How do you support and manage a classroom of ethnic minority adolescents going through periods of identity development?
L: What you learned
[Directions: First we will formulate RAR prompts for the four categories listed below (physical cognitive, emotional, and social). These prompts should relate back to your three curiosities listed above. Technologically speaking, add widget anchors here for easier reading, then delete instructions in the brackets]
Physical
Cognitive
Emotional
Social
1. Physical
The physical changes that take place during adolescent development can be challenging and awkward for everyone. Ethnic minority students, however, may face additional differences. Their physical build may be different from the majority of the class depending on where they are from and what their culture eats. There may also be significant culture differences when talking about aspects of adolescent development such as menstruation and sex. Some cultures have very specific rituals regarding a girls first menstruation. Some cultures may view sex differently than we do in the United States.
2. Cognitive
One of the main ideas coming from Chapter 9 regarding cognitive development, is that how a child develops cognitively depends greatly on their cultural situation. Things like how long they have been in school, if they are a minority or not, if their parents are educated, and their cultural practices influence how they develop. One interesting aspect of Piaget's stages of cognitive development is that they are dependent on the child's cultural and school practices. The book explains on page 233 that "in tribal and village societies, conservation is often delayed." While these children may be able to complete other tasks of the same or higher level of mental processing, the concept of conservation is not something they are asked about by adults, and is not something they deal with on an everyday basis.
This chapter also looked a lot at the differences between western and non-western cultures and how they may differ in teaching practices and how that in turn, may influence cognitive development. For example, memorization strategies are actively taught by western teachers. Classes in non-Western cultures that are not taught this however, are able to complete tasks requiring memorization better without learning these strategies. In Asian countries math is taught differently and is seen as more important. Rather than teaching drills and repetition, "those in Asian classrooms devote more time to exploring math concepts." (239) Another very important factor in cognitive development is parent involvement. Different cultures have different beliefs on the value of education and how much parental assistance is appropriate. Asian parents tend to place a high value on schooling and education. Because of this, compared to American children, Asian children may spend more time at home studying and doing homework. Differences also occur in the level of education the parents have. The book states that studies have shown that parents who are less educated tend to work cooperatively with their children on their school work. Parents that are more educated give more direction and ask that they complete tasks independently. Each of these cultural differences affects children's performance on standardized IQ tests. Test questions may stereotype, be culturally biased, and contain content that is unfamiliar to minorities.
All of this information relates directly back to my inquiry question. Supporting ethnic minority students in the classroom means understanding the fact that they may cognitively develop differently that American children. Cultural practices, parent involvement, and time spent in a traditional school are influence how and the rate at which the child will develop. These points are especially important when working with children who have recently immigrated to the U.S. Their previous experiences may be completely different from those of the rest of the class, and it may very well affect their intelligence level and performance in school.
3. Emotional
Emotionally, adolescence can be challenging for an ethnic minority student. They are having to adapt and adjust differences in culture and beliefs, possibly in and outside of the classroom. It can be frustrating, intimidating, and even confusing. Self conscious emotions play a big role in this topic as the students strive to become independent and accepted at the same time. This affects self esteem and self concept. It is also important that the other students in the class have some sort of emotional understanding. For more mature children, this has already developed. However, for children who are still learning to interpret others' feelings, this may be more difficult. They are less likely to accept their peers, especially if they are culturally very different from them.
4. Social
The social aspect of adolescence tends to be one of the most challenging parts of a culturally diverse classroom. Especially if a child is learning English as their second language. This becomes a communication barrier between the student and teacher and students with eachother. Cultural diversity also plays a role in peer groups and peer acceptance. Without peer acceptance a child may struggle making friends and interacting with the class. In the text it mentions that "children tend to select friends similar to themselves in age, sex, race, ethnicity, and SES (p. 265)." This is extremely important to know when managing a diverse classroom. Peer groups may form based on race and ethnicity purely because they are with other people like themselves where they feel more comfortable.
I will be doing my observation at Academy of World Languages school in Cincinnati. It is a K-8 school, and I will be observing a sixth grade class. I am in a collaborative studio in DAAP called Design, Empowerment, and Storytelling. This class works with the non-profit, Thrivera, an organization that works to empower youth with the use of visual storytelling. Their goal is to help kids understand that their experiences and stories can make a positive impact on the world around them. We work in the AWL classroom once a week for about an hour, and meet for actual class at UC twice a week, with a Thrivera member joining us here and there for support.
AWL is a school that has a predominately international demographic. It is incredibly diverse. There are some students that come from refugee families, some with parents that are studying or doing research at UC for a few years, and some students that were actually born in Cincinnati. Some of the students just arrived in the U.S. a month ago, and some have lived here their whole life. Some can only say a few words in English and some are fluent. There is a very broad spectrum, as there is in any classroom, however it is a bit more obvious in this school.
Our class is broken down into groups of 3-4 UC students with 4-5 AWL students. For the first five weeks we will be using Thrivera's curriculum to help teach the kids about stories and storytelling, learn about their stories, and film a mini documentary of them. We will then redesign the curriculum based on how everything goes and implement the new curriculum with the other sixth grade class. I will be observing all of the children in both classes, however I will especially be paying attention to the Nepali students. I spent the past summer working at a school in Nepal, which gives me a little bit of background knowledge of the culture. Several of the Nepali students just arrived in Cincinnati at the beginning of the school year, and it has been a challenging adjustment for them. I would really like to try and understand how as a teacher you can support and help them in the classroom, with their language skills, and to retain their culture, all while keeping the idea of identity development at this age in mind.
C. Describe what you did at the site (free-write/journal formatting)
1st visit:
Our first visit to AWL was a little disorganized and honestly a little nerve wracking. There were about 15 UC students with our professor, Ramsey, as well as the founder of Thrivera, Marvin, the 6th grade teacher, Aaron, and 30 sixth graders all in one classroom. Each week we are there it is only for about 45 minutes so each minute is valuable. The class was being divided into groups as we arrived, and assigned to UC groups of students. Each group was quickly assigned a location in the school (only 2 groups could feasibly operate in the class room at once without it getting too noisy). It was so interesting watching the kids as they were assigned to groups. I remember how having (or not having) certain people in your group at that age was a big deal, and you could tell that it was also important to them.
