Lesson 6 | education-class-port

EDUC 2120-Lesson 6:

Gender

Overview Viewpoint:

Lesson six of EDUC 2120 focuses on the way students are treated differently just by their gender. For this lesson we had to use 5 different articles. You get to see examples on how students get gender bashed and why boys drop out of school more then girls. This lessons shows you the statistics and the differences of genders in the school system. This lesson shows you how teachers sometimes discriminate students from their gender.

Boys Dropout Article questions

Why do boys drop out of school at a much higher rate than girls? Provide some reasons.

Some reasons are because of disciplinary issues. 22% of male students reported of being suspended where females only reported at 9%. 15% of males reported of being expelled while only 3% of femalesv of been reported. It has been said that the things one might do outside of school can cause a threat to their graduation. There has been a study by the National Center for School Engagement and John Hopkins University's The Center for Social Organization of Schools, have studied that boys are more involved with more worse crimes (ex. drugs & gang violence) where girls are more involved with not so worse crimes (ex. petty theft or domestic disturbances) which doesnt go to higher courts compared to some of the stuff boys do. In this result the face harsher changers which may not allow them to finish school.

What can you do, as a classroom teacher, to help reduce this high dropout rate for boys? Explain.

A lot of these issues result from outside issues. Most importantly the students need to know that they have a great support system. They need to know the possibilites they could have if they go for their dreams instead on letting the bad things take control of their lives. As a teacher i would encourage them. I would make sure that they know im there for them. I would also have to meet with their parent or gardian so we can learn new ways to help their child achieve their goals. Help them with whatever they are going through just so they can stay on track to graduate and hopefully move on to more education.

Most elementary teachers are female. Can this cause problems in learning? Explain.

Starting in pre-k males students get more attention then female students. Teachers typically listen to boys comments but girls are usually corrected when they call out. There has been research that classes appeal to boys interest in which boys excel or are encouraged more than girls are. Also teachers ask males academic questions about 80% more then girls. In this case girls don't get as challenged as boys. They don't get as many chances to work their brains in the class. So yes, this can cause problems in classrooms. It is said that female students: call on male students most of the time, ask female students easy questions, look at male students to answer before females, and a lot of times refer to males contributions to science.

Gender "Bashing" and "Girl Power" Article Questions

Do you agree with the authors of the articles? Why or why not?

I do agree with these articles. Gender bashing isnt right. I feel like its important to have the genders interact more together. I feel like it creates them to interact more and understand one another. I also agreed with the ideas that they had for the teachers. Arranging students so they arent with around there same gender is actually a good idea. I feel like the teacher shouldnt but the boys against girls and vice versa because its not good for them. It can influence the way they feel about themselves and sometimes in a bad way that can cause them to lack positvity and can hurt their work.

Do you think that people are "overreacting" Why or why not?

No , i do not think they are overreacting. Its important to create equality. The shirts are creating sterotypes thats some might find hurtful. Students should be uplifting one another and not putting each other down. This causes bullying and can result in one being down.

Would you allow your daughter (if you had a daughter) to wear this type of shirt?

I would not because the slogans are not truthful things. The shirt is a put down and my child would know that things like that are not ok. I will raise my child on the treat others how you want to be treated. Im sure she wouldn't want to hear that "girls are stupid."

What are your general feelings towards "message" apparel?

It really depends on what the message say. I have came across many uplifting apparel with wise words on them that i enjoy looking at. I have also came across apparel that i felt like shouldn't be on a shirt because it's something stupid or is very degrading towards either genders. I feel like the appeal with say good stuff are ok. Those are the shirts i want to see, the ones that are positive. Nobody should want to hurt anyone and even a shirt could do that.

"Gender" Article Questions

In your schooling, have you ever experienced first-hand (or observed) gender discrimination by a teacher? Describe, but do not list any names.

I honestly havent seen to much. I've noticed that some teachers would divided a class but there gender. Girls on one side, boys or the other & we have had competitions like that. While i was in school it wasnt something that i noticed. I have noticed that some female teachers would pick on the girls a lot more compared to boy and ive noticed that male teachers would pick on the boys a lot more then girls.

According to the article, who benefits the most from conventional teaching strategies - boys or girls? Why is this?

Boys, mostly because boys are called at more. Boys are given harder questions then girls. This prevents women from full and fair participation in the educational process. It doesnt give real equality. It has been studied that many believe females lack competence despite research. This causes for female students to try to outperform their male peers so that they can be taken more seriously by their professors.

What will YOU do to eliminate gender inequities in YOUR classroom? Describe.

I will ask questions that is on the same higher level for both male and females. Only answer questions on who raises there hand first instead of randomly choosing. I should use both female and male examples when teaching. I learned that i will not use Ms. or Mister. I should allow all students to participate.

Summary
This lesson focuses on Gender Biases in classrooms. Sometimes it happens without even noticing it but it does. Its important to make everyone feel as equal as possible. We have to teach students the importance of being able to work with anyone regardless of their looks or gender. As they grow up they will have to work with different genders and will have to know that they are just as equal. We should never put boys against girls becuase it creates a since of bullying sometimes.

Research Question
Can single sex classrooms stop gender biases?

http://www.apa.org/monitor/2011/02/coed.aspx
http://www.care2.com/causes/gender-segregation-in-education-may-do-more-harm-than-good.html

Research Anaylsis
Single-sex education advocates often point to brain differences as evidence for the benefits of separating girls from boys in the classroom. Research has been inconsistent on whether single-sex education can reduce gender stereotypes. Advocates have said that single-sex education has been shown to broaden students’ horizons and encourage them to explore their own strengths and interests without feeling constrained by gender stereotypes. Yet other experts suggest that segregating students by sex can actually increase gender stereotyping.

As most single-gender experiences in public education is mainly on a per class basis, the separation reinforces the perceived differences. This inherent bias affects the confidence and expectations. If the expectation is that girls don’t like math, then girls internalize that and begin to believe they won’t be successful. If boys are always told to figure things out for themselves, they may internalize the message that seeking help is not desirable and devalue collaboration — a trait that is generally attributed to girls.

Research Summary
I have personally been put in a single-sex classroom and i often think in ways it helps. Gender equality tends to not be a issue because there is only one gender in the class. I also feel that it becomes more of a individual thing. I feel that since the class isnt a mix gender classroom it makes it so a boy doesnt create mean things about girls and vice versa because they are not around them. How will they know that boys are smarter then girls or girls or smarter then boys if they are not around each other when they learn.