Coeducation, Gender Roles, and Mass Media: a New Methodological Proposal

Facultad de Filosofía y Letras Máster en Profesor de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria y Bachillerato, Formación Profesional y Enseñanza de Idiomas Especialidad: Lengua Inglesa Coeducation, Gender Roles, and Mass Media: a New Methodological Proposal Loredana Mariana Apan Tutor/a: Ana Isabel Alario Trigueros Departamento de Didáctica de la Lengua y la Literatura Curso: 2021-2022 Resumen Los estereotipos de género en los medios de comunicación aún no son cosa del pasado. Los estudios han demostrado que estos contenidos están calando en nuestro proceso de construcción de la identidad consolidando las normas de género tradicionales. Esto plantea un problema puesto que una mayor asimilación de la normatividad de género conlleva una distorsión de la percepción física, problemas de salud mental y abuso de sustancias. Los investigadores han tratado de poner los valores coeducativos en el foco de las instituciones educativas formales; sin embargo, no parece que se tomen medidas reales y efectivas con la misma urgencia. Una escuela coeducativa es aquella que promueve un entorno respetuoso, libre de discriminación de género, y que se implica activamente en la prevención de la violencia de género. En este trabajo se analiza la conexión entre la consolidación de las normas de género en los adolescentes y su consumo de medios de comunicación para ofrecer una propuesta didáctica eficaz aplicable en el marco legal español recientemente aprobado. Palabras clave Coeducación, Roles de género, Medios de comunicación, Propuesta didáctica Abstract Gender stereotyping in mass media is not yet a thing of the past. Studies have proven that these contents are permeating into our identity construction process by consolidating traditional gender norms. This raises an issue because stronger assimilation of gender normativity entails distortion of physical perception, mental health problems and substance abuse. Researchers have been trying to put forth coeducational values at the centre of formal education institutions; however, real and effective actions do not seem to be taken with the same urgency. A coeducational school is that which promotes a respectful environment, free of gender discrimination, and which is actively involved in preventing gender-based violence. This paper analyses the connection between gender norm consolidation in teenagers and their media consumption to provide an effective didactic proposal applicable under the newly approved Spanish legal framework. Key words Coeducation, Gender roles, Mass media, Didactic proposal Table of contents Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 1 1. Justification ......................................................................................................................... 2 1.1. Objectives ................................................................................................................................ 3 2. Theoretical Framework ....................................................................................................... 3 2.1. Coeducation ............................................................................................................................. 3 2.2. Agents in Gender Role Acquisition ......................................................................................... 6 2.3. Gender Representation in Media ............................................................................................. 9 2.3.1. The Influence of Mass Media on Identity Construction ................................................ 12 2.3.2. Effect of Consolidated Beliefs about Gender Normativity ........................................... 15 2.4. Coeducational Schools ............................................................................................................... 17 3. Didactic Proposal .............................................................................................................. 19 3.1. Justification ........................................................................................................................... 19 3.2. Legal Framework .................................................................................................................. 20 3.3. Context and temporalization ................................................................................................. 21 3.4. Aims of the proposal ............................................................................................................. 22 3.5. Methodology ......................................................................................................................... 23 3.6. Sessions ................................................................................................................................. 24 3.6.1. Session 1 – Career Day ................................................................................................. 24 3.6.2. Session 2 – Gender Roles .............................................................................................. 26 3.6.3. Session 3 – The Bechdel Test ........................................................................................ 28 3.6.4. Session 4 – Challenging Gender Roles ......................................................................... 29 3.6.5. Session 5 – Breaking News ........................................................................................... 31 3.6.6. Session 6 – Here’s the scoop! ........................................................................................ 32 3.6.8. Session 7 - Blogging ...................................................................................................... 33 3.7. Assessment ............................................................................................................................ 33 4. Limitations ........................................................................................................................ 34 5. Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 35 6. Bibliography ..................................................................................................................... 36 Appendix A: Teaching Unit ..................................................................................................... 39 Appendix B: Analytic Rubric ................................................................................................... 34 1 Introduction In recent years, educational contexts and academic institutions have been re-evaluated and rebranded as more than just a place where young children and teenagers attend to acquire knowledge which will prepare them for their future in the working market. Slowly, but steadily, the role of the teacher has gone from a passive role of the educator who reads and repeats from textbooks to a more active role as mentor, guide and monitor in the teaching-learning process. Nowadays, in school, students are expected not only to learn about the different subjects they face every day, but they must take in values, social skills, abilities to interact with their equals and with figures of authority; they must develop research capabilities, critical thinking, vital problem-solving competences and so much more. Overall, they learn how to be and act in the world they have to live in, and to do so ethically (Tomé, 2017, pp. 91-92). However, the research conducted and the theorization regarding how current education should be appears to be far from the reality we encounter in the majority of classrooms. The academic system, just like society, is not free of fault since inequality and sexism are present, although invisible (Ruiz, 2017, p. 167). Scholars have long been promoting a remodelling of the traditional educational configuration to create a fairer and more equal academic environment based on respect and cooperation. Nonetheless, this would mean translating values, conducts, and attitudes into curricular contents, a task that is not without its challenges (Ballarín, 2006, p. 15). In this context, coeducation presents itself as a way to achieve this goal. There has been much interest recently in the concept of coeducation and its relevance to solve gender inequality. Since the eighties, Spanish feminist groups have been taking active measures to ensure that the future of education entails teaching for gender equality (Barrio, 1992; Ballarín, 2006; Subirats, 2010). They have been promoting progressive practices starting with equal access to education, defending mixed schools, demanding better treatment of students no matter their gender, textbooks contents that offer role-models for young girls, not only for boys, and the eradication of gender role perpetuation and imposition in the academic and social environment. The present study understands gender norms as a set of rules that society accepts as natural differences between genders. However, Lomas (2005) argues that we are not divided into men and women just because our biological differences, but that we mostly learn how to be one or the other in a certain way (p. 262), which also indicates that they can be unlearnt. This set of rules which we accept and assimilate as natural differences are taught through 2 socialization in a variety of contexts, but where family, school and media play a fundamental role (Fernández, 2017; Lomas, 2005; Ruiz, 2017). Even if we manage to improve our educational system by teaching gender equality values, mass media is raising children and teenagers to defend and assimilate traditional gender stereotypes, which involves sustaining a series of social and mental health issues (Fernández, 2017; Ward & Grower, 2020; Martínez 2020). Although the portrayal on screen of men and women has changed over time, research shows that the consolidation of this industry appears to indicate a backlash: as it grows in importance and financially, it may result in resentment towards successful women and contribute to the creation of the optimal conditions to suffer a decrease in diversity (Nunes et al., 2020, p. 10). Whilst there has been some progress in mainstream media consumption and gender role representation on screen, there is still a fair amount of content available on demand that rely heavily on stereotyping. With the existence of digital platforms that offer a-la-carte audio-visual content, we are presented with a wide catalogue of media ready to be consumed upon request. However, we must develop a critical mindset so that those stereotypical representations of male and female characters do not permeate into our subconscious to consolidate conservative values of gender. For this reason, the role of formal education is presented as crucial and coeducation as its best tool to achieve it. Although it has been theorized and written about it extensively in the past decades, coeducation is not yet part of the practical reality in schools. Gender equality is barely discussed in classrooms, for the exception of Women’s Day activities, and it is almost certainly not being addressed in a cross-curricular manner or given the importance it deserves. Institutions remain passive for the most part, even in the face of gender-based violence. Coeducation is an excellent prevention tool, however, schools that identify gender violence cases in their institutions either ignore the issue or give support to the victims; but they do not generally intervene proactively to sensitize and educate their students or to make families a participative member of the debate in order to stop these situations from persevering (Ruiz, 2017, p. 179). 