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| WHO WILL WEAR THE HATS AND WHO WILL USE THE TOOLS?
OVERVIEW Gender identification, gender bias and gender discrimination all begin in utero. By the time a child has reached preschool, they have absorbed much conscious and subconscious understanding of the differences between boys and girls, actual as well as perceived. Recently issues of gender bias have had focus in the economic realities of the workplace with spill over effects in the home and leisure activities. Educators must face that we are responsible for openly acknowledging the bias and the discrimination and we must take steps toward change. Title IX tells us so. As we searched for ways to explore the role of gender in the life choices humans make, we realized that hats, tools, and uniforms are omnipresent in society. These are items worn and used in the home, at leisure, in the workplace and the marketplace. However, with NO BODY attached to these life props, there is no way to tell WHO uses them. They are gender neutral! Yet, we have immediate images as to WHO should use them... sometimes women, sometimes men, sometimes both. It all depends upon our culture. Who REALLY should wear and use them is what must be addressed. In the pages following we will suggest a rationale, a framework of suggested activities and a comprehensive format for a student portfolio that can be used in addressing gender issues in a classroom, small groups or one-on-one guidance setting. However, we also suggest that each school can use these lessons as prompts to foster reflection on how the issues of gender equity play out in the classroom and the broader school environment. For example, who moves the tables and chairs can become a gender equity issue. We also project that the adults will become aware of their own unconscious biases as they work with the program’s concepts. We plan that the helping professionals in the schools- guidance counselors and school psychologists-will team-teach with the classroom teacher to deliver this unit. Further, we plan that the helping professionals can collaborate with teachers and administrators in developing annual goals and timelines for completing gender equity activities. Integration of gender equity into the daily curriculum, ordinary classroom, cafeteria, playground and extracurricular activities must be the long term goal We realize that schools are merely laboratories for learning. School lessons must be applied to the home and the community. There must be cross-pollination among the school, parents, and community members. This can be accomplished in both standard and creative ways. The sharing of portfolios with parents and community members is one way of achieving some cross-pollination. Although there are many resources and curricula waiting to be put into action, we hope our work will be useful to you as you strive to open doors for your students. Our contributions include the following:
THE THREE R’S OF
GENDER EQUITY Lessons and activities provide information, and develop attitudes and skills necessary for leading a whole life - a full life. Rationale for the Curriculum Unit: This counseling curriculum unit is built upon the concept that, in order to insure equity by gender in the curriculum it is necessary to present equity concepts many times throughout grades K-12. Further, it is our belief that the school counselor has a pivotal role in facilitating the introduction of gender equity concepts into the curriculum across the grade levels. The school counselor should work collaborativeIy with classroom teachers or other human service professionals in the preparation and delivery of this developmental curriculum. Utilizing Bruner’s concept of a spiral curriculum, gender equity activities and materials would be tailored to the developmental level of the students. Thus gender equity materials and methods increase in complexity as the age and maturity of the students increases. In addition, these activities lead to increasing awareness of self, family, the external world, and the roles one fulfills as a participant in the family, community and the world of work. Curriculum Unit Theme: The theme underlying this curriculum is "WHO WILL WEAR THE HATS; WHO WILL USE THE TOOLS?" Hats and tools are used in this curriculum as gender neutral symbols that are used as props by teachers, counselors and students to explore role biases, interests, and abilities. Through examination of social stereotypes about whom in our society SHOULD wear and use a wide variety of hats and tools, we hope to provide insights about social! gender stereotyping in our world. Conceptually the theme refers to introducing all students and faculty to the wide variety of activities a whole life offers. Students will be exposed to activities addressing the issues of gender in the following areas: WORK: Work is defined as a series of jobs held throughout life. It is important to recognize that due to the rapid changes in the modern society, many of these jobs have not as yet been created or defined. In this reality, teaching students to master general skills becomes more important than mastering specific tasks. FAMILY: The NUCLEAR FAMILY herein defined as the people with whom a child lives. COMMUNITY: Community are the surroundings (local, state, national, and international) that circumscribe the child and his/her family. LEISURE: Non-work time used for organized activities or unstructured time for personal enrichment and exploration. The Standards addressed in this Unit include:
Lesson Plans: Who Will Wear the Hats and Who Will Use the Tools? |
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