I SAID, SHE SAID
By: Sylvia Blanda
STANDARD: All students will be able to explain
the effects of gender bias, stereotyping and discrimination in school materials,
activities, and classroom instruction.
GRADE LEVEL: Middle school, grades 7 and 8, across all content areas.
OBJECTIVE(S):
- Students will understand the dynamics of classroom participation.
- Student will develop strategies to make classroom discussions more equitable.
TIME: Two class periods devoted to instruction. Five to ten days of
gathering data.
MATERIALS:
- A tally sheet dedicated to determining the numbers of students who raise their hands to
participate, the sex of the person who answers the question, and whether the person had
her hand raised, called out the answer, or was recruited to answer (did not have hand
raised).
- A copy of the study done by the American Association of University Women on the
participation of girls in the classroom.
PROCEDURES:
- Over the course of two months, have someone use the tally sheet to monitor class
participation.
- Once the data is collected, present it to students. Divide the class by gender, and ask
each gender group to analyze the results. What explanations can they provide for the data?
- Have each group present its thinking. After the presentation, allow students time to
discuss the information and the viewpoints of each group.
- Present a copy of the American of Association of University Women’s study. What
similarities exist between that study and what goes on in school?
- Have students develop strategies for more participatory discussions. Write the
strategies down and post them in the classroom.
HINTS:
- If possible, it would be best to do the research component with a graduate student or
someone not involved in the class.
- Do not look at the data until the research is complete.
- It is helpful, if an adult male facilitates the boys’ discussion and an adult
female, the girls’.
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