Young Adolescent Minds and Their Search for Individual Identity and Peer Group Affiliation in the 21st Century Digital Age

Daryl Bradshaw, Psychology, Mallard Creek High School

Final Unit (PDF)     Implementing Common Core Standards (PDF)

200 Word Synopsis

Students today need to prepare academically and socially for the challenges of the 21st century by developing critical thinking, scientific methodology and personal awareness. This unit has students analyze past theories and compare them to current theories on identity development and the role of groups on individual behavior. It also has the students doing field research on their peers which will inform them on the power and pitfalls of scientific research. Students will deal with heroic and tragic uses of their omnipresent digital world so they can better navigate their own future opportunities and labyrinths. Students will be asked to learn to communicate in open dialogue, use intellectual debate, apply intrapersonal reflection, uncover troubling stereotypes, and embrace the power of their adolescent brains. The curriculum unit provides a platform for personal growth and social awareness as the students engage in conducting and analyzing their own research and drawing their own conclusions.