G ENDER E QUITY Taught by Brad, Meghan and Courtney

G ENDER E QUITY Most teachers feel the notion of equality as a strong desire to not show favoritism between boys and girls in any given subject area. However this is contradicts research because both boys and girls come to school with different needs. This means that they need to be treated according to those needs – in different ways

G ENDER E QUITY C ONTINUED Creating gender equity in the classroom and through education means “achieving equitable outcomes for males and females in all that is of value to individuals in society.”

P ATTERNS OF G ENDER B IAS Expectations by schools and teachers influence the way a student develops. Students’ interaction in the classroom along with the atmosphere in the classroom construct what it means to be male and female.

P ATTERNS OF G ENDER B IAS C ONTINUED Gender issues only arise when males and females in a classroom have differentiated learning experiences which limit the possibilities available to them.

T EACHER B ELIEFS Teachers were raised in their own cultures and environments which have helped them form their own ideas. We teach “who we are.” Girls typically praised for their looks and boys praised for what they can do.

T HE R ESEARCH Girls underachievement in science is the direct response to the teaching environment rather than the lack of ability. Teachers engage boys in question and answer periods more frequently than girls. Gender biased practices contribute to lowered self esteem in girls.

M ORE R ESEARCH “Learned helplessness” comes from giving boys and girls the same work but holding the hands of the girls while they complete the work. Boys raise their hands more often than girls do. Not because they know the answer but to show control.

R ESEARCH ON B OYS Males receive more of all types of teacher attention in the classroom. More likely to be labeled in need of assistance, fail a grade or repeat a grade. More likely to receive social status due to their poor classroom behavior.

S CIENCE E DUCATION AND G IRLS Teachers are the least comfortable with teaching science so they avoid teaching it. This mindset can be felt by the students and has been shown to disinterest some female students. Elementary students are engaging the students more with inquiry science so this could change. In high school classes however the female students who have enrolled in science classes have consistently lagged behind and test scores have been higher by the male students.

S OLUTIONS For girls: Ensure female students have a voice in the classroom. Make a conscious effort to call on female students during classroom discussion, even if it is primarily males with their hands raised! Make it clear you expect females to excel in math and science classes. Praise girls for what they do, not what they look like. Do not reward female students simply for being “good girls” and sitting quietly all the time. Make sure they are engaged and active!

S OLUTIONS For boys: Have positive expectations for the behavior of boys in the classroom. Do not over-discipline male students. Do not allow male students to dominate classroom discussion simply because they are more aggressive in speaking out.

S OLUTIONS For all students: Have equal expectations for students of all genders. Break gender-based stereotypes. For instance, to break the “old white male scientist” stereotype, make a point to teach lessons about female scientists.

H OWEVER … DO NOT assume that treating boys and girls “equally” will create gender equity in the classroom. Boys and girls come to school with different sets of needs. The goal should be equal OUTCOMES, not equal TREATMENT.

E QUITY D OES N OT J UST H APPEN ! Participate in gender-equity workshops for teachers. Be self-critical. Tape your teaching and review it to examine your gender-related practices. Most importantly, PLAN for gender equity in the classroom. Rather than just reacting to instances of inequity, be proactive and take steps to immediately create an equitable classroom environment.

T ITLE IX Prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs or activities receiving federal financial assistance. Equity is NOT Equality

T HE P LAYGROUND P ROBLEM W RITTEN BY M ARGARET M C N AMARA I LLUSTRATED BY M IKE G ORDON There is a problem on the playground when the boys won’t let the girls play soccer with them.

A S TUDENT A CTIVITY TO SHOW G ENDER E QUITY Randomly assign students to work together in pairs for this activity. Have each student write down their own extracurricular activities – sports they enjoy, games they like to play, instruments they play perhaps even books each student likes to read.

C ONTINUED ….. Allow 10 minutes before collecting these activities from the students. Write each activity down on the board. Do not label which one is the girl list and which one is the boy list.

C ONTINUED ….. The next step would be to have the students try to figure out who activities match closest with what a girl would do and what a boy would do.

C ONTINUED ….. Now ask the students if they were born the opposite gender if they would have enjoyed trying something on the other side of the list. Boys can be ballerinas. Girls can play football. Encourage them to try.