Rian, Matt, and I (my UC group) were assigned to a group of three boys and shown an area to work. We were kind of in a lounge/workstation area that wasn't quite a classroom but wasn't quite a play area. There were large tables with chairs around them to work so we got seated. A huge factor in how this day was dependent on how the seating arrangement worked out, but we didn't realize it until after the fact. The three boys seated themselves next to each other and the three of us were across from them, and Rian was standing. We subconsciously just recreated a classroom set up without even intending to. We made introductions and did our best to get a feel for the kids' personalities. Right away, I could tell I liked Lamont. He was outspoken, but polite, and smart. Throughout the whole lesson that day he was able to grasp concepts that for other kids took a lot more explanation. Femi and Moussa were both more reserved, but always would answer a question or make a comment if prompted. All three are African American and were born in the United States. Two of them have attended school outside of Ohio at some point in time, but other than that they have been living in Cincinnati. As a whole, our first day went pretty well. We were able to identify some facilitator issues (i.e. seating, slideshow), but our interaction with the kids was positive and they seemed open to what we had to share with them.
2nd visit:
Our second visit to AWL was definitely smoother and more comfortable. We were able to chat about everyone's weekends and then dive right into the content for the day without dealing with any logistical tasks. The kids opened up with us pretty quickly about their stories, although sometimes it took some prompting. Femi and Moussa are a little on the shy side and are hesitant to say some things. We've been using a lot of encouragement with them to speak up, even if what they say doesn't answer our question correctly or they really don't have a total understanding of a concept. It's important that they are comfortable talking in our group and that they are confident about telling their stories. You could tell that when the kids first started sharing their stories that they were unsure if their story was "good." I'm not even sure what defines good, but maybe the word "acceptable" is more appropriate. I may be making an assumption, but if I had to guess when they were trying to formulate their stories, it needed to be something they were comfortable telling in front of friends and classmates, and it also had to be something that we (UC students) approved of. Once they figured out that we would honestly approve of anything they said (it is their story after all) they seemed to offer more details about the stories, and share they feelings. This was another interesting point: sometimes they didn't know how they felt about something. Our role as facilitators was often to help the kids understand where their stories have taken them today... how has it helped them now...how they felt at the time and how it makes them feel now. Sometimes they would tell a story and leave all of these details out - which is completely fine - many people (even adults) are hesitant to share their personal feelings. We would politely ask how a certain situation made them feel and some times all we got was a blank stare. After some thought though they could usually come up with something. And then after they said it out loud it was almost like they were coming to terms with it and understanding a tiny bit more about themselves.
Sometimes I feel like we're actively watching them search for their identity. Uncertainty, looking for approval, shyness, confidence, understanding, questioning... all things we have seen a lot of with this group. We so badly want them to feel comfortable with us and with themselves, but really, as we learn more about development (and from what I remember not too long ago), that's more of something they decide on their own. We can offer support and encouragement on every level to help them with this though.
3rd visit:
The third week was completely different from the previous two in a couple of ways. First and foremost, another student was added to our group. Sanjay, also African American, but from Tennessee, had not been able to join us the first two sessions because he was suspended. Two weeks in a row. As soon as Matt, Rian, and I heard this the red flags went up. We knew the calm, easy going dynamic we had managed to create in the beginning would probably be changing dramatically. And we were right. Sanjay never stops talking. And he will talk whether we ask him to or not. He seems to be a little more worldly than the other three boys, but definitely not more mature. After learning more about him I think this may stem from the fact that he has older siblings and cousins he spends a lot of time with. Immediately after sitting down with the group we could tell the other three boys weren't thrilled about Sanjay joining the group. Naturally more reserved than him, they let him do all the talking and were much more hesitant to speak up and share. At one point when Sanjay was on some sort of rant, I caught Moussa looking at me and then at Sanjay and then back at me... very clearly trying to gauge my reaction to this new addition to the group. Femi barely talked at all, and getting him to participate, even in the written activity for the day, was like pulling teeth. We were still able to get through the content but we lost the fluidity of the first two weeks. At any given point one of us was trying to teach, one trying to listen to or politely quiet Sanjay, and one trying to make sure the other three were engaged. It was challenging.
Another way in which this visit was different was that prior to going I had refined my inquiry question. Now I am looking at supporting ethnic minorities in the classroom. Because the boys in my group had been born in the U.S., spoke English fluently, and seemed to generally follow American culture, I spent a few minutes observing a couple of the other groups. There is one group in particular that has a lot of cultural barriers. It has three girls from Nepal and one girl from Mali, and they really don't speak a lot of English. I'm not able to spend a ton of time with them, but what I observed was explained in better detail by my classmates that lead that group. When I sat in with the group for a couple minutes I witnessed the challenges of a thick language barrier. The UC students would basically explain or say something and receive a blank stare from the girls. They would then try to simplify it for them, and if they still didn't get it they might write or draw it. And even then, it was difficult to tell if they were comprehending the material. During the time I was with them the facilitators were using the story of Cinderella to explain a concept. They seemed to be doing okay with it, and I later found out that their participation level was hugely improved that day. The other really interesting thing I saw a little bit of (and the UC students confirmed was a pretty common occurrence) was the Nepali girls using the student that knew the best English out of the three of them to almost represent the group. If a question was asked, the three would converse with each other in Nepali and then the "spokesperson" would answer for the three of them. The girl from Mali has decent English skills and really wasn't shy about participating. After kind of debriefing with the UC students after, they offered more details. It has been extremely challenging for them to facilitate the curriculum for this group. So many things that our group didn't think twice about are huge obstacles for them. It's difficult to have a basic conversation, gauge the girls' interest and engagement, simplify and explain abstract concepts, and get the students to participate. It's also challenging because they didn't have the asset of casual conversation to build a basic level of trust and friendliness with them. I think teaching ELL students is hard, but coming in as a college student who these girls have never met or seen and who is only there once a week, is harder.
4th visit:
The fourth week in the Thrivera curriculum is actually filming the students' stories. By now they have learned about different parts of stories and storytelling, and they have identified and examined their own stories. We were given a few flip cams from the organization to use and the kids seemed pretty excited about the whole thing. They were really into making each video their own, which was cool to see. Moussa wanted to have a basketball for his story about overcoming a really tough basketball player on another team... Femi wanted to see if we could put music in his video after editing.... and they all wanted to film outside. We headed out to where they have recess and they showed us this little garden area set aside where they wanted to record the videos. Lamont, Femi, and Moussa were pretty well prepared to film. Granted they had been practicing there stories for two sessions longer than Sanjay, but still, they were ready to go. Each of them had one practice turn and then recorded. Femi and Lamont filmed in the garden and Moussa did his on the basketball court. Sanjay was a whole different story. He was all over the place (literally and mentally) rehearsing his story and asking for our approval and claiming he couldn't do it.... and then 2 minutes later "nevermind I'm ready now." He almost seemed insecure about the whole thing, which he very well might have been. He ended up having like 5 different takes. but it eventually got done.
