Brain Development Presentation

What did the hippocampus say during it's retirement speech? Thanks for the memories!

I recently attended a presentation titled Adolescent Brain and Alcohol: A Costly Mix, presented by Karen Williams. The focus of the presentation was on the crucial stages of brain development, particularly during the middle school years. There are two crucial times in one's life when the brain has peaks of plasticity, from birth to six years old and from twelve to eighteen years old. During these times, the brain is learning new basic information and creating new crucial neural connections. It is imperative that children and adolescents develop certain skills during these peak times of brain development. As teachers, understanding the way the brain develops is important as it can provide insight into why certain students may be behind in certain areas as they may not have been exposed to certain things during these crucial times of development. Middle school teachers play a critical role in helping students develop independence, make good decisions, and understand the consequences of their actions. If middle school teachers presented this information to their students, I believe many students would better understand why they act certain ways as well as understand the extreme consequences of using alcohol or other substances.
I have never seen an in-depth presentation on brain development until this one and was surprised at how much I didn't know. If students are aware of how big of an impact their actions can have on their brain development, and therefore their future, they will be more likely to make better, safer decisions. Furthermore, knowing that their brain can be changed and 'reworked' can provide them with the motivation to work harder and learn new skills that they didn't think they could ever master. I found this presentation inspiring for students, parents, and future educators and think similar presentations need to be incorporated into schools everywhere to better inform everyone about the importance of brain development.