Peer Review

Inside the Teenage Brain

Material Detail page

Reviewed:: Sep 25, 2020 by Psychology

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Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:

A FRONTLINE program entitled Inside the Teenage Brain investigates "the recesses of the brain and find[s] new explanations for why adolescents behave the way they do. FRONTLINE explores how the new discoveries can change the way we parent, teach, or perhaps even understand, our teenagers."

The program includes a 53-minute video and a panoply of associated links and materials, including interviews with multiple leading researchers in the field.

Type of Material:

Video/Collection

Recommended Uses:

The entire video can be viewed (in class or individually) or shorter sections of material may be read or viewed prior to class, leading to in-class discussion and/or individual homework.

Technical Requirements:

Users will need Internet access, a web browser, and audio capability (to listen to videos). All links opened in multiple browsers (Chrome and Firefox).

Identify Major Learning Goals:

The presented material provides an extensive overview of the physical, cognitive, and social changes of adolescence, focusing explicitly on the role of the brain in driving outcomes.
The program and links present important research on the teenage brain that will assist anyone in understanding how the brain is still developing through our 20s and how that affects behavior, judgement, and relationships. The importance of sleep is underlined.

Target Student Population:

College General Ed, College Lower Division

The material will especially support courses in psychology, nursing and health sciences, education, and related disciplines.

Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:

There are no specific prerequisites though a general understanding of psychology and lifespan development may be useful prior to reading the materials presented in this site. Overall, the materials allow one to reflect on one's own experiences (or experience with others) in order to understand the presented information and concepts.

Content Quality

Rating:

Strengths:

The information contained on this site is accurate, useful, and engaging. Multiple formats are included, both readings and video.
Though the program originally was presented in 2002, the content still holds today. For example, it addresses the critical effect of sleep on memory and skill learning. Multiple researchers are featured throughout the materials, and they share their findings and suggestions.

Concerns:

None.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:

Strengths:

The extensive use of multimedia, including interviews with experts in the field and the full-length documentary of the adolescent brain, provides an engaging and in-depth analysis of the physical, social, and psychological changes an adolescent undergoes during this time in his or her life. Moreover, this site does an excellent job of exploring the impact of these changes in an adolescent on a family system, providing insightful and valuable information to many who may be interested in the material.
Presenting the material along with following the lives of teenagers and their parents and teachers helps put the material into perspective and makes it more accessible.

Concerns:

None (though some may be frustrated if looking for simple answers).

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:

Strengths:

The content is exceptional and well-organized, and the links/material and the site are easy to navigate. It is easy to access individual (print and video) interviews or to watch the full 53-minute video.
Closed captioning in English is available for the full-length video.

Concerns:

Transcripts are only available in one location and are not immediately linked alongside multimedia. This is not compliant with WCAG 2.1 expectations for accessibility.
Likewise, navigation from the main site as well as sub-sites predominantly relies on bottom navigational menus which could be improved with additional spacing and organization.

Other Issues and Comments:: Inside the Teenage Brain is an excellent support site for adolescent and developmental psychology studies, and related disciplines.
Creative Commons: