.1 Gender Stereotyping

What are some things that contribute to gender stereotyping?

I want to start by talking about how we learn to confront gender stereotypes. There are a lot of gender stereotypes in the community, and these stereotypes can and do change. Often times stereotypes are detrimental because we don't allow people to escape from the stereotypes or we allow the stereotypes to rule our expectations in negative ways. There are stereotypes of women's behavior in textbooks; these stereotypes are usually the stereotypes of omission. There are stereotypes that are supported by textbooks, and there are stereotypes that are supported teachers.

Teachers will frequently call on boys more often than girls. I would guess that in about 80% of the classrooms in the United States, this stereotype holds true. This isn't because teachers want to call on boys more than girls; they are just playing out an automatic stereotype.

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One of the negative side effects of these destructive stereotypes is how they influence self-image. Sometimes people will believe set stereotypes about themselves and thus fulfill this stereotype through their own actions. This phenomenon is known as a self-fulfilling prophecy. We have to learn how to escape from stereotypes, not only in terms of the ways they cause us to interact with other people, but also the way they cause us to think about ourselves.

Part of dealing with gender issues has to do with constructing appropriate role models. Teachers need to be sensitiveto the needs of female students, to call on their female students in equal proportion to their male students and to demonstrate confidence in their students' abilities. This awareness of gender stereotypes is applicable to both maleand female teachers. Sometimes people are surprised that I, as a male professor, devote a lecture to the issue of gender stereotypes. However, as long as this topic remains an issue in the educational field, it is an issue that we all need to address and respond to.

	What is a negative side effect of destructive stereotyping?	Answer Here
	Mrs. Elliot teaches a fifth-grade class math and history. The class is not evenly divided between males and females, in fact, there are many more males than females in the room. When she is teaching these two subjects, how might she do so effectively and involve all of the students?	Answer Here