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| Teen Leadership
:: Background |
Background:
Leadership - A Component of 4-H Youth
Development
Ages and Stages Milestones In Youth Development and Implications
for Leadership Development
Humans develop through a series of predictable stages,
which normally occur within specific age ranges. Leadership
development is a multi-faceted, complex process which
involves growth and attainment in leadership knowledge,
attitudes, skills, and aspirations. In order to actually
develop leadership in beyond-the-family settings such
as school or 4-H, youth must be ready physically, emotionally,
cognitively, and socially.
Younger children may exhibit leadership characteristics
such as "charisma", "bossiness",
and "industriousness". They may successfully
be taught rudimentary "leadership readiness" knowledge
and skills, such as cooperation and parliamentary procedure.
With adult help, some younger children may successfully
perform certain specific, basic leadership skills, tasks
and roles such as giving demonstrations and assisting
with committees.
However, it is not until youth a) are able to think abstractly,
b) develop the meta-cognitive abilities associated with
formal operational thinking and post-conventional moral
thinking, c) develop the ability to understand other
people's thinking, and d) begin taking responsibility
for their own actions that they are able to begin developing
the complex knowledge, attitudes, skills, and aspirations
associated with actual leadership development. For most
people, this level of readiness in development occurs
in early adolescence, between the ages of eleven and
thirteen. Leadership development capability continues
to increase throughout adolescence as youth develop adult
physical, emotional, cognitive, and social characteristics.
4-H leadership development experiences should be appropriate
for the capabilities of the youth involved. Listed on
the next four pages are some of the major characteristics
of youth physical, emotional, cognitive, and social development
in the early elementary, middle school, early adolescence,
middle adolescence, and late adolescence stages. In addition,
a copy of the "What Makes Teens Special: Implications
for Leadership Development" and the "An Investment
in the Future" articles from the Spring 1993 edition
of the Leadership Link newsletter is included on pages
13-15. This information should be used as a basis for
planning, conducting, and evaluating all 4-H youth leadership
development programs and experiences.
The North Central Region Ages and Stages publication
provides additional information in the form of an overview
of the major ages and stages of concern to 4-H professionals
and volunteers. If additional information is needed related
to youth cognitive, social, emotional, or physical development
and its implications for 4-H youth development work,
consult with the State Extension 4-H Specialist, Youth
Development.
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Early Elementary (Age 5 to 8)
1) period of slow physical growth
2)learning to master physical skills using small and large muscle structures
3)lack muscular coordination skills
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Middle School (Age 9 to 11)
1)physical growth is still slow, although
puberty may occur for some girls
2)very active and enjoy endeavors which involve movement; cannot sit still for
long periods of time
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Early Adolescence (Age 11 to 13)
1) Beginning of adolescence is marked by
a growth spurt which occurs across a wide
range
of ages, with females maturing before males.
2) Rapid physical changes are often a source of embarrassment for teens:
* hands and feet grow first, causing clumsiness
* acne is often a problem
* voice changes occur
* teens who develop physically later than their peers
may become uneasy about the lack of physical changes
3) Females reach puberty (begin menstruation)
menstrual cycles are often unpredictable and irregular
4) Males reach about 80% of adult height, females 90%.
5)Reaction time improves.
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Middle Adolescence (Age 14 to 16)
1)Physical changes have been accepted by most middle
adolescents, and most awkwardness has been overcome,
although some boys are still growing quickly.
2)Most females reach maximum height by age 14,
most males by age 16.
3)Males reach puberty (begin sperm production).
4)Males gain muscle cells, females gain fat cells.
5)Anorexia and bulimia may be a problem for some
females.
6)Most teens know their own abilities and talents.
Athletic talent may be perfected during long hours
of training, and new skills such as driving a car
serve to move teens toward independence.
7)Reach fastest reaction time.
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Late Adolescence (Age 17 to 19)
1) Growth has tapered off, and late adolescents
are no longer preoccupied with body changes and
body
image.
2) Perfect performance levels in sports.
3) Males continue to gain muscle strength and mass.
Both sexes continue to develop bone mass.
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Early
Elementary (Age 5 to 8)
ego-centric / self-centered / wrapped up in themselves
need and seek approval from adults
like to play games, but can't accept losing; emphasis needs to be placed
on success and cooperative games where everyone can win; failure should
be minimized
adult help is needed in learning to cope with failures and problems
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Middle
School (Age 9 to 11)
need to feel accepted and worthwhile; successes should be emphasized and
failures kept in perspective as learning opportunities
performance should be compared with past personal performance rather than
with the performance of other youth
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Early
Adolescence (Age 11 to 13)
Begin to demonstrate Kohlberg's post-conventional moral thinking
During puberty, emotions begin the roller coaster ride which characterizes
adolescence.
Changes in hormones and changes in thinking contribute to mood swings.
Begin to test values
Have a weak sense of individual identity. Feel challenges to personal self-concepts.
Feel the need to be part of something important.
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Middle
Adolescence (Age 14 to 16)
Actively involved in search for independence and personal identity, although
neither goal is completely achieved during this age period.
Achieving satisfactory adjustment to sexuality and defining career goals
are important.
Seek emotional autonomy from parents. .
Learning to cooperate with each other as adults do.
Learning to interact with the opposite sex may preoccupy middle adolescents.
Unsettled emotions may cause teens to be stormy or withdrawn at times.
Take pride in responsibility and respect from others.
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Late
Adolescence (Age 17 to 19)
Independence and identity formation are achieved.
Feel they have reached the stage of full maturity and expect to be treated
as adults.
Leave home for education, employment, and establishing own households,
separate from parents.
Clubs, meetings, rituals, uniforms, and traditions have lost much of their
appeal for late adolescents.
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Early
Elementary (Age 5 to 8)
move into a state of industry; more interested in doing things than in
the end product; beginning projects is more important than finishing them
thinking is concrete; learn through senses by touching, seeing, smelling,
tasting, and hearing rather than by thinking alone; verbal instruction
should be accompanied by demonstration learning to sort things into categories;
collecting things is important and fun
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Middle
School (Age 9 to 11)
still think concretely, but begin to think more logically; new ideas are
best understood when related to previous experiences
think of things as
absolutes, black or white, right or wrong
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Early
Adolescence (Age 11 to 13)
Move from concrete to abstract thinking, but still tend to think in all-or-nothing
terms.
Demonstrate formal operational thinking.
Speak in longer sentences, use principles of subordination, understand
multiple levels of meaning, increase vocabulary.
Will intensely explore subjects of interest . Often reject solutions offered
by adults in favor of finding their own solutions.
Justice and equality become regarded important issues.
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Middle
Adolescence (Age 14 to 16)
Continue to gain meta-cognitive abilities and improve study skills. Write
longer, more complex sentences. Can adapt language to different contexts.
Use teen slang.
Mastering abstract thinking. May imagine things that never were in a way
that challenges, and sometimes threatens, adults who work with them.
Egocentric. Believe in imaginary audience and personal fable.
Have difficulty understanding compromise; may label adult efforts to cope
with inconsistencies as "hypocrisy".
Explore and prepare for future careers and roles in life.
Set goals based on feelings of personal needs and priorities. Goals set
by others are likely to be rejected.
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Late
Adolescence (Age 17 to 19)
IMetacognitive abilities and study skills continue to improve with instruction
and practice.
Plans for the future are very important and influence in which activities
late adolescents choose to participate.
Can determine their own schedules.
Only general directions are needed when they are assigned familiar tasks.
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