This chapter first considers the conceptual complexities involved in any reference to “the poem.” The poem can, for instance, be defined as a particular instantiation of a universal, called “poetry,” or it can be defined in opposition to other kinds of literary genre, linguistic artefact, or linguistic performance, from verse treatise to political slogan. The term “poem” may also be normative as well as descriptive, a marker not only of genre but also of success. Finally, the poem has sometimes been conceived in opposition to conceptual thinking itself, from which perspective the discourse of poems differs radically from the discourse of ideas. Treating examples by W. S. Graham, Ben Jonson, M. NourbeSe Philip, and Wallace Stevens, this chapter argues that, given this situation, poems continually strive to overspill their concept, whether by achieving the status of The Poem or of Poetry Itself, by breaking out of the confines of “mere” poetry and becoming part of the fabric of reality, or by changing what “poems” can be and what “poem” can mean.

In this chapter, we discuss adolescence as a period of imaginative future-making, where identities are in flux and worked on, and self-consciousness enhanced. We draw on Vygotsky to argue that the conceptual thinking that marks adolescence enables them to closely analyze current realities, see connections they had not previously recognized, and grapple with complexities. These capabilities also allow adolescents to look beyond their immediate surroundings and become actively responsible citizens. Conceptual thinking therefore needs nurturing in environments that present meaningful challenges, offer the resources that can help young people tackle them and recognize the role of emotion in conceptual development. We explain how a relational approach can help young people with the development of identities that can engage them with what society offers. We also show how a relational pedagogy, including the use of digital resources, can sustain students as they tackle the curricular demands of high school, including subject matter knowledge. We point to the potential importance of families in supporting young people in the transition to adulthood and conclude by discussing efforts framed by cultural-historical understandings at supporting this transition for vulnerable young people.