1. Justification This issue deserves careful analysis, which is the reason a more active participation form institutions and individuals is required. The aim of this study is to present a didactic proposal to tackle media education in secondary schools and motivate both students and teachers to deal with gender stereotyping matters in their classes. 9 2.3. Gender Representation in Media Gender representation in popular media nowadays falls short when it comes to providing a wide range of female and male characters to reflect society. As maintained by current research, boys and men outnumber girls and women in a variety of youth-targeted television programs, with boys and men often accounting for 60% or more of the characters (Ward & Grower, 2020, p. 179). The authors defend that equally important to quantity, is quality of proper representation: “addressing whether persons of each gender are presented in a way that reflects their complexity and humanity, or whether portrayals are reduced to one-dimensional stereotypes” (p. 179). Martínez (2020) states that films, TV shows and advertisement, in a bestcase scenario, try to question the traditional models of femininity and masculinity, while, in a worst-case scenario, they objectify and hypersexualize women while turning them into stereotypes (p. 323). As compiled by Ward & Grower (2020), research has frequently revealed that individuals of all genders, but in particular women, are stereotyped, often characterized exclusively by their looks or their behaviour in relationships, and with restricted personality characteristics and roles. Regarding physical appearance, studies have shown that women are portrayed in mainstream media as being more concerned with their looks, more judged and valued by their appearance and more likely to be sexualized than men. As for personality, male characters tend to be represented as more physically aggressive and bossier, and less probable to be portrayed as scared, romantic, or fragile than their female counterparts. The distribution of responsibility among different gendered characters is another stereotype present in media, and research has proven that men are more likely to pertain to the labour market in fields such as science, technology, or engineering, while women are usually placed at home. Finally, in what relationships are concerned, evidence show that heteronormativity dictates the rules of how male and female characters are to behave (pp. 179-180). According to Kim et al. (2007) men must “actively pursue sexual relationships, objectify women, and prioritize sex over emotion; conversely, women are expected to be sexually passive, use their looks and bodies to attract men, set sexual limits, and prioritize emotions over sex” (as cited in Ward & Grower 2020, p. 180) Gender stereotyping in media has been under scholar scrutiny with an overall focus on female characterisation analysis due to the lack of options they present. Women are depicted as an object of desire, adoration, or violence, as a passive or secondary subject who lacks ambition, punished if active, reduced to complementary figures and juxtaposed as mothers / femme fatale, 10 virgins / whores, and with their main goal in life being matrimony (Colaizzi, 2007, as cited in Martínez, 2020, p. 327). In classical films, there are two genre which accurately exemplify this; they are very representative of the double standards and how they still contribute to maintaining social rules of gender. On the one hand, Colaizzi (2014) describes ‘women’s film’ as a genre specifically targeted to the female audience where women are the protagonists, but these characters are usually forced to make sacrifices such as giving up marriage in the name of love, sacrificing themselves for their children or sacrificing love in favour of their careers (p. 44). This model of femininity comes to show that being a woman means giving up and being passive. In this way, the female spectator sees herself in these characters, which normalizes and naturalizes pre-established typologies of what a woman ‘should be’ and reproduce it in future generations (p.45). On the other hand, the author highlights another classical genre, ‘film noir’, a genre that originated in the thirties in which women are portrayed as ambitions, desiring subjects, devoted to changing their situation and making things happen, much more interested in power, both economical and sexual, than in fulfilling domestic duties. However, their desires make them a risk to the man they love and to themselves; they become victims of their own ambitions. As a punishment for their aspirations, they lose everything: the love of a man, their money and even their lives (p. 45). These stories are meant to be cautionary tales of what happens if a woman does not know her place and tries to move past the clear lines that dictate her role in society. Without a critical view of these audio-visual materials, these films shaped the identity and behavioural patterns of both men and women even years after the genre died. Nowadays, it seems that some steps towards evolution and better gender representations have been taken. Research analysing data over time appear to show improvements both in quantity and quality of gender portrayal. In a recent study, higher gender parity was revealed in youth appealing television shows, with women occupying 55% of screen time (Giaccardi et al., 2019, as cited in Ward & Grower 2020, p. 180). Martínez (2020) agrees that some progress has been reached in the sense that currently we can find counterstereotypes of female character of different ages that do not fit the beauty standards established over the years; protagonists who are hard-working, independent, confident, intelligent, focused on their careers and successful, not to mention sexually liberated. However, resistance to change coexists in the mainstream media alongside progress, like, for instance, the figure of the femme fatale, female characters mainly dedicated to caregiving, bigger emotional dependence, and the need of finding 11 happiness in the companionship of a man are some of the elements that remain present in current mass media (p. 327). A recent study by (Shawcroft et al. (2022) set to determine gender representation in Disney movies over the different decades and reached similar conclusions. The findings show that despite the emphasis on “the importance of equal depictions of men and women in Disney films (or media overall) in recent decades, little has changed in terms of the number of central female characters.” (p. 359). Overall, the research proves there is a notable difference in the number of male characters present in teenage and children shows (about 60%) and female character portrayal (40%). As for quality of representation, women are mainly presented as neither leaders nor follower, more like social outcasts, and men are never depicted as staying-at-home fathers or caregivers. The authors consider this to be “symbolic annihilations” since these portrayals exclude human dimensions from popular media: women are seen as either uninvolved or unimportant in society, while men lack caregiving models which ultimately sends the message that childcare or domestic duties are not of their responsibilities. A final concern expressed by Shawcroft et al. (2022) is regarding the physical appearance of female characters which has mostly revolved around fairly attractive and good-looking beauty standards and this “may contribute to the perpetuation of the idea that women need to be physically attractive to be of value in society or create a higher standard for women’s physical appearance than for men.” (p. 359). These mainstream productions link womanhood with an over-emotionality, foster gender inequality and normalize the suffering in affective relationships to the point that, even though they are fully aware that the relationships portrayed are fictitious, teenage girls have confessed that they would not mind experiencing a tragical romance in real life (Fernández, 2017, p. 526). Ward & Grower (2020) are also critical of this change, since it appears that mainstream media keeps “exposing children and adolescents to skewed information about gender and underscoring that a lack of recognition and a lack of respect remain significant issues for women” (p. 180). Considering the variety of media products and their widespread reach, they are part of almost every child’s and teenager’s life. But exactly, how much does this industry affect the way we understand and build our identity? 12 2.3.1. The Influence of Mass Media on Identity Construction According to Martínez (2020) identity construction is a narrative process, since we build our personality, in part, as the result of the tales that we have been exposed to, those which we create, those in which we recognize ourselves, those that provide us with role-models as well as those which we use to structure and give meaning to our existence (p. 323). Our identity is a collage of stories, most of which come from mass media, so the quality of what we consume, especially at an early age, can influence us deeply. Largely, results of the research conducted to this date seem to point towards a connection between the amount of television viewing and a higher assimilation rate and defence of stereotypical gender rules (Ward & Grower, 2020, p. 182). Some of the aspects influenced by media include assumptions about physical appearance, relationship and courtship rules, and identification with gender roles, among others. Physical Appearance Concerns regarding regular consumption of media leading to self-objectification and dysfunctional perception of appearance, especially in young girls, have been expressed among the research community (Ward & Grower, 2020, p. 184). Slater & Tiggermann (2016) surveyed three hundred Australian young girls between the ages of six and nine about physical perception, self-esteem, and sexualized clothing. Their research revealed that girls who viewed media portraying sexualized women believed boys would be inclined to like a girl wearing more sensual clothing, so they themselves preferred to wear such clothes. But surprisingly, these girls also showed higher bodily dissatisfaction and lower self-esteem (as cited in Ward & Grower, 2020, p. 184). Gendered Sexual Roles and Relationship Idealization In their research review, Ward & Grower (2020) have recognized that the results of studies focusing on the relationship between screen-time and assumptions about courtship or sexual roles have not met consistent results. However, they highlight the relevance of some studies such as the one conducted by Rousseau & Eggermont (2018). Taking into account gender, age, and body mass index of the participants, as well as general consumption of television contents, these researchers revealed that exposure to shows that portray women as sexual objects was related to stronger beliefs and acceptance of objectifying dating patterns among ten to thirteenyear-olds (as cited in Ward & Grower, 2020, p. 185). Similar results were found in Belgium by 13 Driesmans et al. (2015) in a study involving teenagers who played a video game with sexualized and non-sexualized female characters. The first group showed a higher tendency towards accepting and tolerating rape myths and sexual harassment (as cited in Ward & Grower, 2020, p. 186). Another research carried out by Driesmans (2016) expressed that adolescent girls exposed to popular romance movies targeted to teenagers, such as High School Musical, were more likely to accept romantic myths (as cited in Ward & Grower, 2020, p. 186). Similarly, Fernández (2017) conducted a study where she interviewed teenagers between twelve and fourteen years old on the topic of love and romantic movies. This researcher exemplifies how teens are aware that