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Teacher and Adolescent Development, Learning and Behavior

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The importance of the relationship adolescent students make with their teacher should not be
undermined. Teachers can provide a productive learning environment that both encourage and stimulate
behavioral, social, and cognitive development in their students. Two New York City Public high school
classrooms demonstrated the overlap and connection between behavior, social and cognitive
development. The first classroom, classroom X is a tenth grade geometry class. The second classroom,
classroom Y is a ninth grade algebra class. In many ways classroom X and Y are similar. The two math
classes are neither remedial or honors and the students in both classes are lower classmen and are
majority African American students. However, observing the two classes for several months exposed the
significant differences that the teachers approaches had on their students behavior, how they stimulated
social and cognitive growth and overall learning experience.
Teacher X promoted social growth in various ways. The students in teacher Xs classroom
showed signs of balanced autonomy, initiative, and industry. Once the students entered the classroom they
exhibited signs of autonomy and self-control. They knew what they were expected to do and did it. For
instance, Teacher X did not remind them about doing the work, the students took out their books and
started the warm up questions that were already on the board. They also demonstrated self-regulation. The
students were able to quiet themselves down once they started the problems. Additionally teacher X
stimulated self-evaluation by labeling the question according to beginner, intermediate and
advanced levels. Thus letting the student know what level they were up to and what type of questions
they should aim to answer. The beginner questions could be solved directly using a formula or definition
they learned that day. Whereas the advanced question needed to be solved indirectly and required
additional knowledge gained from previous lessons. Teacher X also gave her students the opportunity to
take initiative by allowing them not only to play the role of a student but also of a teacher. The student
voluntarily got up in front of the class and explained how they got their answer. Then they asked if
anyone had any question and sometimes answered their classmates questions on their own. Consequently
this produced a sense of pride and job satisfaction in the students (industry).

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On the other hand, students in Teacher Ys class exhibited signs of too much autonomy, initiative,
and industry. After students in classroom Y walked in, some put their belongings on their seat and walked
to the other side of the room to talk with their friends. Some students were still standing when the second
bell had rung while most students walked in late. During this time, Teacher Y was usually in the back of
the class on his computer seeming to pay no attention to his students action. A study found that
adolescents must balance their increased need for autonomy with the presentation and expectations of
adults authority. In this case Teacher Y did not present himself as the adult authority but rather as a
bystander. From the way some student reacted to rules being reinforced, it was apparent that students in
classroom Y had too much initiative. On one occasion, a student in the class had problems obeying the
no cap rule. When the student was asked by another adult to take off his cap the present researcher
noted the students facial expression as angry and annoyed. He eventually took off his cap and was told to
leave by the adult. He walked out of the classroom slowly. The students in classroom Y also did not
demonstrate good work ethics. In fact several students sat with nothing on their desks and remained that
way for most of the period. While other students had their head downs and slept for the period.
Additionally few students took notes of the examples Teacher Y was writing on the board.
The behavior in classroom Y is in large part due to Teacher Ys permissive teaching style.
Teacher Y was undemanding and did not have high expectation for his students. When the students
entered classroom Y, there was nothing on the board for them to do. There was no homework or
assignments on the board for the students to copy. Thus, leaving the students no choice, but to entertain
themselves by talking and walking around the classroom. Research shows that it could be the Teachers
uncaring tone and messages that lead to students misconduct. On several occasions Teacher Y led his
students to believe that their presence bugs him and that he would highly prefer to get rid of them. On
two different class days, Teacher Y told his students You coming here bugs me and urged them to pass
the statewide exam so that they can get out of here. On the same days the students were especially
disruptive and disrespectful. They teased Teacher X on being single and bald. Moreover, the female
students also interrupted the class by leaving to go to the bathroom in groups. Studies have shown that

