BE THE BEST THAT YOU CAN BE
Gender Equity/Responsibility to One Self
By: Grethe Cobb

STANDARD:

• All students will be able to explain the effects of gender bias, stereotyping and discrimination on access learning, self-esteem, relationships and behavior.
• All Students will be able to list strategies to overcome gender bias, stereotyping and discrimination.

GRADES: 8-16, Guidance

TIME: One class

OBJECTIVE (S): Student will be able to explain the effects of gender bias and stereotyping by:

1. Examining gender attitudes and how they play an important part of life’s choices.
2. Appraising individual gender attitudes.
3. Identifying how attitudes regarding gender affect individual
4. growth and future ambitions differently.

MATERIALS: Handout: "Attitude Survey"

The Attitude Survey is copyrighted by Girls Incorporated of Greater Santa Barbara.   Reprinted with permission of Advocacy Press, P.O. Box 236, Santa Barbara, CA 93102.   Not to be duplicated in any other form. 

PROCEDURE:

1. Introduce topic of gender equity
2. Assign students individual task of investigating their attitudes towards certain life’s choices by completing an attitude inventory (see Inventory that follows).
3. Use a modified Nominal group process by having students give their individual responses in a round robin method, and then having them get into groups to come to consensus on the items. When this is completed, ask each group for their consensus responses. Tally the individual responses and group responses. Compare the individual and group responses and note any changes in attitude between individual tallies and group tallies.
   NOTE: You may choose to separate students into same-gender groups when working on consensus responses, if you choose.
4. Organize the class for a discussion concerning the results of attitudes inventory.
5. Some interesting points to discuss:

• How were these attitudes formed?
• Who influenced these attitudes?
• Do you think these attitudes play an important part of your daily life?
• Do these attitudes towards gender play an important role in your future ambitions?

6. Summarize the results and reinforce that attitudes are influential in creating individuals’ choices. Explain to the students that examining attitudes allows a person to continue to allow for individual realization (work toward success).

ASSESSMENT: Determine by listening and observation whether students see alternatives of lifes’ choices that were not conceivable to them before.

EXTENDED ACTIVITIES: The attitude survey could be done at the start of the school year and be repeated at the close of the school year to determine any change in attitude.

Have students interview two persons of their same gender who are currently employed full time. Ask them to do the attitude inventory. Ask the students to discuss with their interviewee if their attitudes have influenced their life’s’ choices? Have their attitudes changed? Have the roles of individual gender changed? How do they feel about the roles of each gender today? Would you prepare young people for live differently than how you were raised?

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