Bad grades, defiant attitudes, odd clothes, withdrawal from school activities, little communication with parents—typical teen behavior or warning signs? After a nine-year study, The Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development reported that the nation is neglecting young adolescents to the extent that half of our 19 million+ population may not be able to lead productive lives!
The report, Great Transitions, focused on 10- to 14-year-olds which a 27-member panel of scientists, scholars, and others described as being most in need of guidance and support at a time when parents and society find dealing with them perplexing. Children entering adolescence try to become more independent through new behavior and activities just when parental involvement in school and their influence in young lives decrease. Three-fourths of parents surveyed stated high and medium involvement with their nine-year-olds, while more than half make this claim with 14-year-olds.
Recommendations of the report? Parents need to maintain their involvement with young teens with the help of their employers in creating time to do this. Youth groups need to reach out to adolescents. Schools could better meet the developing needs of this age group, and health professionals should be better attuned in order to treat them. Finally, the media needs to tone down violence, sex, and drug use by emphasizing the downside of these, rather than glamourizing them.
Add to this a contribution from Joseph Califano, Director of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, that details which teens are more or less likely to use drugs.
Teens least likely to use drugs |
Teens more likely to use drugs |
They eat dinner with the family at least six days a week. | Their families rarely eat dinner together. |
They are concerned about doing well in school. | They aren't given a specific curfew. |
They regularly attend worship services with their parents. | They don’t attend worship services with their families. |
They feel that drug use is morally wrong. | Their parents smoked marijuana and their teens know it. |
They attends schools where there is little or no access to drugs. | Their parents assume their kids will experiment with drugs. |
They have friends who neither drink, smoke, nor use drugs. | Their parents blame society, the media, and teens' friends for teens' use, not themselves. |
Your assignment: Create a meeting agenda, complete with objective, for a problem-solving discussion of these issues. Choose a discussion format, and plan a meeting which should produce a consensus of five specific suggestions for your community. Practice conducting this meeting with a group of friends or persons interested in this topic.
AGENDA FOR PROBLEM-SOLVING MEETING |
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Meeting Objective: |
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Logistics Date: Time: Location: |
Meeting Members 1. Leader: 2. Attendees: Meeting called by: Phone: |
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Agenda Item |
Process |
Time |
Who's Responsible |
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PROBLEM-SOLVING MEETING CRITIQUE |
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LEADER: |
OBSERVER: |
PTS. POSSIBLE: 45 |
PREPARATION: |
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Professional appearance |
(3) _____ |
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Detailed agenda |
(3) _____ |
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PRESENTATION: |
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OPENING: |
Attention-getting opener |
(1) _____ |
Reintroduce self & topic |
(1) _____ |
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BACKGROUND: |
Previous talk (3 main points) |
(1) _____ |
TOPIC STATEMENT: |
Fully describe problem / importance |
(5) _____ |
PREVIEW: |
Tell how discussion will be conducted (time limits? groups? overall plan?) |
(3) _____ |
BODY: |
Conduct discussion |
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Encourage participation from all |
(1) _____ |
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Keep discussion moving |
(1) _____ |
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Summarize viewpoints periodically |
(3) _____ |
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Elicit opinions / alternatives from all |
(2) _____ |
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Synthesize consensus or disagreement |
(3) _____ |
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CONCLUSION: |
Ask group for five major alternatives |
(3) _____ |
Memorable close to meeting |
(2) _____ |
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PERFORMANCE: |
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Enthusiasm / vitality / creativity |
(4) _____ |
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Use of visual aids |
(2) _____ |
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Use of Recorder |
(1) _____ |
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Use of Facilitator |
(3) _____ |
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Time management (15–20 minutes) |
(3) _____ |
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TOTAL POINTS EARNED |
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Comments: |
OBSERVATION SHEET for Problem-Solving Meeting |
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PRESENTER: |
OBSERVER: |
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5—Excellent 4—Good 3—Average 2—Needs work 1—Poor |
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PERSONAL PREPARATION |
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1. |
Appropriate business attire |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
2. |
Voice quality / tone |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
3. |
Voice audibility |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
4. |
Confidence displayed |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
PRESENTATION PREPARATION |
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5. |
Good organization |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
6. |
Meaningful topic / key point development |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
7. |
Attention-getting opening / closing |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
8. |
Easy-to-follow delivery |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
9. |
Rehearsed performance |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
PROJECTION |
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10. |
Vocal effectiveness (intonation, fillers, pauses) |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
11. |
Audience interaction / eye contact |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
12. |
Energy / enthusiasm portrayed |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
STRONG POINTS: |
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WORK ON: |
PROBLEM-SOLVING MEETING SELF-CRITIQUE / SINGLE CONFERENCE REPORT |
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Name: |
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General Topic: |
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Problem for group discussion: |
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Watch your video of the meeting; type your responses on a separate sheet. Discuss these questions; don't just answer yes or no. |
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1. |
After watching your video, comment on the visual impression you give and the nonverbal image you project. (plus and minus) |
2. |
How clear are you in introducing yourself, reminding people of your previous talk, and establishing the problem imbedded in your topic? What could you have done better? |
3. |
How did your discussion go? After your instruction, were the participants clear on what they were to do? |
4. |
Did you keep the discussion moving and relevant to the problem? Did you relate participants' comments back to the problem? |
5. |
How well did you define and synthesize areas of consensus and/or disagreement? |
6. |
What do you want to work on next time? |