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students tend to be more defiant and are less likely to cooperate with teachers that are perceived as
untrustworthy authority. This includes teacher caring and high expectations. Therefore it is not
surprising for the students in classroom Y to misbehave.
Studies also suggest that student tend to be more cooperative and trust teachers with authoritative
teaching styles. Teacher X is both demanding and responsive to her students needs. Every day before the
lesson began Teacher X went around to each individual student and asked them for their homework. If
they didnt have it she asked, What happened? or explained to them why they should do it. The student
asked if they could bring it in the next day. Teacher X explained to one of her students that they needed to
practice to do it right. She also used this opportunity to evaluate her students understanding. When she
noticed that most students were making the same mistakes on the homework she went in front of the
board and did the problem step by step. When it was time for the students to try some problems on their
own Teacher X and the student teacher walked around and looked over the students work. Many students
raised their hand and asked them to come over for help. As a result of Teacher Xs authoritative style the
students in classroom X were productive and had better attitudes toward their teacher.
Teacher X also aided her students in both cognitive and social growth by encouraging peer
learning. The classroom was arranged by six groups of four. Every morning before the students entered
the class, Teacher X organized the seat facing the center of the group so that the students would be facing
each other. The present researcher observed as students asked each other for help. On a day the class was
learning about finding the area of a trapezoid, one male student asked another female student what the
height was. The student used scaffolding to assist her classmate. She asked him What does altitude
mean? she gives him time to answer. When he told her that he didnt know, she asked him a different
question Which side is perpendicular? he eventually said the right answer and continues to finish the
question on his own. On a different day the same male student told Teacher X that he didnt understand
the homework. Teacher X then asked him Did you ask your group members. Teacher X asked another
student in his group if she understood it, when she said yes, Teacher X said see, ask her. When Teacher
X walked away the male student turned to his group and asked how they did it.

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The Teacher and Student Teacher in classroom X stimulated cognitive development, specifically
concrete and formal operations. Teacher X connected practicing math problems in order to do well to
playing basketball. After finding out that one of her students had not done his homework she asked him if
he was on the basketball team. She then tells him Jordan practices free throws until he gets it right. In
the student teachers lesson on finding the area of a trapezoid she used logic and reasoning to solve a
geometry problem. Instead of just giving the students the formula she asked them to find the area of a
trapezoid without a formula. She used a picture and asked them to visualize cutting and pasting the
corners of the trapezoid to make it look like a parallelogram. They were then able to find the area of the
trapezoid and together constructed the formula. She then continued to stimulate formal operation by
showing them how the same formula can be written three different ways. This lesson was approached
differently in Teacher Ys classroom.
Teacher Y does not make the same effort in stimulating cognitive thinking. In Teacher Ys lesson
of finding the area of a trapezoid he gives the students the formula (A= BH) in the beginning of the
period. This impedes the student from rationalizing why this formula works. By handing over the formula
to the students without any reasoning, Teacher Y dissuaded his students from thinking for themselves and
arriving at a logical conclusion. On a different day Teacher Y missed the opportunity to stimulate his
students in formal operational thinking. When he asked the students questions about the lesson from the
previous day, he repeated the same question over and over again. Teacher Y picked on different students
however they all struggled to answer the question .The wording of the questions was exactly the same but
with a louder tone. It would have been more beneficial for the student if Teacher Y asked the questioned
differently or offered a different approach to answer the problem
Teacher attitudes and emotions affect students motivation. It was clear that Teacher X wanted to
be there and recognized the importance of her students understanding the topic. For example, she told her
student that this type of question could be given on any type of standardized test, the Regents, SAT or
PSAT and that they should know how to do it .Students in classroom X were well behaved and showed
interest in the material by asking questions. Alternately Teacher Y facial expressions and tone suggested

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that he did not want to be there. His carelessness was evident even to the students. On one occasion one
female student asked Why are you a teacher, then after he told them that their presence annoyed him.
His negative attitude toward his class created an unmotivated learning environment that neither the
teacher nor student wanted to be in. As a result, students got less problems done in class and had far too
many interruptions to have an effective lesson.
The present researcher would suggest Teacher Y to consider how his emotions impact his
students behavior and motivation to learn. According to research, if Teacher Y showed his student more
care and had higher expectation, it would lead to less behavior issues and more learning. It would also be
in the students best interest if Teacher X would motivate the student not only to pass exams but to also
set goals for themselves. A second study found that high levels of motivation in student resulted not only
in higher GPAs but also increased self-esteem, school belongingness and lower scores on measures of
depressions and anxiety.
Furthermore, Teacher attitudes and teaching style influence not only student learning but how
they interact with each other and their teacher. It is pivotal for teachers to participate in their students
social, cognitive and behavioral growth as they are dependent on each other. Sometimes the only
difference between well behaved students and misbehaved students is the teacher and the type of
environment they provide.

References

Gilman,R., Anderman, E.M (2006). The relationship between relative levels of motivation and
Intrapersonal, Interpersonal and academic functioning among older adolescents. Journal of
School Psychology,44(5), 375-391. Doi10.1016/j.jsp.2006.03.004
Gregory, A., & Weinstein,.S. (2008). The Discipline gap and African Americans:Defiance or
cooperation in the high school classroom. Journal of School Psychology, 46(4), 455-475. Doi
10.1016/j.jsp.2077.09.001