Gender Play

We have talked a lot in class about how issues of race, language, ethnicity or sexuality impact the teaching and learning that goes on in classrooms.

What about gender?

For decades, researchers have documented how schools shortchange girls. Girls have been called on less often, rewarded for good behavior rather than good work, and discouraged from pursuing interests in math and science fields. This has happened both in the classroom, and on the playground as well where girls have had fewer opportunities to explore their athletic interests or be taken seriously as a formidable athlete. And what about the boys?

How do issues of gender impact schools today??

This week, I want you to go find the texts that we will discuss in class. Learn as much as you can about the history of gender differences in American schools and abut the current issues as they play out in 2011. You can search the web, the library, youtube, itunes, your SL classroom, etc to come up with some ideas about how and why gender matters. Some search terms to start with:

Title IX
Gender and education
Gender and schooling
Girls academic success
Boys and schooling
Gender differences in school
Single sex schooling
American Association of University Women (AAUW)
Sexual harassment and schools
Gender and dress codes
gender bias in education
Supreme court gender school
gender school policies

Post about some of these on your blog and bring at least one printed text with you to class on Tuesday.

Have a good weekend!

LB :)