I Am Thinking...

• I remain a mostly a concrete thinker, but have further developed my abstract and analytical thinking abilities. These will continue to develop through early adolescence.
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• I can understand an issue from multiple perspectives and answer hypothetical questions. The prefrontal cortex section of my brain is not fully developed. Therefore, I experience difficulties with being organized. It can affect my social skills as well.
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• I prefer open-ended lessons that encourage me to make decisions. I am interested in lessons that center on current events and issues I care about such as fairness and justice.
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• I typically prefer learning together with my peers; however, sometimes I need to work alone.
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• I am beginning to use metacognition to understand my place in the world. I can make long-term plans.
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• I am augmenting my academic vocabulary with abstract terminology.

• See Milestones in Early Adolescent Development for more information.