I visited the Nepali group towards the end because our group finished a little early. The UC students had made a very small goal of just getting the girls to say their name and something they like to do on film, rather than tell a whole story. Logistically they probably could not communicate an entire story, and definitely not with the pressure of a camera. The girls were so shy around the video camera and seemed really intimidated by it. They were all able to get up and film something solo though, even if it was just a few words. For the facilitators, this was an accomplishment, and they made sure to verbalize that to the girls and praise them for being confident enough to be camera.
5th visit:
Unexpectedly so, this was the most challenging week, and it had nothing to do with the kids. Week 5 is set aside for editing. The students each get the chance to edit their video in iMovie and create the mini movie with added effects, text, sound, etc. For this session all of the kids were at their desks in the classroom with school laptops and the UC students were circling around the room for support. Marvin was back this week to facilitate by talking and going through a slideshow on how to use iMovie and export the files. The setting in general was difficult to work with. There was so much going on and a lot of questions from the kids, and it was hard to give anyone more than 30 seconds of individual attention. What ended up happening was the school laptops had some sort of restriction on them that didn't let the kids upload their videos into the program and work on the movies. The other UC students and I were frustrated, the kids were lost, and Marvin decided to continue with his presentation regardless, which may not have been the best idea.
Technology-wise, some of the kids were extremely comfortable with the computers, others not so much. One of the Nepali girls was having a really hard time figuring out what to do and I ended up returning to her desk multiple times to make sure she was up to speed. Whether her lack of comfortability with the machine was because she didn't have experience or because she didn't understand the language, it was hard to tell. We ended the class not really accomplishing anything, which was frustrating. We could tell the kids were discouraged, especially because this was the week they really got to create and make something.
6th visit:
Our sixth visit to AWL was the start of working with the other sixth grade class. We had heard from the teacher that the kids were very excited after talking to the sixth graders we had already worked with. As soon as I walked down the hallway to the class I could hear them. I could tell right away that this class was much more rowdy than the previous one, and after talking with my own classmates we all agreed that as a whole they were a much more outgoing class. Our new group has three girls and two boys. We have only had one day with them so we don't yet know where they are from but they all speak English very well. The three girls are very outspoken, one of the boys is very shy, and the other one isn't so much shy, but just sounds very unsure of himself when speaking. I think this may have to do with being outnumbered by the 3 girls. They tended to dominated most of the conversation. The good thing was the group seemed to all be at least friends with each other and got along well. We started out with an icebreaker (human knot) and moved right into the curriculum. The curriculum we implement with this class is our own, and is a result of what we believed did and did not work with the first group. Our main change is that we are no longer using a slide show or worksheets to present the material. Each week is centered around conversation and interactive activities.
We started out talking about Toy Story to introduce courage, connection, and inspiration. We also talked about peaks and valleys, the good and bad parts of stories and life. One of the UC students told a personal story after this to draw the focus back to the fact that our stories are just as important and symbolic as the stories we see in movies. His story was about the first time he went to California with his older brother and without his parents. He was really homesick and missed them a lot but thought that he gained independence from the experience.
After this we began our activity. Each student was to write out different memorable moments, events, stories, from their life on to post it notes and post it on a large sheet of paper where we had drawn a timeline. The group facilitators (including myself) participated as well. After posting we all went around and talked about some of our events. This activity went really well, and the kids were very eager to share and ask other people to share their stories which was awesome. One interesting observation I made was that multiple of the kids had stories very similar to Rian's (the UC student who told his story). This may have been because they couldn't think of anything or because they wanted to have a story we thought they approved of.
Next week we are hoping to work on better listening skills. A lot of the kids were distracted with writing down more stories as other people were telling theirs. We want to make it a point that when someone is telling their story that it is extremely important to listen and give them your full attention. We also want to encourage asking questions after a person is done. This shows you were listening and that you care. It also helps the group learn more about the person and clarify the experience.
There are 1 or 2 kids in this class that have limited English skills and in the coming weeks I will be taking some time to observe them in their groups. One Nepali student just moved to the U.S. about a month ago, and requires a lot of support in the classroom.
Revisiting Your Curiosities
W: What you want to know (curiosities)
[Answer your original questions as best as you can, given the course material and your observations. You must make at least 4 references to the text with page numbers.]
How do you support and manage a classroom of ethnic minority adolescents going through periods of identity development?
Throughout the semester I have learned a great deal from my observation, the text, class discussion, and my own research. Figuring out how to best support ethnic minority students can be challenging, especially if they speak a different language, have family values different than that of the dominant culture, or are especially shy or reserved. Over the course of the past few months, I have come to realize that expression and sharing are very powerful tools in helping ethnic minority students feel more comfortable in the classroom. Through my observation especially, I have seen that sharing stories about their family, culture, background, and interests has helped break down many barriers and has allowed for friendlier interaction between the students. Expression is especially important in the cases where students are reluctant to interact, or there is a language barrier. Encouraging students to express themselves in any way they feel comfortable (conversation, storytelling, drawing, film, music, dance, sports) can release tensions among peers as well as help everyone learn more about each other.
What new questions emerge for you as a future teacher?
New questions that have emerged include how different supports can help different age groups. I also wonder if coping mechanisms could be specific to certain cultures or genders? And possibly how incorporating more family involvement in the student's school life could help him or her succeed.
The Myths Of Bullying. By: Cloud, John, Time, 0040781X, 3/12/2012, Vol. 179, Issue 10
READ This article addresses bullying from a non traditional standpoint. It first looks at two high profile bullying cases; the Chardon High School shooting and the room mate dispute at Rutgers University that resulted in one student committing suicide by jumping off the George Washington bridge. It asks the reader to think about how the bullies are portrayed in these situations and what led to that portrayal. It then looks at the bullying “epidemic,” and asks if it really is an epidemic. Has it actually increased in the last twenty years or are there just different forms today? It addresses how teachers deal with bullying in the classroom and the expensive training school districts take to learn how to act in these situations. Finally, the article brings up the fact that this “epidemic” my be slightly exaggerated. It talks about how bullying used to just be a right of passage or something uncomfortable that all adolescents have to deal with. Now it has instigated the creation of antibullying laws and a huge media focus on high profile cases. It argues that often times, in a situation between a victim and bully, it is very difficult to assign those labels. Between kids, no one is really innocent.
