YLS 07 — Interactive 3 — Mike Thompson

Teenagers want the truth given to them straight.
Expanded Memory skills
language Mastery continues. –this is why myspace, blogs, phones, poetry, all start to be used because teenagers are beginning to use their verbal skills.
MetaCognition – the ability to think about thinking — They begin to think abstract thoughts. “the Bible Says” doesn’t always work for them. They want more abstract answers.

• Students are used to listening to adults who want to interact with them. We need to be willing to interact as well. (Come Let us reason together)
• “Get ‘em Talking” from YS
• Hypothetical Thinking – the ability to reason about propositions that may or may not reflect reality.
• Interest in Fantasy or Horror movies. because they can project themselves to other worlds.
• Good to ask what do you think type questions. Let people kick it around.

Deductive and Logical Reasoning — Reasoning that draws logical inferences and conclusions.

• Many students have not been given the chance to reflect or talk about what they have reflected on.
• Prayer Requests – Students can deal with mystery as long as we allow it to be mystery
• Difference between a dolphin and a fish.

Teenage Impulse control is highly under developed. They can think like adults but they don’t always reason out that their plan may be stupid. For example they don’t always reason out the implications of pulling a trigger
1. We want to be able to teach them how to think.

• formal — Sunday School, Small Groups, discipleship
• informal — Modeling, missions trips, etc.

boundaries can be drawn by adults, and impulses have to be contained.
Time Magazine Excerpts — May 10, 2004 – What Makes Teens Tick

The little things that we might not think matter that much, have huge impact on students. Things like talking with students, riding to church with them. We influence kids all the time.

How do we make these moments memorable so that they can pack it away and remember it. How can I help them see what they can’t see right now! Where is God in all this.
Ask what and how questions to find out how students are thinking.
bible memorization — memorize and ask

• What Does it Say? – Observation (shallowest level of learning)
• What does it mean?
• How does it work?

The Stupid behavior is momentary. We have to look at students for the overall.
Investigate the stupid behavior and then help them recover in a redemptive way.
“You can tell them to shape up and ship out, but making mistakes is part of how the brain optimally grows.” It might be useful to help them make up for what their brain still lacks by providing structure, organizing their time, guiding them through tough decisions (even when they resist) and applying those time-tested parental virtues: patience and love.”
Reflections on being a Teenager:

• What were three significant spiritual events in your life?
• name two people who had a spiritual impact on your life.
• Name a significant decision you made that was affected by your faith in Christ
• How old were you when you began to consciously live for Christ?

Transference – an act, process, or instance of transferring: the redirection of feelings and desires toward a new object; especially those unconsciously retained from childhood.