Create a Mock Media Interview on Adolescent Development

Imagine that you have been contacted by a local radio or television station to participate in its series entitled “Promoting Positive Development in Teens: What Can a Parent Do?” Your media contact has told you that they will ask you to provide concrete tips for parents that reflect the latest research findings on promoting positive development in adolescents.

Create a transcript for a mock interview in which you respond to at least two interview questions related to physical development/puberty, and two interview questions related to psychosocial development in teens. Also, include a response to the following question:

Many parents really want to do what is right, but when they turn to the experts they get conflicting advice. One day it seems research says it is good to ignore teens when sulking; the next day research shows that teens who sulk need more attention. What should a parent to do when it seems like even the experts cannot make up their minds?

To acquire the feeling of being interviewed, stage this meeting as an audio or interview. Using simple equipment like a webcam, ask a friend to conduct this mock interview. You may choose to upload this video to YouTube or another video site, and then submit the URL for the video, along with the transcript of the interview as your assignment submission. Or you can conduct an audio interview using Audacity. Audacity is an open-source recording program available on the Internet. Be sure to upload a transcript of your interview as well, if you choose Audacity. If you choose to record your lecture, upload it to your professor in MP3 format; this file must not exceed 8MB. An average lecture tends to be 100 to 150 words per minute. There are many audio recording programs available.

Once you have completed the transcript (and audio or video recording), write a brief self-reflection paper summarizing the experience. Reflect on your experience of being asked to respond as an expert to the real life concerns of parents, and describe your feelings of knowing that you were recording this interview. How do you think you would approach gathering and sharing knowledge differently if you were facing an audience or interviewer, rather than simply submitting a report?