Author: Hafsah Aminu (edited by Gary Motteram) | Published on 1 March 2024
Objective
To empower the participants with the knowledge and skills to thrive in a gender-inclusive learning environment by utilising appropriate resources.
Prompt: Create cards for a matching exercise, which have terminology related to gender diversity and inclusion. One set of the cards will have the terms and the second set, the definitions. Participants play a game of matching the correct cards with definitions to their corresponding definitions.
Stage 1: Understanding Gender-Inclusive Education
- Introduce the significance of gender-inclusive education for creating an equitable and supportive learning environment.
- Discuss the impact of gender stereotypes on students and their role in challenging these stereotypes.
- Ask participants to mention some key concepts and terminology that they are familiar with regarding gender diversity and inclusion. Give more terminologies not mentioned by the participants.
Stage 2: Exploring Gender-Inclusive Learning Resources
- Showcase diverse learning materials, including textbooks, literature, videos, and online platforms that exemplify gender inclusivity (if you don’t have access to such materials, you could look at local materials used by the teachers and ask them to say whether they are gender-inclusive, or not)
- Discuss the characteristics of gender-inclusive resources, emphasizing representation, language, and content.
- Provide examples of how gender-inclusive materials can be integrated into various subjects.
Stage 3: Evaluating and Adapting Existing Resources
- Engage participants in hands-on activities to evaluate their current learning resources for gender inclusivity (if you have already done this at Stage 2, I, move straight to II.)
- Discuss strategies for adapting existing materials to make them more gender-inclusive.
- Encourage participants to share their experiences and insights on challenges and successes in adapting resources.
Stage 4: Collaborative Resource Development
- Facilitate group discussions on collaborative resource development, emphasizing the importance of sharing gender-inclusive materials among students.
- Provide time for participants to brainstorm and initiate small group projects to create or modify learning resources that reflect gender inclusivity.
- Emphasize the benefits of collaboration in fostering a collective commitment to gender-inclusive education.
Stage 5: Action Plan and Reflection
- Ask participants to develop a personal action plan outlining specific steps they will take to promote gender-inclusive learning resources.
- Encourage participants to reflect on how this new knowledge and approach will positively impact their learning experiences.
- Provide information on ongoing support, resources, and opportunities related to gender-inclusive education.