RESPOND I think this article took a really interesting perspective on bullying. It is rare today that you hear we talk about bullying too much, however this is what the article is saying. It asks interesting questions, like is the media exaggerating it? Has it turned into a means of profit for organizations and companies? Is it just a different kind of bullying than we used to see in the past? In regard to my question about supporting ethnic minority students in the classroom, bullying could be very important. As a teacher it is crucial that you are able to tell the difference between typical interactions between students, and one student bullying another. Bullying ethnic minority students could also be more common. These students may look or act different than the majority of the students in the classroom; this could instigate rude comments or remarks that make the child feel uncomfortable. Looking out for these types of situations is key, because they can often turn into teachable moments. A lack of understanding between cultures is something that can often be repaired by simple explanations.
Counseling immigrant children in the schools. By: Esquivel, Giselle B., Keitel, Merle A., Elementary School Guidance & Counseling, 00135976, Feb90, Vol. 24, Issue 3
READ This article addresses the need for counseling in schools for ethnic minority students. It talks about the different stress factors that children who have immigrated to the United States may face. These factors become even more stressful on the child if they are refugees from war torn countries. Lack of knowledge or understanding of English, cultural differences, a limited family support system, and culture shock, are just a few things that may cause a child unwanted mental stress. It also talked about possible preventative programs for children from immigrant families. This way the child learns coping methods as they deal with the possible stress, rather than afterwards.
RESPOND I thought this article accurately identified the need for counseling for ethnic minority students. If carried out effectively this could be a potential solution for other things prevalent in elementary school such as bullying. Additionally, the counselor could be a trusted adult that the child can go to or talk to if they have questions or need advice. It is important that the counselors be trained in cross cultural settings. It is necessary that they have an understanding of the culture their child is from, and have resources or people they can gather more information from. Adolescent children are going through many physical and emotional changes, and being an ethnic minority student makes this stage in life that much more difficult. I think that counseling could be extremely beneficial and should be an option for these students in all schools.
Parental autonomy support and ethnic culture identification among second-generation immigrants. Abad, Neetu S.; Sheldon, Kennon M. Journal of Family Psychology, Vol 22(4), Aug 2008, 652-657.
READ This article is about a study done that looked at the perception of parents by immigrant adolescents. It was testing the theory that children with more autonomous parents were happier and more comfortable with both their native and U.S. assimilated cultures. The study was done on 99 college freshman who immigrated to the U.S. It asked them questions about their natal and assimilated cultures as well as their family life and parents. It also asked them about their happiness and personal satisfaction at the current time (as college students). The study found that immigrant children with more autonomous fathers (not mothers) had a better sense of their natal culture and also had a better sense of well-being of their life at the time.
RESPOND I found this study incredibly interesting. The act of maintaining one’s native culture while at the same time adapting and assimilating to American culture is extremely difficult for all immigrants, but especially trying for adolescents. They are already going through a time of role confusion as they try to find their identity. It is much more difficult as they also try and balance two different cultures. The fact that an autonomous father often contributes to a better balance is definitely good to know as a teacher with ethnic minority students in the classroom. It is also good to be aware of the family situation with many of these children. Many immigrant parents want their children to retain the cultural values and traditions of where they came from. The child often feels stressed about this because they often feel like they should be assimilating to American culture more in order to fit in. Understanding the role of autonomous versus controlling parents could be very helpful while getting a child to cope with the stress of being an ethnic minority student.
Article 4
Steinberg, S. (1993). The world inside the classroom: Using oral history to explore racial and ethnic diversity. Social Studies,84(2), 71.
THE WORLD INSIDE THE CLASSROOM: USING ORAL HISTORY TO EXPLORE RACIAL AND ETHNIC DIVERSITY
READ: This article is about a professor at Queens College who does an oral history project at the end of the term with his students. The students are required to present an oral history of a person they know "who has experienced a sociologically relevant aspect of ethnic history." They are to develop through multiple workshops the professor provides them, and come up with an interesting title. They are to develop a historical framework for the story and research the subject matter extensively. He teaches them about interviewing skills, active listening, engaging topics, and how to gather relevant information on the ethnicity they will be talking about. He begins this article by telling the reader why he believes this project is important and how diversity has changed dramatically in the U.S. during the last 60 years. He talks about the exotic, bright images of people of different races and cultures in history books, and how these pictures, while trying to provide diversity and represent these people, end up dehumanizing them. He goes on to explain that activities like this one highlight the different ethnicities and cultures we are now surrounded with, and that the fact that we are all ethnically/racially different is something we actually have in common.
RESPOND:
I found this article especially interesting because it directly related to my inquiry question as well as my observation site. Even though this writer conducts the oral history project over a whole semester to college level students, the work I am doing with sixth graders at AWL is extremely similar, and is trying to accomplish teaching the same concepts. I think this connection really emphasizes the power of storytelling and sharing cultural differences in order to understand diversity. Conversations and communication are key here to build understanding among people. The other part of this article I found interesting was when he described the opportunity that diversity in the classroom provides everyone, especially in social studies classrooms. Although it can be challenging, learning and trying to understand people's cultural differences is what opens our minds. This is such an important thing to teach young kids who are just starting to learn and discover their own identities.
Pg 258: This page has things on self esteem, which I felt like connected with your second visit and how they didn't feel like their stories were "good" enough. Pg 259 also touches on what makes up the general self esteem, and "relationship with peers" may have to do with the fact that they weren't feeling too comfortable with sharing stories.
Pg 257 on self concept may connect to your second visit as well, when you said that they were probably searching for their identities. Building a self-concept is important to finding your own identity.
Pg 262 talks about perspective talking, which connects to Sanjay's behavior of not really caring about what his group thought about him. It seems that he has not advanced in that area yet in middle childhood.
Name of Student: Meredith Schreiber
Table of Contents
Pre-Adolescence
W: What you want to know (curiosities)
Insert your inquiry questionsHow do you support and manage a classroom of ethnic minority adolescents going through periods of identity development?
