Professional Development Plan: Understanding and Supporting the Anxious Generation

Flashcards cover key concepts, terms, and questions from the professional development notes on understanding and supporting the Anxious Generation.

What is the primary goal of the Professional Development Plan on the Anxious Generation?

To understand the needs of the current generation and create action steps to improve wellness and wellbeing of Jerome High School students and Dublin City Schools, using Tier I instruction and the book Anxious Generation as a guide.

List the five focus areas this PD session concentrates on.

1) Students' reliance on technology, 2) Student dependence on structure, 3) The need for students to struggle and that boredom is okay, 4) Teaching resilience to students, 5) Struggles for boys and girls growing up in a digital-saturated age.

What is the end goal of the PD session?

To develop action steps that Jerome staff can take to better meet the needs of its student body.

What evidence is presented in Chapter 1: The Surge of Suffering regarding adolescent mental health?

There is a surge in anxiety, depression, self-harm, and suicide rates in the United States since the early 2010s, with rises in suicide beginning around 2008.

Define 'slow-growth childhood' and its relation to free play.

A model of childhood with extended developmental time that supports cultural learning; free play helps internalize cultural knowledge. Phone-based childhoods since the early 2010s displaced this, stunting development.

What are 'discover mode' and 'defend mode' in the brain?

Discover mode is the brain’s approach to pursuing opportunities; defend mode is the response to threats. Many post-1995 cohorts are stuck in defend mode due to overprotection and digital stimuli, impacting development.

What are the Four Basic Harms of the phone-based childhood?

Social deprivation, sleep deprivation, attention fragmentation, and addiction.

Which six spiritual practices are disrupted by the phone-based life, per Chapter 8?

Shared sacredness; embodiment; stillness and focus; self-transcendence; being slow to anger, quick to forgive; finding awe in nature.

What is the 'push-pull' analysis used to describe boys’ experience in the digital age?

A framework showing the push away from the real world and the pull toward the digital world, which offers agency-building activities (exploration, competition, playing at war, mastering skills, and sometimes pornography) through screens.

What two school-level changes are emphasized as impactful for anxiety in Chapters 11 and 12?

Phone-free schools and more free play; when implemented together, they are more impactful than other measures.

What are 'collective action problems' and how are they addressed in this PD?

Problems where individual actions do not align with the common good; mechanisms include government policy, tech company design changes, schools, parents, and youth actions to bring about rapid change.

How do tech companies' design features influence attention, and what role can governments play?

Design features are used to capture and sustain attention; governments can enact laws to incentivize different behavior and design choices, and balance protecting youth with enabling real-world experiences.

What is the rationale behind the 'whale' concept in Sessions 11 and 12?

Two big actions—phone-free schools and more free play—that, when pursued together, can have a major impact on reducing student anxiety and promoting healthy development.

What is the focus of Session 7: Bringing Childhood Back to Earth and Action Steps?

Summarize takeaways, and develop actionable steps for Jerome and the school to help students grow up on Earth; includes a two-page reflection for Ashland credit.

What assignment do students taking Ashland credit complete?

A two-page reflection paper describing what was learned and how resources will be incorporated into instruction, plus how takeaways will be translated into classroom practice.

When are the PD sessions scheduled and what is their format?

Multiple sessions from August 26 to October 21, 2025, each 7:00–7:45 AM, with topics, readings, objectives, discussion questions, and supplemental materials.