Volume 1: Gender and the College Classroom, Part 1
In the last 10 years a plethora of research has been conducted on the question of how gender influences the learning process. The following findings represent a small sample of those that address the issue of creating a supportive environment for women in the college classroom.
I. Course Materials
One place to begin is to rethink readings and course materials. Professors need to examine the messages about gender in readings and assignments and look candidly at what is said, and what is not said, about men and women. Are successful women well represented in cases and text illustrations? Also, professors need to recognize the subtle ways in which course materials reinforce maleness as the norm (Gallos, 1995). Try beginning with your own syllabus, exams, and handouts and then working your way through your own course materials with a critical eye to language and content.
II. Participation
Women have been socialized in both families and schools to feel less comfortable participating in class discussions, especially if those discussions are adversarial or confrontive in nature. The connections between gender and silence are powerful for many women. Sandler and Hoffman (1992) suggest: a) calling on female students directly, even if they don't raise their hands; b) calling on female students in approximately the same proportion as their ratio in the classroom; and, c) reinforcing participation by returning by name to specific student comments to illustrate key points. A major, multi-year study of Harvard undergraduates (Light, 1990) supports the claim that women harbor more self-doubt and questions about intellectual competence than men do, even though the women studied excelled in academic environments. Fassinger (1995) suggests that faculty's greatest impact on class participation stems from course designs. When professors create class activities that foster positive emotional climates, especially student confidence, they are more likely to cultivate interaction. Try inviting your class to design their own norms for interaction by identifying actual behaviors that build their confidence. Then institute these norms in the classroom by using them yourself and encouraging students to use them with one another. A positive emotional climate can enhance participation, especially for female students.
References
Fassinger, P. (1995). Understanding Classroom Interaction. Journal of Higher Education, Vol. 66 (1).
Gallos, J. (1995). Gender and Silence. College Teaching, Vol. 43 (3), pp. 101-105.
Light, R. (1990). Explorations With Students and Faculty About Teaching, Learning, and Student Life: The First Report. Cambridge, Mass: The Harvard University Assessment Seminars.
Sandler, B., and Hoffman, E. (1992). Teaching Faculty Members to be Better Teachers: A Guide to Equitable and Effective Classroom Techniques. Washington DC: Association of American Colleges.
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