Milestones in Early Adolescent Development

Dr. Debrah C. Sickler-Voigt Presents… Milestones in Early Adolescent Development (6th Through 8th Grades) I am thinking. Around Sixth Through Eighth Grades… Î I remain a mostly concrete thinker, but have further developed my abstract and analytical thinking abilities. These will continue to develop through early adolescence. Î I have deductive reasoning skills. Î I can understand an issue from multiple perspectives. Î I can answer hypothetical questions. Î I prefer open-ended lessons that provide me with the freedom to make decisions. Î I appreciate lessons that center on current events and issues I care about, such as fairness and justice. Î I am interested in connecting current events and global happenings to my life. Î I want to know more about possible career opportunities. Î I like learning together with my peers; however, sometimes I prefer to work alone. Î I can make long-term plans. Î I am beginning to use metacognition to understand my place in the world. Î I am augmenting my academic vocabulary with abstract terminology. Î I can produce metaphors and make connections using synectics. Î I prefer active hands-on learning opportunities to passive learning. Î I can see multiple sides of an issue and select pertinent contextual information to make my case. Î Although my brain is becoming more efficient, I may experience difficulty focusing at times. Î My short-term memory has increased. This assists me with my problem solving capabilities. Î The prefrontal cortex section of my brain is not fully developed. Therefore, I experience difficulties with being organized. It can affect my social skills as well. Î I have formed ethical perceptions based on my personal beliefs. Milestones in Early Adolescent Development Page 1 of 4 I am growing. Around Sixth Through Eighth Grades… Î I am experiencing a major growth spurt and am experiencing significant physical changes. Î My body may appear awkward and disproportional. I am self-conscious about physical changes. Î My skeleton and muscles are developing at a rapid pace. (This begins at age ten for girls and twelve for boys.) Î My brain is developing rapidly through a process called hypergrowth that builds physical connections. Î I have further developed my fine motor skills. Î I notice distinctive physical differences between my growth and those of the same-aged peers and the opposite sex. Female students may be taller than males because they have entered puberty before male students. Î Boys are entering puberty around age 12. Î I am experiencing hormonal changes. Î I need more sleep since my body and brain are growing. I am feeling. Around Sixth Through Eighth Grades… Î I am egocentric. My sense of identity is important to me. I am developing my unique personality. Î I can set goals and be self-initiative. Î My peers are most important in my life. I need to feel a part of my social group. Î Although I may push adults away, I want and need them to be there for me. Î Due to hormonal changes, I may be moody, sarcastic, experience outbursts, and overreact at times. Î I can become overly critical of myself, which can produce feelings of poor self-esteem and self-doubt. I have the feeling that everyone is watching me. Î I may demonstrate narcissism to cover up for my insecurities. Î I do not want to be embarrassed and look inferior to my peers. Because of this, I may shy away from new activities or things I do not understand. Î My behaviors can be impulsive. I will test and question authority. Î I am aware of peer pressures. My peers may try to encourage me to engage in self-destructive behaviors. Bullying and pressures to use harmful substances may affect my life. I am more likely to seek thrills. Î I can have difficulty with time management skills and may stall. Î I can take on more responsibility. Î I enjoy personal freedoms. Î I am interested in fairness, justice, and other moral issues. However, I may treat others outside of my group unfairly. Î I can be inspired by gender roles and stereotypes that I see in visual culture. Milestones in Early Adolescent Development Page 2 of 4 I am creating. Around Sixth Through Eighth Grades… Î I may come to school with varying artistic abilities than my peers. Part of this is based on my elementary art experiences. I may experience art blocks at this age because I want my art to look good and for my peers to like it. I feel uncomfortable if it does not turn out the way I want it to. Î If I have had a strong elementary art foundation, I am competent in mixing colors. I can include details in my art that include my observations and design qualities. Î I can represent three-dimensional spaces in two-dimensional works through various shading and size depictions. Î I can show diverse angles and perspectives in my art. These include close up views, overlapping busy scenes, and open spaces. Î I can talk and write about art using academic vocabulary. Î I am developing an individualized style. Î I can use technology to research ideas for my art independently. Î I may include influences from visual culture in my art. These include fantasy drawings, cartoons, gaming, graffiti, and zentangles. Î I am refining my artistic skills and learning advanced art methods. Î I am developing more advanced graphic symbols. - (Page 1 Top) A medal to the school for their collection of paintings: Ogeredova Ira (12 years), Detskaya khudozhestvenaya Shkola, Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan. ICEFA Lidice, 38th Exhibition - (Page 1 Bottom) A medal to the school for their collection of paintings and drawings. Lee Min Hye (13 years), Busan Middle School of Arts, Busan, Korea, South. ICEFA Lidice, 43rd Exhibition - (Page 3 Left) Honourable mention: Jeanne Leroy (12 years), Pointe La Rue Secondary School, Mahé, Seychelles. ICEFA Lidice, 41st Exhibition - (Page 3 Right) Honourable mention: Suzuki Haruka (12 years), Kamon Children Art School, Tokyo, Japan. ICEFA Lidice, 41st Exhibition Milestones in Early Adolescent Development Page 3 of 4 References Case-Smith, J. & O’Brien, J. C. (2015). Occupational therapy for children and adolescents (7th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Mosby. Kindler, A. M. (2004). Researching impossible? Models of artistic development reconsidered. In E. W. Eisner & M. D. Day (Eds.), Handbook of research and policy in art education (pp. 233-252). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. National Coalition for Core Arts Standards. (2014). National Core Arts Standards: A conceptual framework for arts learning. Retrieved from http://www.nationalartsstandards.org/sites/default/ files/NCCAS%20%20Conceptual%20Framework_4.pdf Sickler-Voigt, D. C. (2020). Teaching and learning in art education: Cultivating students' potential from pre-k through high school. New York, NY: Routledge. State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education. (2014). National Core Arts Standards. Dover, DE: State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education. The College Board. (2012). Child development and arts education: A review of recent research and best practices, New York. Retrieved from https://nccas.wikispaces.com/file/view/NCCAS+Child+Develop ment +Report.pdf Wilson, M. & Wilson, B. (2010). Teaching children to draw (2nd ed.). Worcester, MA: Davis. Wood, C. (2007). Yardsticks: Children in the classroom ages 4-14. Turners Falls, MA: Northeast Foundation for Children. Note: This milestones list is not exhaustive. All children develop as unique individuals. Acknowledgements This document is derived from supported research from MTSU NIA Grant www.mtsu.edu and www.arted.us. With kind permissions from ICEFA Lidice http:/www.mdvv-lidice.cz/en/ Dr. Debrah C. Sickler-Voigt is a Professor of Art Education. Her textbook is Teaching and Learning in Art Education: Cultivating Students' Potential from Pre-K Through High School (Routledge, 2020). It provides greater insightes into children's development theories and practices. Recommended citation: Sickler-Voigt, D. C. (2019). Milestones in early adolescent development. Retrieved from www.arted.us/development.html Milestones in Early Adolescent Development Page 4 of 4