Adolescents at School

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Adolescents at School: Perspectives on Youth, Identity, and Education (2nd edition) Edited by Michael Sadowski, Harvard Education Press, 2008

- Glimpse what adolescents might be experiencing – how they view themselves, their place in the world, their capabilities, their limitations, and their futures – understanding real adolescents – who they are and where they are coming from – need caring adults who guide, model, and take an interest
- Adolescents’ identities develop in a complex cultural context – in a climate of cultural racism, sexism, classism, homophobia, immigrant sentiment – family, friends, schools play a critical role to identity formation (i.e., explicit theory of oneself as a person)
- Students’ success or failure in school – academically, socially, and personally – centres on questions related to identity: Who am I?; How do others perceive me? How do I perceive myself? What kind of student do I want to be? What will my life be like in the future? What things are and are not possible for me?
- Transformational learning – students and teachers impact each other
- Identities always in flux
- Give students voice – to create positive school climates; listen to them, ask tough questions: “Adolescents yearn for discourses in school in which they can engage with the issues, questions, dilemmas, and concerns that are most salient to them” (p. 229)
- Teachers need to reflect and critique their own stereotypes, assumptions, prejudices, expectations – to establish inclusive, respectful, accepting, empowering school climates

1. Race and Ethnicity
- “hidden curriculum” – unspoken set of rules that reinforces racial stereotypes of what they can and cannot do because of who they are (i.e., racial identity and academic achievement)
- Racial group loyalty and academic achievement – many black students and peer groups reject academic achievement as “acting white” (don’t want to be viewed as “race traitors”) – black males who do well “acting like girls”; black females who do well “acting white”
- “Tell students that the reason to go to school is to please themselves...you should get educated for yourself” (p. 43) – each student is an individual, work hard and persist
- Need to actively and deliberately challenge racial stereotypes and seek to redefine their racial identities by showing them it is possible to do well in school and be proud of who they are (p. 28) – not to choose between school and racial group
- Unacceptable if students who are black or brown are mainly in lower-level courses (or tracked for lower expectations and underachievement) or are disproportionally suspended or expelled
- Asians stereotyped as foreigners (regardless of time in new country, are outsiders, accents) and as model minority (hard working, successful)
- Stereotype laces a lot of pressure on Asians to do well and can hold inferior views to other races

2. Immigration
- immigration very stressful – removing students from extended family members, best friends, neighbours – need to learn new culture – conflicting norms of home country vs. New country
- if immigrate during adolescence, face challenges of being a teenager as well as challenges of new country
- if live in poverty, may live in crowded housing conditions, may have no health insurance, vulnerable to psychological distresses such as anxiety, depression, difficulty sleeping or concentrating
- academic and social adaption important through connections with teachers and other adults at school


3. Gender- girls’ brains mature earlier than boys – girls able to read earlier, better verbal abilities, able to control impulses and less likely to take risks
- boys have more advanced spatial abilities and like hands-on learning; want relevance and connection to what read
- when girls do well, attribute to easy test or luck; boys attribute to hard work


4. Male Violence- in 28 USA school shootings, 26 were by white males who lived in suburbs or rural areas – were bullied and “gay baited”, different from other males (shy, bookish, honour students) – none of the shooters were actually gay but saw no alternative
- adults at school must intervene with comments such as “that’s so gay” – need to be in the halls during class change; importance of character education
- high risk for aggressive or violent behaviour: family troubles, psychological problems, poverty


5. Sexual Orientation- peer responses can range from rejection, verbal and physical harassment, cyberbullying, physical violence to acceptance, affirmation, respect
- at risk for depression, substance abuse, suicide
- transgender – highest rates of harassment
- LGBT may feel unsafe and skip school
- adults in school must intervene when overhear hostile language, display “safe space” stickers on doors, schools have GSA with staff members who students feel comfortable going to

6. Social Class- students from affluent families – can have access to parental intervention with teachers, tutors, in higher track level, work hard
- students from non-affluent families – believe little is expected of them and available to them – skipped school, became angry, being disruptive in school (e.g., resistance to school personnel


7. Disability- stigma impacts how youths with disability construct identity – cognitively, socially, academically
- promote self-efficiacy (belief in one’s ability) – do not want students to give up or stop trying – “teens with disabilities” not “disabled teens”
- want students to self-advocate and self-regulate – have strengths and abilities – build on them and address needs through accommodations
- partners with parents – students’ first and longest-lasting teachers
- inclusive education whenever possible
- Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences: schools favour linguistic and logical intelligences followed by spatial – these students do well in school