Gender Identity in the Classroom

How can we create a classroom environment free of gender norms and expectations?

Main Points:
1. Gender stereotypes not only affect students’ social and emotional
wellbeing, but can also negatively impact students’ academic performance
as a consequence of this negative sense of self.
2. As educators we want to do our best to ensure that we have the same
expectations of all students and that our actions demonstrate this.
3. It is incredibly important that each and every student feels that they are in
control of their gender identity and that they assume one that is understood
by they themselves, even if it takes them years.
4. Gender stereotypes are rooted in the social construction of gender which is
carried out mainly through language/discourse.

Interesting negatives:
a) Students at this age in particular are known to challenge prevailing
gender norms while kindergarten teachers simultaneously conform to
these gender expectations
b) Students have been proven to adapt their behaviour to that which is
expected of their perceived gender
c) These stereotypes dictating a rigid divide between behaviours and
characteristics that constitute a boy and those which constitute a girl are
extremely impactful for young children as they tend to see things in
black and white and can end up getting stuck with the wrong idea of
gender, long-term.
 d) Gender is created through social, cultural and historical contexts, so by
reinforcing constraints within these domains, we are actively
contributing to shaping students’ self-understood gender identities.

How to counteract gender stereotypes in one’s teaching:

- Dance unit in which teacher facilitates free and creative expression (Dancing is
generally associated with femininity according to Meland & Kaltvedt)
- Active effort to use gender-neutral language
- Gender Identity YouTube video “Cas Holman; Identity in Play”
- Gender identity read-alouds
o Jordan and All The Favourites by Emily Goldsmith
o Call Me Max by Kyle Lukoff
o And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
o From the Stars In The Sky to the Fish In the Sea by Kai Cheng Thom
 Read Aloud for Jordan and All The Favorites

By Ben Ghafari • For Kindergarten

Book Title: Jordan And All the Favourites

Author/Illustrator: Written by Emily Goldsmith and illustrated by Susie Wills

Big Idea Content competencies Curricular Competencies

(Know): (Do):
(Understand): - Story: literary - Engage actively as
elements and listeners, viewers,
- Stories and other
devices (such as the and readers, as
texts help us learn appropriate, to
about ourselves and books intentional
omission of develop
our families. understanding of self,
gendered pronouns)
- Everyone has a identity, and
- Strategies and
unique story to community.
processes:
share. - Use language to
metacognitive
- Curiosity and identify, create, and
strategies (reflecting
wonder lead us to share ideas, feelings,
on what makes up
new discoveries opinions, and
one’s identity) preferences.
about ourselves and - Language features,
the world around - Create stories and
structures, and other texts to deepen
us. conventions: the awareness of self,
relationship between family, and
reading, writing, and community.
oral language
Communication Core Competency:
Communication: Create stories and other texts to deepen awareness of self, family, and community.

Collaborating: In familiar situations, I can participate with others.

First Peoples Principles of Learning:

- Learning is embedded in memory, history, and story.
- Learning ultimately supports the well-being of the self, the family, the
community, the land, the spirits, and the ancestors.
- Learning is holistic, reflexive, reflective, experiential, and relational (focused
on connectedness, on reciprocal relationships, and a sense of place).
Stage 1- pre-reading
Activities or questions you might engage the children with before reading

Teacher is doing/saying Students are doing/saying

Calls the class to attention with a teacher voice. Respond appropriately to the call to the carpet.
➡️➡️

Describe what proper behavior looks like when

Asks everyone to gather around on the carpet. someone is reading to them when asked to by
teacher.

Eg. Child 1: “Being quiet and listening”

Remind the group of what proper listening
comportment looks like. ➡️➡️ Child 2: “Raising our hand if we have a
question or comment”
Ask students for ideas on what characterizes
acceptable behavior during story time. ➡️➡️

Respond to the question of what their favorite

lunchtime activity is.

Hook - “Who wants to tell me their favorite thing to

play at lunch?” ➡️➡️

(Chooses students with their hand raised to share

what their favorite lunchtime activity is with the
They sit there in amazement, even more
class)
attentive than before.
 Stage 2- During Reading

Teacher is… Students are…

Stop at page #6– Ask students to silently give a Respond to the question following the
thumbs up if they like playing basketball, or a instructions by participating silently.
thumbs down if they do not. ➡️➡️

Stop at page #8 – Ask students to silently give a

Respond to the question following the
thumbs up if they like playing soccer, or a thumbs
instructions by participating silently.
down if they do not. ➡️➡️

Stop at page #10 – Ask students to silently give a

thumbs up if they like playing on the playground, or Respond to the question following the
a thumbs down if they do not. ➡️➡️ instructions by participating silently.

Stop at page #11 – Ask students to raise their hand

and say what they notice about Jordan. Ask how
Jordan looks like they are feeling on the swing. ➡️➡️ Respond to the question by raising hands and
waiting to be called upon. Possible answers
Stop at page #12 – Ask students to silently give a
include that Jordan looks sad, disappointed,
thumbs up if they like playing board games, or a
confused, etc.
thumbs down if they do not. ➡️➡️
Respond to the question following the
Stop at page #14 – Ask students to silently give a
instructions by participating silently.
thumbs up if they like playing four-square, or a
thumbs down if they do not. ➡️➡️

Respond to the question following the

instructions by participating silently.

Stage 3 – After Reading

Describe discussion ideas or a short process drama activity, or an immediate brief art or writing response
that may address the meaning of the story and the feelings that it provokes.
Teacher is… Students will…

Ask the class to silently raise their hand if they have Respond to question by following instructions
more than one favorite thing. ➡️➡️ and participating silently.

Call on a few individuals one-by-one to share any Chosen students respond by telling the class of
two of their favorite things with the class picking any two different things that they consider to be
only those who are following the instructions their favorites.
accurately. ➡️➡️

Explain to the class that they will each be making a Listen as attentively as possible.
doodle collage comprised of multiple drawn pictures
that describe/represent who they are.

Present a demonstration doodle collage previously

prepared that effectively depicts the teacher’s
identity through a series of drawings. Ask students
what different things they see on the teacher’s Listen attentively to understand the requirements
doodle collage. This will give the children a good and concept of the follow-up assignment.
starting point for the activity they are about to Raise hand to be chosen by the teacher to share
undergo. (These might include drawings of parents, their remark on what they see on the teacher’s
family, pets, sports, games, animals, activities, foods, doodle collage.
etc.)

Ask students to fetch their pencil cases and then

return to their desks. Hand out long pieces of blank
white paper bearing each respective student’s name
printed in the middle to each of them for their
doodle collages. Remind students that they are to Retrieve pencil case and return to desk as
draw many different doodles of things that they requested by teacher. Wait for teacher to give
love, things that they do, and things that they are. them their blank doodle collage.

Circulate around the classroom and provide extra

guidance to those who are still having trouble
understanding the activity.

Start drawing pictures of things that represent

them, things that they love, things that they like
doing, etc.

Assessment
After students have completed their doodle collages, they will take turns presenting what they have
created to the class. The teacher will follow these presentations with a debrief of the activity, taking
particular note of the fact that nobody drew things about the way they looked. This provides an opening
for the teacher to highlight the fact that it is not what’s on the outside, but rather what’s on the inside
that makes up who we are. I am hoping that after this read aloud and follow-up activity, my students will
have been geared toward celebrating diversity and toward being more open to new ideas and ways of
thinking. Through completing the follow-up activity, students should be left with a visual representation
of what defines them, and realize that it is not the way we look (race, sex, ableness) that forms our
identities, but rather what’s on the inside.