L: What you learned
[Directions: First we will formulate RAR prompts for the four categories listed below (physical cognitive, emotional, and social). These prompts should relate back to your three curiosities listed above. Technologically speaking, add widget anchors here for easier reading, then delete instructions in the brackets]1. Physical
The physical changes that take place during adolescent development can be challenging and awkward for everyone. Ethnic minority students, however, may face additional differences. Their physical build may be different from the majority of the class depending on where they are from and what their culture eats. There may also be significant culture differences when talking about aspects of adolescent development such as menstruation and sex. Some cultures have very specific rituals regarding a girls first menstruation. Some cultures may view sex differently than we do in the United States.
2. Cognitive
One of the main ideas coming from Chapter 9 regarding cognitive development, is that how a child develops cognitively depends greatly on their cultural situation. Things like how long they have been in school, if they are a minority or not, if their parents are educated, and their cultural practices influence how they develop. One interesting aspect of Piaget's stages of cognitive development is that they are dependent on the child's cultural and school practices. The book explains on page 233 that "in tribal and village societies, conservation is often delayed." While these children may be able to complete other tasks of the same or higher level of mental processing, the concept of conservation is not something they are asked about by adults, and is not something they deal with on an everyday basis.
This chapter also looked a lot at the differences between western and non-western cultures and how they may differ in teaching practices and how that in turn, may influence cognitive development. For example, memorization strategies are actively taught by western teachers. Classes in non-Western cultures that are not taught this however, are able to complete tasks requiring memorization better without learning these strategies. In Asian countries math is taught differently and is seen as more important. Rather than teaching drills and repetition, "those in Asian classrooms devote more time to exploring math concepts." (239) Another very important factor in cognitive development is parent involvement. Different cultures have different beliefs on the value of education and how much parental assistance is appropriate. Asian parents tend to place a high value on schooling and education. Because of this, compared to American children, Asian children may spend more time at home studying and doing homework. Differences also occur in the level of education the parents have. The book states that studies have shown that parents who are less educated tend to work cooperatively with their children on their school work. Parents that are more educated give more direction and ask that they complete tasks independently. Each of these cultural differences affects children's performance on standardized IQ tests. Test questions may stereotype, be culturally biased, and contain content that is unfamiliar to minorities.
All of this information relates directly back to my inquiry question. Supporting ethnic minority students in the classroom means understanding the fact that they may cognitively develop differently that American children. Cultural practices, parent involvement, and time spent in a traditional school are influence how and the rate at which the child will develop. These points are especially important when working with children who have recently immigrated to the U.S. Their previous experiences may be completely different from those of the rest of the class, and it may very well affect their intelligence level and performance in school.
3. Emotional
Emotionally, adolescence can be challenging for an ethnic minority student. They are having to adapt and adjust differences in culture and beliefs, possibly in and outside of the classroom. It can be frustrating, intimidating, and even confusing. Self conscious emotions play a big role in this topic as the students strive to become independent and accepted at the same time. This affects self esteem and self concept. It is also important that the other students in the class have some sort of emotional understanding. For more mature children, this has already developed. However, for children who are still learning to interpret others' feelings, this may be more difficult. They are less likely to accept their peers, especially if they are culturally very different from them.
4. Social
The social aspect of adolescence tends to be one of the most challenging parts of a culturally diverse classroom. Especially if a child is learning English as their second language. This becomes a communication barrier between the student and teacher and students with eachother. Cultural diversity also plays a role in peer groups and peer acceptance. Without peer acceptance a child may struggle making friends and interacting with the class. In the text it mentions that "children tend to select friends similar to themselves in age, sex, race, ethnicity, and SES (p. 265)." This is extremely important to know when managing a diverse classroom. Peer groups may form based on race and ethnicity purely because they are with other people like themselves where they feel more comfortable.
Observation Site Information
A. Site details:
B. Describe your setting
I will be doing my observation at Academy of World Languages school in Cincinnati. It is a K-8 school, and I will be observing a sixth grade class. I am in a collaborative studio in DAAP called Design, Empowerment, and Storytelling. This class works with the non-profit, Thrivera, an organization that works to empower youth with the use of visual storytelling. Their goal is to help kids understand that their experiences and stories can make a positive impact on the world around them. We work in the AWL classroom once a week for about an hour, and meet for actual class at UC twice a week, with a Thrivera member joining us here and there for support.AWL is a school that has a predominately international demographic. It is incredibly diverse. There are some students that come from refugee families, some with parents that are studying or doing research at UC for a few years, and some students that were actually born in Cincinnati. Some of the students just arrived in the U.S. a month ago, and some have lived here their whole life. Some can only say a few words in English and some are fluent. There is a very broad spectrum, as there is in any classroom, however it is a bit more obvious in this school.
Our class is broken down into groups of 3-4 UC students with 4-5 AWL students. For the first five weeks we will be using Thrivera's curriculum to help teach the kids about stories and storytelling, learn about their stories, and film a mini documentary of them. We will then redesign the curriculum based on how everything goes and implement the new curriculum with the other sixth grade class. I will be observing all of the children in both classes, however I will especially be paying attention to the Nepali students. I spent the past summer working at a school in Nepal, which gives me a little bit of background knowledge of the culture. Several of the Nepali students just arrived in Cincinnati at the beginning of the school year, and it has been a challenging adjustment for them. I would really like to try and understand how as a teacher you can support and help them in the classroom, with their language skills, and to retain their culture, all while keeping the idea of identity development at this age in mind.
C. Describe what you did at the site (free-write/journal formatting)
1st visit:Our first visit to AWL was a little disorganized and honestly a little nerve wracking. There were about 15 UC students with our professor, Ramsey, as well as the founder of Thrivera, Marvin, the 6th grade teacher, Aaron, and 30 sixth graders all in one classroom. Each week we are there it is only for about 45 minutes so each minute is valuable. The class was being divided into groups as we arrived, and assigned to UC groups of students. Each group was quickly assigned a location in the school (only 2 groups could feasibly operate in the class room at once without it getting too noisy). It was so interesting watching the kids as they were assigned to groups. I remember how having (or not having) certain people in your group at that age was a big deal, and you could tell that it was also important to them.
