Becoming Gendered and Communication in Schools

Module 4 Discussion: Becoming Gendered and Communication in Schools – Small Group Discussion 3Overview

In this discussion, youll explore how various influences affect gender development and how gender plays a role in schools.

Learning Objectives

• 4.2 Relate how the adults in your life modeled gender for you during your childhood.
• 4.3 Evaluate the gendered experiences of students in schools with respect to academics, athletics, and socialization with peers.

Directions

Discussion boards provide an opportunity to cultivate community within our class. The substance of your posts should be thoughtful, descriptive, and relevant, the tone conversational, supportive, and respectful. A reply to a peer should extend the discussion in some meaningful way, not simply rephrase the original post.

Content should be original to you, not AI-generated. Potentially full-point posts will meet these upper word limits but typically not greatly exceed them. When writing your initial and response posts, please be sure to include the following requirements:

Initial post

You must respond to one of the prompts and include the following:

• A minimum of 250 words.
• One key term or claim from Module 4 should be highlighted and/or bolded. Be sure to define your term or elaborate on your claim. (
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• A conclusion with one or two specific questions to which a peer can reply.
• Examples: Do you agree or disagree with fill-in-the-blank, and why? Have you experienced a similar situation when you fill-in-the-blank? Do you have any recommendations or suggestions about fill-in-the-blank?

Prompt

Please choose one of the prompts below and post your response to the discussion board.

Prompt 1: How did your parent(s) or stepparent(s) model gender? How did this affect your becoming gendered, the subject of Chapter 7? In other words, how does your expression of gender resemble or differ from theirs?

In your response, consider the following:

• Did your parent(s) or stepparent(s) adhere to traditional gender roles?
• How strictly did your parent(s) or grandparent(s) enforce their expectations for gender roles?
• Were there other family members who served as role models for gender? Grandparents, siblings, aunts or uncles, etc.?

Optional Challenge Question: Describe how your family or one that youve observed addressed their childs rejection of conventional gender norms?

Prompt 2: Describe how peer culture at schools or colleges encourages students to conform to particular gender ideals for masculinity or femininity, a focus of Chapter 8. Support your discussion with specific examples you have observed or experienced.

In your response, consider the following:

• Is this pressure to conform evident in academics, athletics, or peer socialization, three major areas identified in Chapter 8?
• What forms of bullying does a students failure to conform to gender norms promote? Consider the featured box in Chapter 8 and identify the specific type illustrated by your example.
• How do the pressures to conform to gender norms limit a students personal and professional development?

Optional Challenge Question: How are LGBTQ+ students affected by policies that support gender norms?