the romantic ideal and the relationships portrayed in these films and shows are unrealistic, but at the same time they create certain expectations around those ideas, and they do not reject completely the possibility of living those fictitious narratives (p. 521). Furthermore, Fernández (2017) found that younger generations today also perceive when media is targeting them specifically by gender. In her research, the author discovered that whereas romantical movies shape the imaginary of girls, action and adventure films are perceived as ‘for boys’ (p. 521). These studies come to show that even though there seems to be a connection between the media consumption and interiorized beliefs of romantic and sexual ideals, this “may be more nuanced than expected, and likely vary by gender and medium/genre” (Ward & Grower, 2020, p. 186). Gender Role Acceptance Overall, studies appear to point towards a higher assimilation of traditional gender values and roles in connection to the amount of time spent interacting with mainstream media. For instance, Ward & Friedman (2006) found a corelation between teenagers used to being exposed to stereotypical audio-visual contents from comedies and dramas broadcasted on television and a higher traditional attitude towards gender roles then those exposed to more neutral material (as cited in Ward & Grower, 2020, p. 183). Another research conducted by Tufte (2012) found similar results in her analysis of gender identification of Danish tween girls. She asked a group of 10 – 12-year-olds to take between five and ten pictures a day of women in media that they found interesting. The researchers then analysed the total of sixty pictures that each participant had submitted and carried out an interview with the participants regarding mass media and how they perceive their gender being 14 represented in it. The research concluded that these very young girls were faced with a conflict in their minds between media portrayals and their own idea of gender role and identification. She states that even though these girls criticized some of the ideas from mainstream media, they still tried to imitate them in their lives through make-up or fashion and clothing. This can be problematic seeing that they find themselves “in an interim period of their life, they are insecure and searching for role models, and many of these role models they find in the media.” (p. 384). Subirats (2016) argues that the importance of cultural models for the socialization of boys and girls is extraordinary. Boys usually encounter role models in the past and in the present to mimic in life, in their future projects and in the public domain. They encounter them both in textbooks and school context and outside of them. However, they are not always positive examples, as we have already argued, and these obsolete models can be highly toxic for them. Nonetheless, girls find their role models in an androcentric culture that confirms and legitimizes their public inexistence, especially in educational environments. They lack inspiration and stimulus to imagine other lives apart from those scripted for the female gender (p. 31) Mass media makes use of these stereotyped role models and contradictory messages, to create a balance and manipulate the audience into thinking that there is in fact real and effective gender equality, and it does so by means of media violence. As defined by Bernal-Triviño (2019) and Mariano (2017), it is a type of symbolic violence that reinforces the gender mandate which establishes inequality in its many forms, and it legitimizes and exonerates other types of violence such as direct or structural violence (as cited in Martínez, 2020, p. 323). Based on the use of close-ups, make-up, setting and illumination, media contributes to the creation of the womanhood ideal as a show meant mostly for the male gaze and this representation is analysed to comprehend the effects it has on the identity construction of the individuals who receive them and on the established positions in the patriarchal culture (Martínez, 2020, p. 327). Ultimately, media employs a series of tools that serve to maintain the status quo in society by giving a false idea that gender inequality has long been abolished or punishing those who step out of line to make an example out of them. Either way, society is bombarded with a series of images that, if not used properly, transcend the barrier of mere entertainment to allow certain beliefs to take root in our perception of reality. An improper or bad use of media is understood as an unconscious consumption of audiovisual products, without a critical view on what we are actually watching. The spectators limit themselves to seeing without investing any energy in analysing, valuing, or digesting what they 15 hear, or the images broadcasted (Núñez, 2008, p. 135). In an era where á la carte media consumption is more accessible than ever before, with easy access to television shows and films on streaming platforms and a widespread presence of teenagers on social media, young boys and girls need to be equipped with the best tools possible to face such an influential force. 2.3.2. Effect of Consolidated Beliefs about Gender Normativity The previous analysis seems to indicate that there is indeed a correlation between exposition to mass media content and assimilation of gender roles, which is more acute in younger generations. However, the effects of these norms that have dictated the way in which men and women must behave and relate transcend into adulthood: “Decades of psychological research indicate that adopting the constrained view of what is expected and acceptable for one’s gender has significant implications for adolescents’ and young adults’ well-being on multiple dimensions” (Ward & Grower, 2020, p. 187) Studies have consistently linked strong adherence to traditional femininity standards to bigger possibilities of manifesting depression and anxiety symptoms, developing eating disorders and lower sexual agency. They tend to perceive themselves as less competent and exhibit lower self-esteem (Ward & Grower, 2020, p. 187), which is consistent with young girls’ and teenagers’ tendency to occupy less space in class (Ballarín, 2006; Subirats, 2016; Ruiz, 2017). On the other hand, research in the field seem to agree that men and boys who internalize traditional masculinity ideologies manifest poor mental health, depression and general psychological distress, substance use and higher tendency towards risk taking in general. For instance, the research carried out by Giaccardi et al. (2017) has indicated that undergraduate male students that consumed greater amounts of media adhered strongly to traditional notions of masculinity, which led them to take more sexual risks, higher levels of alcohol and drug use and speeding (as cited in Ward & Grower, 2020, p. 187). Furthermore, gender role assimilation also influences the relationship patterns men and women exhibit. Barrio (1992) believes that between a being educated to dominate and another taught to obey, the bond they form can only be based on servitude. In consequence, love does not have the same meaning for both genders: boys learn to socialize as opposite to girls, which severs their communicative abilities and the possibility of understanding the other sex. They will think that affection and emotion is marginal in their lives, while girls build most part of their identity and dependence taking as base the way they choose to live their affectivity, 16 making this the centre of their lives even if it entails suffering (p. 19). Girls and women appear to be more inclined towards following romanticized relationship ideals from media in their real lives, even if it could lead to a toxic partnership or gender-based violence. In addition, Murnen et al. (2002) also found a correlation between strong support of masculine gender roles and greater perpetration of sexual aggression and attitudes that are more tolerant of sexual violence (as cited in Ward & Grower, 2020, p. 187). This idea is shared by Ruiz (2017) who believes that socializing agents that perpetuate gender roles, such as family, school, and media, produce a rise in gender-based violence. According to the author, the best tool available at the moment to face this type of violence is prevention, with an emphasis on the importance of formal education (p. 178). School is an agent with a great amount of symbolic power perceived by boys and girls, from early childhood, as the institution that dictates what and how it should be; rules and norms are transmitted through formal education (Subirats, 2016, p. 31). This puts a great pressure on academic institutions to take action towards detecting and preventing gender-related violence, which in part goes through educating students in media use and interpretation. Without developing a critical mind towards media consumption and a proper inclusion of emotional education in schools, it is in the hands of the media industry to instruct children and teenagers on those matters (Fernández, 2017, p. 520). This is problematic because its intentions are mainly moved by capitalism, consumerism and maintaining the status quo. It is important to emphasize that it is not just that television and media incite purchasing goods and services in general, but it also fosters a greater consumption of itself (Nuñez, 2008, p. 135). It is a vicious circle that feeds into a series of social and mental health issues created by itself. Audio-visual contents such as cinema or advertisements have managed to intertwine narratives about happiness with capitalism, consumerism, and love (Fernández, 2017, p. 520). This message sinks deep in our subconscious shaping and modelling our societal and individual identities to serve their own interests. This is where a sure bet on the coeducational school becomes a necessity. There is a strong demand for an academic institution that will not turn their back on mass culture texts, which now constitute the preferred setting for the younger generation to construct their identities (Martínez, 2020, p. 319). From the context of the classrooms, these issues need to be pointed out in order to break the cycle and ensure a safer use of mainstream media. 