Rian, Matt, and I (my UC group) were assigned to a group of three boys and shown an area to work. We were kind of in a lounge/workstation area that wasn't quite a classroom but wasn't quite a play area. There were large tables with chairs around them to work so we got seated. A huge factor in how this day was dependent on how the seating arrangement worked out, but we didn't realize it until after the fact. The three boys seated themselves next to each other and the three of us were across from them, and Rian was standing. We subconsciously just recreated a classroom set up without even intending to. We made introductions and did our best to get a feel for the kids' personalities. Right away, I could tell I liked Lamont. He was outspoken, but polite, and smart. Throughout the whole lesson that day he was able to grasp concepts that for other kids took a lot more explanation. Femi and Moussa were both more reserved, but always would answer a question or make a comment if prompted. All three are African American and were born in the United States. Two of them have attended school outside of Ohio at some point in time, but other than that they have been living in Cincinnati. As a whole, our first day went pretty well. We were able to identify some facilitator issues (i.e. seating, slideshow), but our interaction with the kids was positive and they seemed open to what we had to share with them.
2nd visit:
Our second visit to AWL was definitely smoother and more comfortable. We were able to chat about everyone's weekends and then dive right into the content for the day without dealing with any logistical tasks. The kids opened up with us pretty quickly about their stories, although sometimes it took some prompting. Femi and Moussa are a little on the shy side and are hesitant to say some things. We've been using a lot of encouragement with them to speak up, even if what they say doesn't answer our question correctly or they really don't have a total understanding of a concept. It's important that they are comfortable talking in our group and that they are confident about telling their stories. You could tell that when the kids first started sharing their stories that they were unsure if their story was "good." I'm not even sure what defines good, but maybe the word "acceptable" is more appropriate. I may be making an assumption, but if I had to guess when they were trying to formulate their stories, it needed to be something they were comfortable telling in front of friends and classmates, and it also had to be something that we (UC students) approved of. Once they figured out that we would honestly approve of anything they said (it is their story after all) they seemed to offer more details about the stories, and share they feelings. This was another interesting point: sometimes they didn't know how they felt about something. Our role as facilitators was often to help the kids understand where their stories have taken them today... how has it helped them now...how they felt at the time and how it makes them feel now. Sometimes they would tell a story and leave all of these details out - which is completely fine - many people (even adults) are hesitant to share their personal feelings. We would politely ask how a certain situation made them feel and some times all we got was a blank stare. After some thought though they could usually come up with something. And then after they said it out loud it was almost like they were coming to terms with it and understanding a tiny bit more about themselves.
Sometimes I feel like we're actively watching them search for their identity. Uncertainty, looking for approval, shyness, confidence, understanding, questioning... all things we have seen a lot of with this group. We so badly want them to feel comfortable with us and with themselves, but really, as we learn more about development (and from what I remember not too long ago), that's more of something they decide on their own. We can offer support and encouragement on every level to help them with this though.
3rd visit:
The third week was completely different from the previous two in a couple of ways. First and foremost, another student was added to our group. Sanjay, also African American, but from Tennessee, had not been able to join us the first two sessions because he was suspended. Two weeks in a row. As soon as Matt, Rian, and I heard this the red flags went up. We knew the calm, easy going dynamic we had managed to create in the beginning would probably be changing dramatically. And we were right. Sanjay never stops talking. And he will talk whether we ask him to or not. He seems to be a little more worldly than the other three boys, but definitely not more mature. After learning more about him I think this may stem from the fact that he has older siblings and cousins he spends a lot of time with. Immediately after sitting down with the group we could tell the other three boys weren't thrilled about Sanjay joining the group. Naturally more reserved than him, they let him do all the talking and were much more hesitant to speak up and share. At one point when Sanjay was on some sort of rant, I caught Moussa looking at me and then at Sanjay and then back at me... very clearly trying to gauge my reaction to this new addition to the group. Femi barely talked at all, and getting him to participate, even in the written activity for the day, was like pulling teeth. We were still able to get through the content but we lost the fluidity of the first two weeks. At any given point one of us was trying to teach, one trying to listen to or politely quiet Sanjay, and one trying to make sure the other three were engaged. It was challenging.
Another way in which this visit was different was that prior to going I had refined my inquiry question. Now I am looking at supporting ethnic minorities in the classroom. Because the boys in my group had been born in the U.S., spoke English fluently, and seemed to generally follow American culture, I spent a few minutes observing a couple of the other groups. There is one group in particular that has a lot of cultural barriers. It has three girls from Nepal and one girl from Mali, and they really don't speak a lot of English. I'm not able to spend a ton of time with them, but what I observed was explained in better detail by my classmates that lead that group. When I sat in with the group for a couple minutes I witnessed the challenges of a thick language barrier. The UC students would basically explain or say something and receive a blank stare from the girls. They would then try to simplify it for them, and if they still didn't get it they might write or draw it. And even then, it was difficult to tell if they were comprehending the material. During the time I was with them the facilitators were using the story of Cinderella to explain a concept. They seemed to be doing okay with it, and I later found out that their participation level was hugely improved that day. The other really interesting thing I saw a little bit of (and the UC students confirmed was a pretty common occurrence) was the Nepali girls using the student that knew the best English out of the three of them to almost represent the group. If a question was asked, the three would converse with each other in Nepali and then the "spokesperson" would answer for the three of them. The girl from Mali has decent English skills and really wasn't shy about participating. After kind of debriefing with the UC students after, they offered more details. It has been extremely challenging for them to facilitate the curriculum for this group. So many things that our group didn't think twice about are huge obstacles for them. It's difficult to have a basic conversation, gauge the girls' interest and engagement, simplify and explain abstract concepts, and get the students to participate. It's also challenging because they didn't have the asset of casual conversation to build a basic level of trust and friendliness with them. I think teaching ELL students is hard, but coming in as a college student who these girls have never met or seen and who is only there once a week, is harder.
4th visit:
The fourth week in the Thrivera curriculum is actually filming the students' stories. By now they have learned about different parts of stories and storytelling, and they have identified and examined their own stories. We were given a few flip cams from the organization to use and the kids seemed pretty excited about the whole thing. They were really into making each video their own, which was cool to see. Moussa wanted to have a basketball for his story about overcoming a really tough basketball player on another team... Femi wanted to see if we could put music in his video after editing.... and they all wanted to film outside. We headed out to where they have recess and they showed us this little garden area set aside where they wanted to record the videos. Lamont, Femi, and Moussa were pretty well prepared to film. Granted they had been practicing there stories for two sessions longer than Sanjay, but still, they were ready to go. Each of them had one practice turn and then recorded. Femi and Lamont filmed in the garden and Moussa did his on the basketball court. Sanjay was a whole different story. He was all over the place (literally and mentally) rehearsing his story and asking for our approval and claiming he couldn't do it.... and then 2 minutes later "nevermind I'm ready now." He almost seemed insecure about the whole thing, which he very well might have been. He ended up having like 5 different takes. but it eventually got done.
