Understanding the Adolescent Brain

In this workshop, we learn about adolescent brain development, what this looks like in action, and ways for us to support and navigate through adolescence alongside the young people we support. Adolescents need and deserve adults that support their development and understand what they might not yet be able to. This looks like guidance, practice, time, space, repetition, support, permission to make mistakes, and collaborative corrective measures. We spend time growing our understanding of the neuroscience of the adolescent brain and developing a greater awareness of a developmentally supportive mindset to best support our young people.

This is an interactive workshop and will not be recorded.

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Your Facilitators

Daniel Alexander-Coles, Senior Program Manager. Daniel supports our team of trainers, provides training himself, and helps guide our racial equity work. Before coming to Morningside Center, Daniel served as an induction mentor at Teachers College, providing coaching, modeling, and other support for new NYC public school teachers. He’s a licensed special education teacher and taught history and ELA at South Bronx Preparatory School and science at Millennium Art Academy. Prior to that, he served as academic advisor and interim coordinator of the College Now Program at The City College of New York. Daniel has a BA in Public Policy from Stanford, an MFA in Acting from the University of Washington, and an MS in Education from Hunter College.

Jillian Luft, Curriculum Writer & Editor. Prior to joining the team in 2021, she worked as a social-emotional learning curriculum developer; inclusive education middle and high school teacher; inclusive education compliance manager and instructional coach; and Assistant Director of Student Support. In each of these roles, she rooted her pedagogical approach in the promotion of restorative practices, community building, and disability justice. Jillian has facilitated trainings on adult and student SEL through an anti-racist lens at the Collaborative for Inclusive Education and the NPEA (National Partnership for Educational Access) Conference. She has a BA in Literature/Gender Studies from the New College of Florida and a MS from the Bank Street College of Education.