17 2.4. Coeducational Schools Two questions still remain: whether schools are taking active action towards educating students in gender role identification and how to challenge them or should it even be part of their responsibility. If we consider that educational systems have moved past mere transmitters of knowledge and societies are formed and changed from these institutions, then it is reasonable to think that discussing and instructing about social issues and gender inequality is necessary. Tomé (2017) defends that schools must educate and correct poor social attitudes the same way they correct speech, writing or social manners (p. 113). In light of the harm that interiorized hegemonic gender roles is causing not just younger generations, but society as a whole, the need to educate in equality presents itself as an urgent matter. Deconstructing gender stereotypes is indispensable if we wish to design new and egalitarian socializations that shatter the idea of gender as sole destiny. Thusly, the possibility of new models of femininity and masculinity must undoubtedly go through a process of questioning and challenging cultural hegemonic mandates (Ruiz, 2017, p. 172). Women and girls were forced to adapt in order to fit in the androcentric education model imposed upon them and academically they exceeded expectations. While the idea of pursuing professional success left a mark in the female minds, nothing seemed to have changed for the boys. The need to share responsibility for care-giving and domestic duties was a notion that did not resonate with the male mindset and there are no indications that this will change without any intervention to correct it (Ballarín, 2006, p. 16). Effective measures are essential in order to prevent gender violence, and, in this sense, coeducation is crucial: including equality values from academic institutions and in a cross-curricular manner and adopting a dynamic that fosters communication and better teacher-student relationships can make an impact on how teenagers understand and manage emotion and affection (Barrio, 1992, p. 19). Santos (2000) states that schools must not only prevent sexist behaviour pattern reproduction, but it also has to intervene to correct discourses and routinary practices which genders have acquired in other cultural environments (p. 18). Individual actions need to be taken to bring about change, but for it to be more constructive, scholars appear to agree that collective actions are more effective when it comes to making an impact on a larger scale. Saiz & Ceballos López (2021) agree that these measures must combine the efforts of the different members of the academic community to allow progress to permeate into the daily structure and culture of schools. In the institution where they conducted the study, these groups were in charge of analysing and designing actions, forming teachers, raising 18 awareness on gender inequality issues among faculty member as well as students and promoting coeducational projects, which ultimately leads to the creation of a centre that is much more consistent and sensitized (p. 7). For Ruiz (2017), a school that does not coeducate, is contributing conscious or unconsciously to the perpetuation of sexist patterns in society. For this reason, she goes on to explain the main characteristics a coeducational institution should collect (pp. 185-186): a) A coeducational school does not believe in neutral education. Based on the principle that to remain silent is to become part of the problem, the author considers that if institutions do not teach consciously about equality, they are unconsciously educating in inequality. b) Recognizing that sexism in schools can take many forms is essential. Academic environments must make faculty members and administrations aware of how they contribute to gender inequality to stop those patterns from spreading and reproducing. c) Their main goal ought to be to eliminate inequality and gender hierarchies while at the same time attending to diversity in terms of gender, culture, religious beliefs, etc. d) These schools must be open to redesigning and adopting new organizational models in regards of time, space, or resources. e) They prepare students for their future in the labour market as well as for their future in the familiar and social environment. f) Finally, it is their duty to provide emotional education and problem-solving tools which promote social harmony. Promoting coeducation is not an easy task, but it is necessary if we want to find an educational model that can present itself as a real and possible alternative to the current one. This change must take as a starting point the fact thar gender roles are negative for women, men, and humanity in general because they mark the existence of a binary way of living in society, separating the public and domestic spheres into the spaces where transgression or survival happens (Barrio, 1992, p. 26). Rooting for coeducation in academic institutions is an ambitious and arduous endeavour, but the rewards it entails are far greater than the challenge it poses. 25 b) Discuss and highlight basic sociocultural aspects related to gender and professional environments. c) Point out media as a socializing agent that consolidates and perpetuates gender role assimilation. Description: The first session deals with animated short films, more specifically the Pixar Sparkshort Purl. An audio-visual piece that is representative of gender discrimination issues in the workplace. The setting is a company exclusively formed by male characters, the conversations are heavily stereotyped and clichéd to represent a sample of the male working environment (López González, 2019, pp. 262-263). The video shows how Purl, a pink ball of yarn, starts her job at a corporation where her new co-workers are all men who form a big uniform blob of male stereotypes: they all look fairly the same, dress similarly, discuss sports, tackle problems by being aggressive and look down on the main character. In contrast, she embodies the female gender stereotype: she is a sweet and funny character who enjoys knitting, but who is also constantly pushed aside from decision making and bonding or team building activities. After having a very bad day, she decides to change her physical appearance and her personality to fit that of her colleagues and she is immediately accepted. Finally, a new yellow ball of yarn appears, a character who comes to work for the company and Purl is left with the decision of risking her bond with her male co-workers by helping out the new female colleague or treating her in the same way as she was when she first arrived. Finally, the main character chooses to integrate her, which leads to the company being much more diverse: there are more balls of yarn of all shapes, colours and sizes working there, the male characters now express themselves in a unique way by wearing a different shirt or growing a moustache. The short comes to show that everyone benefits from gender inclusive environments that do not feed on gender normativity. Before showing the video, students must first answer a series of questions about what career they would like to pursue in the future and who inspired them to follow that path. This warmup activity will help them focus on the topic of professions and at the same time it will make them realize, in the end, how important role-models are when we choose a career. The questions should be written on the board before the students enter the class, this way they will start thinking about it as soon as they enter the class, while they settle down or start taking their materials out. 26 Next, they will work on computers or other internet connected devices to fill in a Padlet with professions they dream of pursuing or those present in their immediate surroundings. These will be the options that the students will have to organize into two columns, one for men and another one for women. For this, they will stand up and go to the centre of the class and, as the teacher names an occupation, they must choose one side of the class depending on what gender they have assigned that profession in their head. In this way, when the teacher names models, they will most probably go to the female side of the class, and for firefighter, they might pick the male side of the class. Finally, they have to reflect about why they think so many of them were picturing a woman model and a male firefighter, for example. This will be their first contact with gender stereotypes as long as this proposal is concerned, so the teacher must highlight that the reason we unconsciously assign different professions a specific gender is because of internalized gender normativity. Subsequently, the students will proceed to watching the short film, which is available on YouTube, and issues such as the gender of the main character or what decision they would have made if they were in Purl’s situation are discussed throughout the viewing. Lastly, the students will pass around a ball of yarn, hanging on to one end of the thread and stating abilities that are necessary for the jobs they had written down on the Padlet board. Once they utter the sentence, they must pass the ball of yarn to a classmate with those set of skills, but who belongs to the opposite gender than the one indicate by the column they chose for it. This last activity is aimed to highlight that there is no specific ability that belongs exclusively to boys or girls, so there is no logical reason why jobs should be gender stereotyped. 3.6.2. Session 2 – Gender Roles Resources: screen and projector, Girls just want to have sums (an episode of The Simpsons), cards shaped like lightbulbs. Objectives a) Establish what gender roles, how they are connected to stereotypes are and how they can affect us. b) Foster a safe space where opinions and debate are welcome, developing communicative skills and critical thinking. c) Express the gender stereotypes they have interiorized by designing a role play that could serve to open a discussion about them. 27 Description: In this session we will be working with television shows as the media under scrutiny, and, to be more exact, students will be watching a couple of scenes from an episode of the seventeenth season of The Simpsons. Some of the scenes are available on YouTube, but the show can also be found on the Disney+ media streaming platform. In this particular episode, the school has been segregated by gender to ensure a better education for everyone. There are several moments with heavy gender stereotyping being beyond ironical in the episode starting with the way the boys and the girls are taught maths: while the male school is teaching ‘real math’, Lisa is disappointed she is “inefficiently taught by a liberal-feminist who emphasizes feelings and relating emotionally to math” (Greene, 2012, p. 44). This disappointment leads to her infiltrating the boys’ school where she must learn to think and act like a boy. This marks the topic for the pre-viewing activity, however, before that, the activities are sequenced to first link with the previous session, and then design a gender role-play and, finally, talk about them in more detail and share personal experiences. This activity aspires to extrapolate gender normativity as something that exclusively exists in fictitious context, to real-life identification. First of all, the students will be asked questions to guide them into realizing that we harbour a set of preconceived ideas of what we think is ‘for girls’ and what things are ‘for boys’, which mark gender role assimilation. These questions link the gender stereotypes we had identified in the previous session to what is expected from us depending on our gender. So, in this way, for instance, we generally imagine a woman when we speak about a model because girls are expected to care about their physical appearance, to wear make-up and have an interest in fashion. Once this is established, the students will carry on to prepare a role-play activity in groups where they must teach one of their members how to behave like their opposite sex. It is a fun and light task meant to highlight how ridiculous and pointless these norms really are. When the groups have finished performing their short play in front of the class, they will watch the scenes of the episode where Bart teaches his sister to behave like a boy, much like they had done in the previous activity. Next, a discussion will be held to verbalize these issues and express opinions about whether it is really that harmless to watch these particular segments without analysing them or giving them a second thought. Before finishing the class, students will be asked to anonymously share a gender lightbulb moment by writing a summary of their experiences on a piece of paper. A gender lightbulb 28 moment is a time when they have been made aware of the different treatment they received because of their sex. To encourage students to share, it is a good idea for the teacher to share actual examples of their lightbulb moments, which will boost the pupils’ confidence and they will feel more comfortable to share their ideas. There will probably be students who will not want to participate or who will not know what to write. So, if the teacher is unable to inspire or motivate him or her into taking part in the activity, it is very important not to force participation, since that would have the opposite desired effect and would create a more uncomfortable environment in class, raising their affective filter. The objective is to reflect upon gender norms that they have encountered in life, how they have faced them and what they could do different if they find themselves in a similar situation again. However, these discussions will be left for the following session due to timing and also to serve as a connection between classes. Thus, when they have finished completing their cards, the teacher must collect them to use in the next session. 