This week, we ventured into the topic of physical young adolescent development. I think this is an extremely important topic, and holds equal importance to their cognitive/academic development. Whether we realize it or not, physical changes affect students mentally and therefore their performance in school. We must be as accommodating as possible to these changes, that is why I was very appreciative of the readings this week, as they help us understand how exactly we can make the appropriate adjustments to our classrooms. For instance, I was fascinated by how drastic the skeletal changes were in middle level adolescents. While I experienced this myself, at the time I don't think I fully understood what was happening. Even though they are only young adolescents, the hard work exerted by their bodies is comparable to that of their elders! A quote from the AMLE article also stuck out to me, as it reads "When young adolescents avoid physical activity due to concerns about body image (Milgram, 1992), teachers can incorporate movement in classroom activities, minimize peer competition, and interrupt comparisons between early and late maturing youth." I personally don't recall such activities in my middle school, so I want to make sure that I implement such practices in my own classroom. There are always opportunities to tie course content and a low-stress, physical activity for students.
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