I visited the Nepali group towards the end because our group finished a little early. The UC students had made a very small goal of just getting the girls to say their name and something they like to do on film, rather than tell a whole story. Logistically they probably could not communicate an entire story, and definitely not with the pressure of a camera. The girls were so shy around the video camera and seemed really intimidated by it. They were all able to get up and film something solo though, even if it was just a few words. For the facilitators, this was an accomplishment, and they made sure to verbalize that to the girls and praise them for being confident enough to be camera.
5th visit:
Unexpectedly so, this was the most challenging week, and it had nothing to do with the kids. Week 5 is set aside for editing. The students each get the chance to edit their video in iMovie and create the mini movie with added effects, text, sound, etc. For this session all of the kids were at their desks in the classroom with school laptops and the UC students were circling around the room for support. Marvin was back this week to facilitate by talking and going through a slideshow on how to use iMovie and export the files. The setting in general was difficult to work with. There was so much going on and a lot of questions from the kids, and it was hard to give anyone more than 30 seconds of individual attention. What ended up happening was the school laptops had some sort of restriction on them that didn't let the kids upload their videos into the program and work on the movies. The other UC students and I were frustrated, the kids were lost, and Marvin decided to continue with his presentation regardless, which may not have been the best idea.
Technology-wise, some of the kids were extremely comfortable with the computers, others not so much. One of the Nepali girls was having a really hard time figuring out what to do and I ended up returning to her desk multiple times to make sure she was up to speed. Whether her lack of comfortability with the machine was because she didn't have experience or because she didn't understand the language, it was hard to tell. We ended the class not really accomplishing anything, which was frustrating. We could tell the kids were discouraged, especially because this was the week they really got to create and make something.
6th visit:
Our sixth visit to AWL was the start of working with the other sixth grade class. We had heard from the teacher that the kids were very excited after talking to the sixth graders we had already worked with. As soon as I walked down the hallway to the class I could hear them. I could tell right away that this class was much more rowdy than the previous one, and after talking with my own classmates we all agreed that as a whole they were a much more outgoing class. Our new group has three girls and two boys. We have only had one day with them so we don't yet know where they are from but they all speak English very well. The three girls are very outspoken, one of the boys is very shy, and the other one isn't so much shy, but just sounds very unsure of himself when speaking. I think this may have to do with being outnumbered by the 3 girls. They tended to dominated most of the conversation. The good thing was the group seemed to all be at least friends with each other and got along well. We started out with an icebreaker (human knot) and moved right into the curriculum. The curriculum we implement with this class is our own, and is a result of what we believed did and did not work with the first group. Our main change is that we are no longer using a slide show or worksheets to present the material. Each week is centered around conversation and interactive activities.
We started out talking about Toy Story to introduce courage, connection, and inspiration. We also talked about peaks and valleys, the good and bad parts of stories and life. One of the UC students told a personal story after this to draw the focus back to the fact that our stories are just as important and symbolic as the stories we see in movies. His story was about the first time he went to California with his older brother and without his parents. He was really homesick and missed them a lot but thought that he gained independence from the experience.
After this we began our activity. Each student was to write out different memorable moments, events, stories, from their life on to post it notes and post it on a large sheet of paper where we had drawn a timeline. The group facilitators (including myself) participated as well. After posting we all went around and talked about some of our events. This activity went really well, and the kids were very eager to share and ask other people to share their stories which was awesome. One interesting observation I made was that multiple of the kids had stories very similar to Rian's (the UC student who told his story). This may have been because they couldn't think of anything or because they wanted to have a story we thought they approved of.
Next week we are hoping to work on better listening skills. A lot of the kids were distracted with writing down more stories as other people were telling theirs. We want to make it a point that when someone is telling their story that it is extremely important to listen and give them your full attention. We also want to encourage asking questions after a person is done. This shows you were listening and that you care. It also helps the group learn more about the person and clarify the experience.
There are 1 or 2 kids in this class that have limited English skills and in the coming weeks I will be taking some time to observe them in their groups. One Nepali student just moved to the U.S. about a month ago, and requires a lot of support in the classroom.
Revisiting Your Curiosities
W: What you want to know (curiosities)[Answer your original questions as best as you can, given the course material and your observations. You must make at least 4 references to the text with page numbers.]
How do you support and manage a classroom of ethnic minority adolescents going through periods of identity development?
Throughout the semester I have learned a great deal from my observation, the text, class discussion, and my own research. Figuring out how to best support ethnic minority students can be challenging, especially if they speak a different language, have family values different than that of the dominant culture, or are especially shy or reserved. Over the course of the past few months, I have come to realize that expression and sharing are very powerful tools in helping ethnic minority students feel more comfortable in the classroom. Through my observation especially, I have seen that sharing stories about their family, culture, background, and interests has helped break down many barriers and has allowed for friendlier interaction between the students. Expression is especially important in the cases where students are reluctant to interact, or there is a language barrier. Encouraging students to express themselves in any way they feel comfortable (conversation, storytelling, drawing, film, music, dance, sports) can release tensions among peers as well as help everyone learn more about each other.
What new questions emerge for you as a future teacher?
New questions that have emerged include how different supports can help different age groups. I also wonder if coping mechanisms could be specific to certain cultures or genders? And possibly how incorporating more family involvement in the student's school life could help him or her succeed.
Article 1
Topic 1: Bullying
http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.libraries.uc.edu/ehost/detail?vid=5&sid=8ca0b57e-1079-4e25-95d0-03b6fc3f4c14%40sessionmgr15&hid=14&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=72454778
The Myths Of Bullying. By: Cloud, John, Time, 0040781X, 3/12/2012, Vol. 179, Issue 10
READ
This article addresses bullying from a non traditional standpoint. It first looks at two high profile bullying cases; the Chardon High School shooting and the room mate dispute at Rutgers University that resulted in one student committing suicide by jumping off the George Washington bridge. It asks the reader to think about how the bullies are portrayed in these situations and what led to that portrayal. It then looks at the bullying “epidemic,” and asks if it really is an epidemic. Has it actually increased in the last twenty years or are there just different forms today? It addresses how teachers deal with bullying in the classroom and the expensive training school districts take to learn how to act in these situations. Finally, the article brings up the fact that this “epidemic” my be slightly exaggerated. It talks about how bullying used to just be a right of passage or something uncomfortable that all adolescents have to deal with. Now it has instigated the creation of antibullying laws and a huge media focus on high profile cases. It argues that often times, in a situation between a victim and bully, it is very difficult to assign those labels. Between kids, no one is really innocent.
