Attack of the Teenage Brain

<p><em>Marvel</em> at the neuroscientific reasons why smart teens make dumb decisions!<br /><em>Behold</em> the mind-controlling power of executive function!<br /><em>Thrill</em> to a vision of a better school for the teenage brain!</p><p>Whether you're a parent interacting with one adolescent or a teacher interacting with many you know teens can be hard to parent and even harder to teach. The eye-rolling the moodiness the wandering attention the <em>drama</em>. It's not you it's them. More specifically it's their brains.</p><p>In accessible language and with periodic references to <em>Star Trek</em> motorcycle daredevils and near-classic movies of the '80s developmental molecular biologist John Medina author of the <em>New York Times</em> best-seller <em>Brain Rules</em> explores the neurological and evolutionary factors that drive teenage behavior and can affect both achievement and engagement. Then he proposes a research-supported counterattack: a bold redesign of educational practices and learning environments to deliberately develop teens' cognitive capacity to manage their emotions plan prioritize and focus.</p><p><em>Attack of the Teenage Brain!</em> is an enlightening and entertaining read that will change the way you think about teen behavior and prompt you to consider how else parents educators and policymakers might collaborate to help our challenging sometimes infuriating often weird and genuinely wonderful kids become more successful learners in school and beyond.</p>