General Topic: Diversity Broad Topic: Ethnicity

1. Piaget-- Formal Operations

1.1. "The nature of which changes with age-- is the engine for intellectual growth." (194) Diversity changes within the generations.

1.2. "...enables children to practice newly acquired symbolic schemes and become familiar with the various roles others take on." (198) Learning about others backgrounds gives us a basic understanding of who others are and where they come from.

1.3. "Mexican children... seem to acquire conversation skills earlier than.. for Swiss children." (204) Different ethnicities have advantages in certain skills where others have to work a bit harder to obtain those skills.

1.4. "Children can also enjoy brief periods of exploration at the beginning of a lesson..." (207) Children can learn about diversity when they are young so when they get older they can know better before hand.

2. Narrow Topic: Ethnicity & Sense of Self

2.1. Pre-assessment: written survey to establish baseline ; delivery of Socratic seminar on narrow topic of Ethnicity and sense of self, Post-assessment: written survey for comparison to baseline.

2.2. Defining features: (1) Culture 2) Family (3) Ancestry

2.3. Example #1: "As with all areas of development, adults are more effective in nurturing children's sense of self when they understand how children think, feel, and express themselves." (463)

2.3.1. Example #2: "At home parents expect me to be not a traditional Chinese daughter... but they expect things because I was born in China and I am Chinese." (462)

2.3.1.1. Example #3: "Apparently, pride in one's ethnic heritage serves as an emotional 'buffer' against insults and discrimination." (462)

2.4. Undergeneralized: Communicating respect for ethnicity & sense of self. A quote: "Treat all children as full-fledged members of the classroom and community rather than as exotic 'curiosities' who come from a strange and separate world." (467)

2.4.1. Overgeneralized Misconception-stereotype: Ethnicity only matters if you have 'color' in your genes. A quote: "In fact, exposure to discrimination creates risks for low academic achievement, anxiety, and depression." (461)

3. Developmental Attributes: Late Adolescents

3.1. Exposure creates understanding.

3.1.1. exposure to differences leads to acceptance

3.2. understanding differences create unity.

3.2.1. role model inputs

3.2.2. peer group

3.3. Gender

3.3.1. Male: stoic

3.3.2. Female: accepting

4. Vygotsky

4.1. "...human beings are different from other species in their acquisition of complex mental processes." (222) We can all be similar as humans but when it comes to thought processes we are all uniquely our own.

4.2. "Rather, they often transform ideas, strategies, and other cognitive resources to make these tools uniquely their own." (215) Diversity comes from doing things different than someone else.

4.3. "Children undergo developmental transitions in their thinking." (213) Diversity can range from what someone thinks to what they are.

4.4. "...emphasized the importance of adult guidance in promoting cognitive advancements... because he stressed the influence of social and cultural factors..." (212) Ethnicity is based on our culture and where we come from.

5. Cross- Curricular Ties

5.1. English: Lord of the Flies; if Jack was accepting would Ralph have been exiled?

5.2. Science: Does the student accept variations in nature?

5.3. History: Would America still be British without an independent perspective?

5.4. Government: Does supporting the individual expand or limit the government?