It seems that as I read the Gender chapter that there are
four areas in which were most likely affected, mathematics/science and
language/literature. As the stereotype suggests, math and science show male
dominant success, while language and literature are seen as successful for
females. The question is though, can this be attributed to ability or influence
(parent/teacher/student/society)? The chapter first discusses the female role
in mathematics. Taylor provides an explanation for the many variables that
contribute to the lack of female participation and success in mathematics.
These include socialization practices, teachers’ attitudes/beliefs, parental
involvement, and females in the minority. However, the study result that stood
out to me the most is the perception of success and failure for males and
females. The chapter states “…females attribute success to effort, while males
tend to attribute it to ability. On the other hand, males tend to attribute
failure to effort, while females attribute it to ability.” (p. 198) My question
would be then, how did this idea come to be? Who or what is influencing this
thought process?
The chapter then shifts gears to discuss the problems males
seem to be having within the school system. These problems include academic
performance, behavior, discipline, minority ratio of girls to boys, violence,
and more. Some of these problems may
relate to the media and the male want to mimic the actions presented in certain
games or television programs. However, that has not been proven as a sole
reason for the negative behavior seen in male actions. This idea does relate specifically
to the lack of male success in literacy. Boys tend to be more interested in the
“themes of conflict, action, fantasy, and humor.” (p. 209) The problem is that
the school system seems to want to steer boys away from the violence and
anything that can lead to it, so the availability of these types of texts are
slim. The fact that boys are not allowed to explore their interests is having a
negative effect on them academically. Choice is always a benefit for any
student.
Ch. 10 Question: Have you seen yourself favoring
certain students (male/female) within your classroom? Why do you think that is?
As teachers, how can we prevent gender discrimination? How can we be sure that
we are not showing bias towards one student or the other? How can we help take
away certain gender stereotypes?
Honestly, I try to keep a sort of tally, etc so that I'm sure to "favor" all students at some point. However, I typically favor the well-behaved students, and for the most part, those have been the girls in my class. Maybe it's because there are more girls, or maybe it's because the boys are still trying to figure out where they fit in. I think if we continue to encourage students to follow their interests and expose them to what's out there, we can help to eliminate gender stereotypes.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I try to keep a sort of tally, etc so that I'm sure to "favor" all students at some point. However, I typically favor the well-behaved students, and for the most part, those have been the girls in my class. Maybe it's because there are more girls, or maybe it's because the boys are still trying to figure out where they fit in. I think if we continue to encourage students to follow their interests and expose them to what's out there, we can help to eliminate gender stereotypes.
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