3.6.3. Session 3 – The Bechdel Test Resources: string, clothes peg, tape, lightbulb cards they had completed in the previous class, slides presentation or emoji flashcards, https://bechdeltest.com/, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLF6sAAMb4s Objectives: a) Explain and discuss about gender discrimination they have experienced or witnessed. b) Highlight the poor gender representation present in feature films, regardless of their premiere year. c) Familiarize students with the Bechdel test as a useful tool to identify gender representation in media. Description: In order to connect with the preceding session, volunteers will be asked to talk about their gender lightbulb moment. For this, they will come to the front of the class, look up their lightbulb from the pile collected the previous day and hang it on the string, then they will explain the situation they had noted down on the card to open a class discussion about what could have been done in those situation. Once again, not forcing participation is key to maintaining a trustful and inviting class environment that will encourage them to speak up. 29 The third session of the proposal deals mainly with gender representation in film, so, after sharing the moments where they felt they were being treated differently due to their gender, a discussion will be opened regarding media contribution to the perpetuation of those stereotypes. Furthermore, students will learn about the Bechdel test by watching an explanatory video on YouTube, courtesy of Feminist Frequency. The test consists of three parameter that can be applied to movies in order to check if the presence of female characters is actually more than just a figure placed there to serve male characters. For a film to pass the test it must have two or more female characters with a name, who talk to each other about something other than a man. After establishing how easy it is for male characters to fulfil these conditions, the students will use a discussion web page to check whether their favourite movies would pass the test. In addition, the teacher will provide a series of cartoon images or emojis to represent a popular movie for them to guess. Then, they will need to vote whether they think that film can pass the test or not according to the webpage provided. Lastly, to promote teamwork and collaboration, in pairs or groups of three, they must design their own set of images to show to the rest of the class and guess the motion picture represented. The same procedure of voting and checking if their proposals pass the Bechdel test will be conducted. The goal of these activities is to spark their curiosity do that they are motivated enough to conduct their research in their own time, to use this tool long after the sessions are over to check for gender representation parameters. This is a big step towards conscious media consumption which would indicate a higher resistance to gender norm assimilation. 3.6.4. Session 4 – Challenging Gender Roles Resources: Pay Gap GIF, compilation of TikTok videos, phone, a TikTok account, https://www.tiktok.com/@khazaradzeee/video/6985617842444061954?is_copy_url=1&is_fro m_webapp=v1&lang=en (link to the video they must recreate for the final challenge) Objectives: a) Identify social media as a space where they can challenge gender stereotyping and speak up about other social issues they might feel strongly about. b) Acknowledge gender wage gap as a problem that affects the labour market. c) Point out the role of clothing in gender expression, not as items belonging to either one. d) Write gender normative statements they have been faced with in order to understand and deal with them. 30 Description: During this session students will reflect upon the use of social media, in particular TikTok, as a tool to confront gender. This social network is very popular among younger generations, which is why it is imperative to educate in a responsible use of the platform, instead of ignoring or erasing it from classroom contexts altogether. Controlled activities that involve the use of social media are not only motivating, but also enriching since students are presented with a healthy use of a space where they spend the majority of their free time. The lesson consists mainly of viewing several TikTok videos selected with the goal of talking about gender inequality and gender roles in a variety of different ways. After watching each video, the teacher has to make sure the contents have been comprehended, provide any type of extra explanation necessary or rely on the pupils to mediate and explain what they have understood to the rest of the class. Also, questions to open debate about the different issues are prepared, promoting class participation and opinion expression. The lesson begins with the projection of a GIF representing gender pay gap, which is used as an opening question to make students think about this particular matter. The video they watch next deals precisely with that issue and uses a voice-over audio to ironically address the reason a portion of the population gives to excuse this injustice: that women generally pick lower paying jobs. Then, students watch a video where a woman explains the differences that can be observed for Halloween or Carnival costumes depending on gender, both for adults and for tweens. In this case, she uses a green screen filter to explain the situation, exemplify and express her outrage with the matter. The last video they watch before creating their own is that of a young man wearing a dress after a woman states that boys cannot use that type of clothing item. These are three different uses of this online resource, with various grades of difficulty, material preparation, shooting patterns and, most importantly, three different ways to challenge gender roles on social media. Since the digital platform we are working with is mostly known for their dance videos, the last activity of the session is a dancing challenge video with simple moves and easy to record. In pairs, students will brainstorm statements that perpetuate gender stereotypes which they have heard or that have been directed to them. These will be included at the top of the video. After the dance moves have been learnt, all that is left is to record a video for the boys and one for the girls. To motivate students to participate, the use of edible incentives is highly recommended. 31 3.6.5. Session 5 – Breaking News Resources: articles from newspapers, magazines and online sources, pen, paper, and scissors. Objectives: a) Identify specific elements pertaining to article production, such as title and paragraph distribution. b) Provide authentic material to work with in a meaningful way. c) Produce a written piece by means of a controlled and guided activity in which they must follow a prompt model. Description: In this session, students will start to work with materials sourced from real articles in order to prepare them for the final task development. They will start working in groups with authentic newspaper, magazine, and blog articles in order to identify the aspects they share (title, questions to pique readers' interest, paragraph distribution, etc.). They will also use printed as opposed to online materials to determine aspects that distinguish one media from another , such as the presence in online sources of links or videos. Then, following the model article they received, they must adapt the same piece of news to an alternative universe, where roles are inverted. In this way, if, for instance, their article is about the gender pay gap, they will have to mimic the original article to write about how men are unfairly and unjustly underpaid for the same job responsibility as a woman because they are socially undervalued. The goal is to point out how ridiculous these issues would sound if tables were turned. Finally, they will cut out their article in five different sections and give it to another group who will then have to piece it back together, read it and take a guess regarding the topic of the original text. The discussion that springs out of these activities are meant to make students reflect on gender discrimination and stereotyping and highlight them as a harmful social mechanism. 32 3.6.6. Session 6 – Here’s the scoop! Resources: list of topics, computers or internet connected devices Objectives: a) Foster teamwork and cooperation as preparation for their future in the labour market. b) Promote interactive communication, decision-making and problem-solving skills. c) Develop research competency by scouting for useful information on the internet, selecting, reading, and summarizing online sources. d) Planning a writing task and drafting an initial version of it, that follows the outline they have developed. Description: For this lesson, students will need to form groups of about 4 or 5 members and assign different roles to each of them to simulate a journalistic team. There has to be a journalist responsible for writing the story, and a researcher in charge of obtaining information online and any resources they may require (such as pictures, videos, etc.). There must also be an editor who will assist the journalist and be in charge of reviewing the article and including the multimedia elements; and finally, a director who will oversee everyone's work, assist any members who may be having difficulties, and give the final approval to the work that will be published. Next, the members of the group must interact and discuss different topics they find interesting in order to make a decision and pick an area to focus on. Each group has to work together to choose a theme or topic which might be anything relating to local news, pop culture, or any other subject in which they share an interest. The teacher must also provide a list of suggested themes that could be of interest to guide any group that is having difficulty finding a topic. Once they have chosen the subject they wish to work on, the researchers, with the help of the rest of the team, will gather information to help design an outline for the article they wish to compose. Finally, once they have selected the data they want to include and following the plan they had designed previously, the group will need to complete and hand in a first draft of their article to be revised in the following session. 