RESPOND
I think this article took a really interesting perspective on bullying. It is rare today that you hear we talk about bullying too much, however this is what the article is saying. It asks interesting questions, like is the media exaggerating it? Has it turned into a means of profit for organizations and companies? Is it just a different kind of bullying than we used to see in the past? In regard to my question about supporting ethnic minority students in the classroom, bullying could be very important. As a teacher it is crucial that you are able to tell the difference between typical interactions between students, and one student bullying another. Bullying ethnic minority students could also be more common. These students may look or act different than the majority of the students in the classroom; this could instigate rude comments or remarks that make the child feel uncomfortable. Looking out for these types of situations is key, because they can often turn into teachable moments. A lack of understanding between cultures is something that can often be repaired by simple explanations.
Article 2
Topic 2: Stress and Coping
http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.libraries.uc.edu/ehost/detail?vid=9&sid=8ca0b57e-1079-4e25-95d0-03b6fc3f4c14%40sessionmgr15&hid=14&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=9606192824
Counseling immigrant children in the schools. By: Esquivel, Giselle B., Keitel, Merle A., Elementary School Guidance & Counseling, 00135976, Feb90, Vol. 24, Issue 3
READ
This article addresses the need for counseling in schools for ethnic minority students. It talks about the different stress factors that children who have immigrated to the United States may face. These factors become even more stressful on the child if they are refugees from war torn countries. Lack of knowledge or understanding of English, cultural differences, a limited family support system, and culture shock, are just a few things that may cause a child unwanted mental stress. It also talked about possible preventative programs for children from immigrant families. This way the child learns coping methods as they deal with the possible stress, rather than afterwards.
RESPOND
I thought this article accurately identified the need for counseling for ethnic minority students. If carried out effectively this could be a potential solution for other things prevalent in elementary school such as bullying. Additionally, the counselor could be a trusted adult that the child can go to or talk to if they have questions or need advice. It is important that the counselors be trained in cross cultural settings. It is necessary that they have an understanding of the culture their child is from, and have resources or people they can gather more information from. Adolescent children are going through many physical and emotional changes, and being an ethnic minority student makes this stage in life that much more difficult. I think that counseling could be extremely beneficial and should be an option for these students in all schools.
Article 3
Topic 3: Parenting
http://psycnet.apa.org.proxy.libraries.uc.edu/journals/fam/22/4/652.pdf
Parental autonomy support and ethnic culture identification among second-generation immigrants.
Abad, Neetu S.; Sheldon, Kennon M.
Journal of Family Psychology, Vol 22(4), Aug 2008, 652-657.
READ
This article is about a study done that looked at the perception of parents by immigrant adolescents. It was testing the theory that children with more autonomous parents were happier and more comfortable with both their native and U.S. assimilated cultures. The study was done on 99 college freshman who immigrated to the U.S. It asked them questions about their natal and assimilated cultures as well as their family life and parents. It also asked them about their happiness and personal satisfaction at the current time (as college students). The study found that immigrant children with more autonomous fathers (not mothers) had a better sense of their natal culture and also had a better sense of well-being of their life at the time.
RESPOND
I found this study incredibly interesting. The act of maintaining one’s native culture while at the same time adapting and assimilating to American culture is extremely difficult for all immigrants, but especially trying for adolescents. They are already going through a time of role confusion as they try to find their identity. It is much more difficult as they also try and balance two different cultures. The fact that an autonomous father often contributes to a better balance is definitely good to know as a teacher with ethnic minority students in the classroom. It is also good to be aware of the family situation with many of these children. Many immigrant parents want their children to retain the cultural values and traditions of where they came from. The child often feels stressed about this because they often feel like they should be assimilating to American culture more in order to fit in. Understanding the role of autonomous versus controlling parents could be very helpful while getting a child to cope with the stress of being an ethnic minority student.
Article 4
Steinberg, S. (1993). The world inside the classroom: Using oral history to explore racial and ethnic diversity.
Social Studies,84(2), 71.
THE WORLD INSIDE THE CLASSROOM: USING ORAL HISTORY TO EXPLORE RACIAL AND ETHNIC DIVERSITY
READ:
This article is about a professor at Queens College who does an oral history project at the end of the term with his students. The students are required to present an oral history of a person they know "who has experienced a sociologically relevant aspect of ethnic history." They are to develop through multiple workshops the professor provides them, and come up with an interesting title. They are to develop a historical framework for the story and research the subject matter extensively. He teaches them about interviewing skills, active listening, engaging topics, and how to gather relevant information on the ethnicity they will be talking about. He begins this article by telling the reader why he believes this project is important and how diversity has changed dramatically in the U.S. during the last 60 years. He talks about the exotic, bright images of people of different races and cultures in history books, and how these pictures, while trying to provide diversity and represent these people, end up dehumanizing them. He goes on to explain that activities like this one highlight the different ethnicities and cultures we are now surrounded with, and that the fact that we are all ethnically/racially different is something we actually have in common.
RESPOND:
I found this article especially interesting because it directly related to my inquiry question as well as my observation site. Even though this writer conducts the oral history project over a whole semester to college level students, the work I am doing with sixth graders at AWL is extremely similar, and is trying to accomplish teaching the same concepts. I think this connection really emphasizes the power of storytelling and sharing cultural differences in order to understand diversity. Conversations and communication are key here to build understanding among people. The other part of this article I found interesting was when he described the opportunity that diversity in the classroom provides everyone, especially in social studies classrooms. Although it can be challenging, learning and trying to understand people's cultural differences is what opens our minds. This is such an important thing to teach young kids who are just starting to learn and discover their own identities.
POSTER (supporting ethnic minority students)
PAGE NUMBER SUGGESTIONS.
Pg 258: This page has things on self esteem, which I felt like connected with your second visit and how they didn't feel like their stories were "good" enough. Pg 259 also touches on what makes up the general self esteem, and "relationship with peers" may have to do with the fact that they weren't feeling too comfortable with sharing stories.
Pg 257 on self concept may connect to your second visit as well, when you said that they were probably searching for their identities. Building a self-concept is important to finding your own identity.
Pg 262 talks about perspective talking, which connects to Sanjay's behavior of not really caring about what his group thought about him. It seems that he has not advanced in that area yet in middle childhood.