Learning from the Teen Brain to Improve Bullying Prevention, School Culture, and Safety

New research using modern medical imaging techniques allows us to look into young brains. Results of these studies provide adults charged with learning, safety, and climate at school with new understandings of the challenges and opportunities offered by teen brain development. This knowledge also recommends practical ways for school resource officers and educators to improve student decision-making and to prevent bullying and risky behaviors. In this course, participants will be introduced to the adolescent brain and three critical maturation processes for peer relationships and moral judgment: the brain’s “CEO”, its “alarm system”, and the critical years in early adolescence when students map out their adult brains. The challenges and opportunities of brain biology in adolescence call for protective student relationships with parents, school personnel, and peers to redirect potential bullies and build resilience in potential targets.  School resource officers and school personnel can apply this new knowledge to their teaching and prevention programs to improve their connections with students and to enhance overall school safety.

• This class is 7 hours.
• Class hours are 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
• This class is available at no charge.