33 3.6.8. Session 7 - Blogging Resources: their first drafts, peer editing sheet, computer with internet access and a blog site set for this purpose (https://coedproject.wordpress.com/) Objectives: a) Identify comprehension issues and language mistakes in a written piece in order to edit a text in a constructive and respectful manner. b) Produce a final piece appropriate for online publication. c) Improve their technology and media knowledge by working with blog editors. Description: In this final lesson, students will take a look at other classmates’ work, learn how to peeredit a written production, compose the final piece and upload it onto a blog site created with the goal of doubling as a school online newspaper. A series of abbreviations and symbols will be provided in order to help students navigate through the articles they must correct. Moreover, they will be asked to provide positive feedback on the texts they work with to foster empathy and respect in the classroom. Finally, the different groups will receive their original drafts back with the annotations and comments supplied by their peers. They will need to analyse that information and make the necessary changes to meet the observations they see fit. The final written product is then submitted, and, with the help of the teacher, it is uploaded and published on the blog page previously created, making sure to include text, pictures and any other media they have chosen to attach. 3.7.Assessment The present proposal aims to motivate students and spark their interest in gender equality issues, instructing them to think on their own and consume media in a more conscious way. For this reason, the assessment and evaluation process must not be central in the implementation of the didactic unit. This does not mean it is not important, but that marks should not be a constant presence when putting it into practice which will allow students to express genuine interest for this topic all on their own. Nonetheless, to add value to the set of activities carried out, a series of evaluation parameters and criteria have been designed as an assessment proposal. 34 In the school course overall view, these sessions amount to a total of forty percent of the final grade of the term. The teaching unit will be evaluated by assigning thirty percent of the grade to the final task, conducted via an analytic rubric, and the other seventy percent correspond to the assessment criteria fulfilment that can be summarised as follows: • The student identifies gender stereotyping in media and/or in real life. • She / He participates actively in discussions and debate situations. • Expresses opinions in a clear and to the point way. • Conducts the tasks properly at individual level. • Collaborates closely with the rest of the members of the group and with other groups. • Revises and comments other classmates’ work in a constructive and respectful manner. The evaluation tools necessary are mainly two: on the one hand, continuous observation is key for when the final assessment is conducted. The teacher must observe and take notes during the whole process both at an individual level as well as at group level. This would offer proper data that can be used to grade student teamwork and cooperation, but at the same time appreciate the effort each one has put in big group debates or smaller groups tasks. On the other hand, for the final product published on the blog, an analytic rubric (Appendix B) has been designed to assist with the evaluation of the writing task. This rubric takes into consideration aspects such as text organization and paragraph separations, coherence and cohesion, which include structuring of ideas and use of connectors, task management, grammar, and vocabulary. The idea is to make sure that students understand and apply accordingly the conventions and register appropriate for article production; that they are able to produce a text that deals with matters of gender inequality correctly and that their message is clear and comprehensible. 4. Limitations For further study or real-life application in classrooms it would be interesting to use the blog as common ground for other school departments to get involved in the project. This could be achieved by inviting them to make use of the blog for their own class projects. For example, a science teacher could promote a project to encourage more female participation in STEM, a history class could publish about important historical figures missing from the textbooks or a physical education project regarding gender-pay gap in the sports industry could use the digital platform to post. The idea is to cause a contagious effect that could spread out not only to all school levels, but to other subjects and conduct a cross-curricular project that involves other fields of knowledge. Even though this study only deals with gender-roles in media, achieving Assessment Criteria 1.1. Interpret and analyse the overall meaning, specific and explicit information of short, simple oral, written, and multimodal texts on frequent, everyday topics of personal relevance and close to the student's experience, typical of the areas of interpersonal relationships, learning, the media, and fiction expressed clearly and in the standard language through various means. 1.2. Select, organise, and apply in a guided manner the most appropriate strategies and knowledge in everyday communicative situations to understand the general meaning, essential information, and most relevant details of texts; interpret nonverbal elements; and search for and select information. 2.1. Orally express short, simple, structured, comprehensible texts, appropriate to the communicative situation, on every day and frequent matters of relevance to the student, in order to describe, narrate and inform on specific topics, in different media, using verbal and non-verbal resources in a guided way, as well as strategies for planning and controlling production. 2.2. Organise and write short, comprehensible texts with acceptable clarity, coherence, cohesion, and appropriateness to the proposed communicative situation, following established guidelines, using analogue and digital tools, on every day and frequent matters of relevance to the students and close to their experience. 2.3. Select, organise, and apply knowledge and strategies in a guided manner to plan, produce and revise texts that are comprehensible, coherent, and appropriate to the communicative intentions, contextual characteristics, and textual typology, using with help the most appropriate physical or digital resources depending on the task and the needs of each moment, taking into account the people to whom the text is addressed. 3.1. Plan and participate in short, simple interactive situations on everyday topics of personal relevance and close to the learner's experience, using a variety of media, relying on resources such as repetition, slow pace and non-verbal language, and showing empathy and respect for linguistic politeness and digital etiquette, as well as for the different needs, ideas, concerns, initiatives and motivations of the interlocutors. 3.2. Select, organise, and use, in a guided manner and in close settings, appropriate strategies for initiating, maintaining, and terminating communication; taking and giving the floor; and requesting and formulating clarifications and explanations. 4.1. Infer and explain texts, concepts, and short, simple communicative situations in which attention to diversity is addressed, showing respect and empathy for interlocutors and for the languages used, and interest in participating in the solution of problems of inter-comprehension and understanding in the immediate environment, using a variety of resources and media. 4.2. Apply, in a guided manner, strategies that help to create bridges and facilitate the understanding and production of information and communication, appropriate to the communicative intentions, using physical or digital resources and support according to the needs of each moment. 6.3. Apply, in a guided way, strategies to explain and appreciate linguistic, cultural, and artistic diversity, taking into account eco-social and democratic values and respecting the principles of justice, equity and equality. Activities Session 1 1. Start thinking questions 2. Career Day Padlet 3. Organize the jobs 4. Purl 5. Ball of yarn Session 2 1. Stereotypes and Gender Roles 2. Gender Role-play 3. Girls Just Want to have Sums 4. Gender Lightbulb Moment Session 3 1. Lightbulb moment presentation 2. Movies and Gender Representation 3. The Bechdel Test 4. Guess the movie Session 4 1. Gender Pay Gap GIF 2. TikTok and Wage Gap 3. Gender and Costumes 4. TikTok Challenge Session 5 1. Working with articles 2. Opposite day 3. Jumbled news Session 6 1. Group up 2. Choose a topic 3. Investigate and plan 4. First draft Session 7 1. Peer-editing 2. Article fever! 3. Upload and Publish Diversity awareness: To attend diversity in class, this teaching unit is easy to adapt. First of all, most activities are to be done in pairs or in group, so either if it is adapting for special needs or high capacities, this dynamic comes in handy. The use of audio-visual material, project-based methodologies an ICTs also meets the demands of a neuro-diverse classroom. None the less, the teacher needs to observe and offer help to any students struggling with understanding or getting the work done. It is important that the lessons are flexible and open to adaptation according to the students’ needs as well as the assessment process should also. SESSION CHART Session 1 – CAREER DAY Specific competences 1.1. 1.2. 2.1. 4.1 6.3. SPECIFIC Assessment criteria Students will be able to: a. Identify and express previous knowledge related to vocabulary from the semantic field of professions. b. Acquire new vocabulary associated with jobs and relate it to the previous knowledge possessed. c. Manage and use of a digital tool to foster cooperative work and to create a bank of basic common terminology related to professional careers. d. Comprehend and categorize jobs based on pre-conceived ideas about gender and the labour market. e. Point out and discuss basic sociocultural aspects related to gender and gender representation in the workplace. f. Understand and explain, to others, concepts described in a video they watched that deals with the issues women face when entering a workspace mainly dominated by the male presence. g. Discuss issues linked to gender stereotyping and its relation to mass media and to underline the need for mutual respect and sorority when challenging those gender roles. h. Express ability using ‘can’ or ‘can’t’ structures and associate these abilities with a skill or requirement needed to perform a specific job. i. Highlight their abilities and skills and to connect with each other by focusing on the ones they have in common, regardless of gender. Contents / Basic knowledge A. COMUNICATION A.1. A.2. A.4. A.7. A.13. C. INTERCULTURALISM C.1. C.3. Activities Spec. Comp. Assess. Cont. / B.K. 1. Start thinking questions 2.1. a. A.7. 2. Career Day Padlet 1.2. b. c. A.7. A.13. 3. Organize the job 1.1. 1.2. d. e. C.3. 4. Purl 1.1. 4.1. f. g. A.2. A. 4. 5. Ball of yarn 2.1. 