judged not just by merely knowing or learning through theoretical teaching and lectures, but also by its application in daily life and real life circumstances. The school should thus provide ample facilities for exposure of the pupils, to both theoretical training and practical applications of the same. Laboratory facilities should be available as well. Time-tables should be structured such that every week there are almost equal number of theoretical and practical classes, so that the students receive ample opportunities for the simultaneous learning and application of the subject matter. Interactive sessions, use of audio-visual aids, regular seminars and workshops must be arranged and organized. Teachers must encourage their students to participate in quizzes, debates, science Olympiads and other activities that would help them enrich their body of knowledge. There must be reward systems for over-achievers and hard-working pupils that would encourage them to work harder and would motivate the others to do the same. In addition to all, Vocational training and guidance must be provided to each and every student in order to help them identify their career goals and choices.