It’s time to reframe the teen brain, filmmaker Tiffany Shlain says in this week’s episode of District Administration‘s “Talking Out of School” podcast. Shlain’s new documentary, “The Teen Brain,” looks through the lens of neuroscience to help teens—and their parents and teachers—better understand the upsides of an intense period of growth and development.
Adolescence, Shlain explains, is a brave and exciting period and “society needs it.”
“Sometimes teens are the ones who will say the things no one else will say, do things no one will do—they’ll take those risks and that’s exciting,” she says. “If you look at it as an intense and scary time, it probably will be. But if you look at it as a period of great growth and of understanding who they are, then it will probably be a more positive experience.”
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Shlain packs a lot into her 10-minute film, which features insights about the teen brain from leading neuroscientists and interviews with teens. The film is executive produced by actress Goldie Hawn and her nonprofit, MindUP, which provides social-emotional learning resources to families and educators.
“The goals of the film are to tell teens the things they’re feeling are normal, other teens are feeling the same things,” Shlain concludes, “and to give them tools they can use to calm their amygdala and bring back on their best thinking.”
Listen to the podcast below, or on Apple, Podbean or Spotify.