6.3. h. i. C. 1. A.4. ACTIVITY/TASK CHART Activity/task number 1 - session number 1 Title: Start thinking questions Type: Warm-up Time: 5 – 10 minutes Classroom Management: Big group (whole class) Resources: Classroom Screen https://www.classroomscreen.com/ Question: How many of you know what career you want to follow in the future? Linguistic input: Hello everyone. Today you are going to start working with me. Are you excited? So, as many of you have probably realized, I have written down on Classroom Screen a question for you to think about and to get us started with the topic we have for today. Can someone read it for me, please? OK. Thank you! Remember we have already discussed the difference between a professional career and a university degree. Can anyone remind me of that difference? Yes, great job! Well, how many of you know what career you want to follow in the future? Can you raise your hands? [Select a few students to ask] Which career have you decided to follow? And why have you chosen it? Is it because you want to follow someone you know? Is it because of the money you will get? Is it because it will make you famous? Activity/task number 2 - session number 1 Title: Career Day Padlet Type: Introduction Time: 5 minutes Classroom Management: Individually on their computers Resources: Computers Padlet https://padlet.com/loretenshi/llxlu6lamuw l6ddb Linguistic input: What I would like you to do next is to copy the link you see on the board in your browsers. Has everyone managed to access the web page? OK, perfect. We are going to work with Padlet, a tool where each one can add their notes to a board. I will ask you to write notes, but I will be the only one allowed to organize and move those notes around. To add a post, you must click on the round icon with the plus sign. Write inly the title of the post and then press publish. For example, if I want to add English Teacher this is how I would have to do it. [show the example] We will make a list of jobs, but please pay attention as not to repeat a profession that has already been added to the list. You can publish as many posts as you want, but only write one job on each one. Don’t worry about the place it appears on the board or about giving colors. I’m only interested in the title, and I will make sure all jobs are clear and visible for everybody. Now, I would like that you individually write down the professions you would like to have in the future, your dream job. If you don’t know what career you would like to follow, write what you wanted to become when you were younger. If you are done, please write down your parents’ job. What do they do for a living? If any of your friends or family friends work, include their jobs as well. [Meanwhile, the teacher organizes all the posts in the middle column, making sure there is no repetitions and deleting repeated terms. Also adding new vocabulary that they need to learn for their school unit, such as model, vet, police officer, etc. if they are missing from the students’ proposals] Fantastic job, everyone! Activity/task number 3 - session number 1 Title: Organize the jobs Type: Reinforcement Time: 10 – 15 minutes Classroom Management: Big group (whole class) They must stand up in the middle part of the class and depending on their choices, they will have to move to either one side or the other of the classroom. Resources: Padlet https://padlet.com/loretenshi/llxlu6lamu wl6ddb Linguistic input: As you can see on the Padlet board, we have 3 different columns. Right now, everything is placed in the middle column. I will randomly pick one and you will have to move to one or the other side of the room, depending on whether it is a woman or a man who comes to mind. So, for example, if I say English teacher and the first person that comes into mind is a man, then I will move to the right side of the room, but if on the contrary I imagine a man as an English teacher, then I’ll move to the left. You don’t have to know somebody who works in that job, just the first image that comes to your mind. I will then move the post with that career choice to the corresponding column depending on how many students are on each side. The side of the class that has the most students will decide where I will place the post. Ready? [After the activity] Why do you think this happens? Why do you think most of us think about a woman when we say model, but we think of a man for firefighter, for example? Where do you think these ideas come from? [The teacher will conduct a short debate about stereotypes, gender roles and media such as television, social networks, etc.] Activity/task number 4 - session number 1 Title: Purl Type: Reinforcement Time: 15 minutes Classroom Management: Big group (whole class) Resources: Short film https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6u uIHpFkuo Computer Projector Speakers Linguistic input: Good job, everybody! Now let’s go back to our seats. As we have already mentioned, a lot of the ideas we have in our minds of what men and women as supposed to be or do come from films and television series. Today we are going to watch a short film. Are you familiar with this type of films? This one is from Pixar and is about a ball of yarn that starts working at a new corporation, in a new office. Let’s take a look. [The teacher will pause the video to ask questions] 2:05 – Do you think Purl is a male or a female character? What are her hobbies and abilities? What do you think is Purl’s job? [They’ll probably say secretary, but she actually works in investments like the rest of the characters] 3:44 – How is her day going? Is she having a great first day at work? Why? How are the men in the video shown? What characteristics do they have? 5:53 – How does Purl change her situation? 6:42 – What would you do if you were in Purl’s shoes? Would you help the new girl in the office and risk the relationship you have built with the other co-workers, or would you ignore her and let her deal with the situation in her own way? Did you like the video? Do you agree with Purl’s choice? Was her choice good or bad for the office? What changes were made around the office at the end of the video? Activity/task number 5 - session number 1 Title: Ball of yarn Type: Reinforcement Time: 15 minutes Classroom Management: Big group (whole class) Resources: Pink ball of yarn (Purl) Padlet https://padlet.com/loretenshi/llxlu6lamu wl6ddb Linguistic input: Okay, so I want to tell you that I have a surprise. I actually brought Purl with me today. [Show the pink ball of yarn] What I want you to do is, for what’s left of the class, you will pick a profession you see on the Padlet board and talk about their abilities. The people in the class that have the same abilities need to raise their hands. I will give the ball of yarn to one of you and he or she will have to pass the ball, while hanging on to the thread, to someone in the class who has their hands up. But you have to choose the opposite gender from what is marked for that profession, so, if the career is in the women’s column, you will have to pass the ball to a boy in the class. For example, an English teacher can speak English. Because English teacher is on the column marked ‘woman’, I need to pass the ball to a boy who can speak English. But be careful not to let go of your end of the ball of yarn. This way we will create a web that connects us by the end of the class. Ready? [After the activity and before leaving the class] As you can see, even if we have certain images in our head, when it comes to our abilities, what we can do, there is no difference between boys and girls. sometimes it is not about our ability to do something that we choose a career, but rather the people who we know in a similar situation to ours that have made it in that profession. Representation is key. SESSION CHART Session 2 – GENDER ROLES Specific competences 1.1. 1.2. 2.1. 2.2. 3.1. 3.2. SPECIFIC Assessment criteria Students will be able to: a. Relate the contents and concepts related to gender stereotyping that have been discussed in the previous session to gender roles imposed on both boys and girls on a daily basis. b. Express complex ideas and debate ideas about the social issues of gender roles without fear of expressing themselves or of making mistakes. c. Work in teams to create a short script for a play where they must teach one of their team-mates to behave like their opposite gender obeying gender stereotyping. d. Carry out a planned and rehearsed interaction where they highlight and follow social gender norms. e. Comprehend and explain to others the contests of a Simpsons episode that we have watched in class. f. Express their opinion and generate a debate regarding the effects and consequences of gender stereotyping. g. Reflect upon their own experience with gender roles and summarise their experiences in a few words written on a card. Contents / Basic knowledge A. COMUNICATION A.1. A.2. A.4. A.5. A.10. B. MULTILINGUISM B.1. C. INTERCULTURALISM C.5. Activities Spec. Comp. Assess. Cont. / B.K. 1. Stereotypes and Gender Roles 2.1. 3.1. a. b. A.1. A.10. 2. Gender Role-play 2.2 3.2. c. d. A.2. A.4. A.5. 3. Girls just want to have sums 1.1. 3.1 e. f. A.2. A.4. 4. Gender Lightbulb moments 2.2. g. B.1. C.5. ACTIVITY/TASK CHART Activity/task number 1 - session number 2 Title: Stereotypes and Gender Roles Type: Warm-up Time: 5 – 10 minutes Classroom Management: Big group (whole class) Resources: Pen and a piece of paper Board to write down their collective ideas Linguistic input: Hi, everyone! How are you today? Do you remember what we discussed in the previous class? Very good! So, basically, we talked about the fact that we associate a job with a gender based on stereotypes. Today we are going to take a look at those stereotypes that we also call gender roles [write term on board]. Has anyone ever heard of this word? What do you think it means? Exactly! So, gender roles are mostly what we think boys and girls should or shouldn’t do just because they are boys or girls. In the previous class, when we thought about a model, the first thing that would come to mind was a girl. Why do you think that was? What gender roles do we associate with models that fit in with what we think about girls? What characteristic do models have usually? You can write down any ideas you might have. If you have problems coming up with ideas, you can discuss this with a partner. [They are pretty, they wear make-up, they care about their physical appearance] – Well, these are the gender roles we associate with girls and women. But how about firefighter? We had that job on the men’s side of the board. Why do you There is a webpage you can use to check whether the movies pass the test, you can even register a movie and enter discussions in the comment sections. For example, this movie you said earlier, would it pass the test? Let’s see [Type in the search engine a movie they have mentioned during the previous activity] If we want to check why it passes or not, we can open the comments and read about the good things and problems it has. Activity/task number 4 - session number 3 Title: Guess the Movie Type: Reinforcement Time: 20 minutes Classroom Management: First, big group discussion Then they work in pairs Resources: Canva Presentation https://www.canva.com/design/DAE7vtU 1dwE/ik6llINIrZ_ZDxDuQkfr8w/view?u tm_content=DAE7vtU1dwE&utm_camp aign=designshare&utm_medium=link&ut m_source=publishsharelink Pen and paper Coloring pencils or markers Linguistic input: Okay, so next, we are going to play guess the movie. Have you ever seen those games where they give you emojis and you have to guess the film? This is going to be similar. Ready? [Slide 5] – What movie is this? Do you think it passes the test? [they vote by raising their hands] [Canva controls: Press D for drumroll before showing the answer; press C for confetti after they see the answer. For the Finding Nemo slide, press O for bubbles to appear] [Slide 6] – So, you can see that the first and third movies pass, but not the second one. [This is repeated in the same way for the rest of the movies on the presentation] Good Job! Now, I would like you to work in pair to create your own challenge, your own emojis to represent a movie. Then you will come to the front of the class to show it so that your classmates can guess the movie. You will have to name the elements you decided to draw and why. Then, we will you the webpage to search whether or not it passes the test. You have 5 minutes or so to do the drawings before you present them. [Press 5 on Canva so that a timer of 5 minutes appears. The teacher moves around the class making sure everyone understands what they have to do and helping out anyone that might need it.] SESSION CHART Session 4 – CHALLENGING GENDER ROLES - TIKTOK Specific competences 2.1. 2.2. 3.2. 