Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Topic: Stereotypes of Adolescents

10-second review: What are the effects of the traditional stereotype of the adolescent? “Traditional…conceptions of adolescence as a time of turbulence, raging hormones and immaturity diminish adolescents’ voices and agency. These conceptions downplay adolescents’ individuality and diversity. An emerging awareness of adolescence as socially constructed, rather than biologically determined, helps create space for new understandings of adolescents and what they need to succeed in school.”


Source: F Serafini, et al. Reading Research Quarterly (Oct/Nov/Dec 2004), 487-488.


Comment
: I think, as in dealing with any other minority group, we need to stop thinking of adolescents as a stereotyped image. I think the idea expressed above is vital in working with adolescents. Look at them as individuals, not as a group stereotype. RayS.

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