4.1. SPECIFIC Assessment criteria Students will be able to: a. Infer meaning from an image and share their ideas about it with the class. b. Explain why they think gender pay gaps exists. c. Identify social media, such as TikTok, as a space where they can challenge gender stereotyping and any social issues they feel strongly about. d. Teach about the steps and tools needed to create a TikTok video. e. Comprehend a video that speaks about the reality of costumes un relation to gender. f. Write short statements that they have been told that perpetrate gender roles. g. Perform and record a short TikTok trend to challenge the gender roles they have been exposed to. Contents / Basic knowledge A. COMUNICATION A.1. A.4. A.7. A.10. A.13. C. INTERCULTURALISM C.3. C.5. Activities Spec. Comp. Assess. Cont. / B.K. 1. Gender Pay Gap GIF 2.1. a. b. A.1. C.3. 2. TikTok and Wage Gap 2.1. 4.1. c. d. A.4. A.10. 3. Gender and Costumes 2.1. 4.1. e. A.10. C.5. 4. TikTok Challenge 2.2. 3.2. f. g. A.7. A.13. ACTIVITY/TASK CHART Activity/task number 1 - session number 4 Title: Gender Gap GIF Type: Introduction Time: 10 minutes Classroom Management: Big group discussion Resources: Canva Presentation: https://www.canva.com/design/DAE76pexm tg/soBdw- XMoRYvq4aIlcLGyg/view?utm_content=D AE76pexmtg&utm_campaign=designshare &utm_medium=link&utm_source=publishs harelink Linguistic input: Hi, everyone! Take a look at the GIF on the screen. What do you think it represents? You have some great ideas! This is what we call a Gender Pay Gap. As you can see on screen, this is the difference in salary that usually men receive in comparison to women for the same job. Do you think this happens in Spain? On the chart you can see that different countries have different pay gaps. I’m proud to say that Romania has such a low pay gap, this means that everyone is paid more or less equally. The problem is that they are all paid very little. What about Spain? Can you se it on the chart? Did you expect it to have such a big gender pay gap? Why do you think this happens? Well, some people say that is because women choose jobs that have a worse salary, that means, lower paying job. Do you agree? Activity/task number 2 - session number 4 Title: TikTok and Wage Gap Type: Reinforcement Time: 10 minutes Classroom Management: Big group discussion Resources: Canva Presentation: https://www.canva.com/design/DAE76pe xmtg/soBdw- XMoRYvq4aIlcLGyg/view?utm_content =DAE76pexmtg&utm_campaign=design share&utm_medium=link&utm_source= publishsharelink Video on Slide 5 Linguistic input: We’re going to watch a short TikTok video talking about the wage gap. [After playing the video] Has everyone understood it? You have the transcript on the screen if you need help. Any questions? Okay! So, what do you think she is trying to do in the video? How did she react to this social issue on her TikTok account? Is she talking about any gender roles? Is she challenging them in any way? How? Does she use humor or irony? Can you think of other ways we can use social media and TikTok to challenge gender roles? So how did she do this video? I don’t know how TikTok works, so can anyone explain how did she manage to do this video? What do I need to have if I wanted to create a video like this? Would you do this trend? Social media can be used to challenge gender stereotypes, just like we challenged the gender stereotypes on the lightbulb cards. We’re going to take a look at a couple more TikTok videos that challenge gender stereotypes. Activity/task number 3 - session number 4 Title: Gender and Costumes Type: Reinforcement Time: 10 minutes Classroom Management: Big group discussion Resources: Canva Presentation: https://www.canva.com/design/DAE76pe xmtg/soBdw- XMoRYvq4aIlcLGyg/view?utm_content =DAE76pexmtg&utm_campaign=design share&utm_medium=link&utm_source= publishsharelink Video on Slide 7 Video on Slide 8 Linguistic input: Next, we are going to talk about costumes like the ones you wore for Carnaval, or the ones used for Halloween? Do you usually buy your costumes, make them or improvise them with what you have at home? When you buy them, is it usually difficult to find one that you like? Let’s take a look a video that compares costumes for women and men and then for tweens, fourteen- or thirteen-year-olds like you. Did you understand the video? Can anyone give me a short summary of what we have watched? Have you got any questions? Do you agree with the video? Have you ever paid attention to the costumes in stores and realized this was happening? What gender roles is she pointing out? How does she challenge them? Does she use humor like the person in the previous video? Well, you can also use costumes to challenge gender roles, as we will see next. What gender role is he challenging? How is he doing it? Would you make this video? Activity/task number 4 - session number 4 Title: TikTok Challenge Type: Reinforcement Time: 20 – 25 minutes Classroom Management: Plan the video in pairs Record the video in groups (the boys on one side and the girls on the other) Resources: Canva Presentation: https://www.canva.com/design/DAE76pe xmtg/soBdw- XMoRYvq4aIlcLGyg/view?utm_content =DAE76pexmtg&utm_campaign=design share&utm_medium=link&utm_source= publishsharelink Video on Slide 10 Candy for rewards Pen and paper Board Mobile phone TikTok account https://www.tiktok.com/@coed_project The audio from the challenge video (saved on the account) Linguistic input: Okay, but would you like to challenge gender roles with a TikTok trend? [Play the video] Do you know this trend? Are you familiar with it? Did anyone understand what happened? Do you need me to play it again? [Play the video again and pause for them to read the text.] First, what I would like you to do is, in pairs, write down sentences you have been told because you are boys or girls, like the woman in the video did. If you are a mixed pair, write one for the girls and one for the boys. As soon as you write one, raise your hands and I will come to check if the sentence is correct. We need four sentences for girls and four for the boys, so the first ones to finish will go to the board and they will write them down. And to motivate you I have brought some candy as a prize for the people who participate. If you have a hard time coming up with ideas, I have here your lightbulb cards. You can look through them to get ideas. [After the sentences have been written] Now that we have the sentences, what is next step? What do we need now? Are there any volunteers to come up here and teach the dance to the rest of the class? Finally, we are going to record it in groups. We are going to make a video for the girls and another for the boys. So, who would like to start? Before we leave, I want to ask you to apply what we have learnt about gender stereotypes to what you consume on mass media: social media, television, movies, etc. Try to find a topic that you find interesting before our next class. SESSION CHART Session 5 – BREAKING NEWS Specific competences 1.1. 1.2. 2.2. 4.2. SPECIFIC Assessment criteria Students will be able to: a. Read, comprehend, and work with real pieces of news adapter for their level of proficiency. b. Identify specific elements pertaining to article production. c. Write a short text by adapting real-life news to a fictitious upside-down world. d. Infer the meaning of a puzzled text by reading jumbled pieces of it in order to put it back together. Contents / Basic knowledge A. COMUNICATION A.2. A.3. A.5. C. INTERCULTURALISM C.5. Activities Spec. Comp. Assess. Cont. / B.K. 1. Article Fever! 1.1. 1.2. a. b. A.5. 2. Opposite day 2.2. c. A.2. C.5. 3. Jumbled news 1.1. 4.2. d. A.3. A.5. ACTIVITY/TASK CHART Activity/task number 1 - session number 5 Title: Article Fever! Type: Introduction Time: 10 – 15 minutes Classroom Management: Groups of 4 or 5 Big group discussion Resources: Real news regarding gender inequality adapted from authentic materials: blog posts, printed newspapers, magazines, online newspapers, computers or any device with Internet connection Linguistic input: Hi everyone! Today we are going to become journalists and we are turning this classroom into a newsroom. I would like for you to form groups of about 4 or 5 people. Each group will be given a piece of news adapted from media. I would like you to read and analyze it in order to try and find elements that are common in news articles. I will give you about 6 minutes to read and discuss, and then we will put our ideas together. If you have any questions about your texts, please, raise your hands and I will be right there to help you out. You can start. Activity/task number 2 - session number 5 Title: Opposite day Type: Reinforcement Time: 20 – 25 minutes Classroom Management: Groups of 4 or 5 Resources: Real news regarding gender inequality adapted from authentic materials: blog posts, printed newspapers, magazines, online newspapers, computers or any device with Internet connection Pen and paper Linguistic input: That’s great, everyone! So, in an article we must have a title, sometimes even a subtitle. It’s important that they catch our readers attention, then we have an introduction to the topic of the news and finally a conclusion to end the story. Sometimes articles ask readers questions or make them think about something in particular in order to hook them. Now, you are going to become the reporters of Opposite Day. Imagine that we live in a world where everything is upside down. You must adapt the piece of news you have received earlier to fit this strange world by writing a 50 to 100 words article about it. So, for example, if your news is about how the gender pay gap, for example, you must write an article about how men are paid less than women for the same job. Is everything clear? Any questions? Okay, then, let’s get to work! Activity/task number 3 - session number 5 Title: Jumbled news Type: Reinforcement Time: 10 minutes Classroom Management: Groups of 4 or 5 Resources: The article they have written Scissors Linguistic input: Great! Is everyone finished? Before we end the class, I want you to divide the article into 5 by cutting it out with scissors creating a puzzle. You will give your pieces of paper to another group who will have to put it back together and read it to the rest of the class. Finally, you will have to make a guess about what you think the real piece of news delt with, so what was it about originally. On to work everybody! SESSION CHART Session 6 – HERE’S THE SCOOP! Specific competences 1.1. 2.2. 3.1. SPECIFIC Assessment criteria Students will be able to: a. Organize themselves in groups following parameters and characteristics imposed by the teacher. b. Use language to debate and come to an agreement on the topic they would like to focus on when dealing with their articles. c. Use online resources to find, compile and organize information about a topic they have chosen. d. Organize ideas and create a writing plan for their article. e. Write a first draft for an article with information they have researched online. Contents / Basic knowledge A. COMUNICATION A.3. A.4. A.5. A.11. A.13 C. INTERCULTURALISM C.5. Activities Spec. Comp. Assess. Cont. / B.K. 1. Group up 3.1. a. A.3. A.4. 2. Choose a topic 3.1. b. A.4. C.5. 3. Investigate and Plan 1.1. 2.2. c. d. A.5. A.11. 4. First Draft 2.2. e. A.5. A.13. ACTIVITY/TASK CHART Activity/task number 1 - session number 6 Title: Group up Type: Introduction Time: 5 minutes Classroom Management: Groups of 4 or 5 Resources: Canva Presentation: https://www.canva.com/design/DAE8hy2 088o/UasH0WaeF- M7SsYtQN3J3g/view?utm_content=DA E8hy2088o&utm_campaign=designshare &utm_medium=link&utm_source=publis hsharelink Linguistic input: Good morning, everybody! How are you feeling today? Ready to start? Now that we have seen how we can use the internet and social media to challenge gender roles we are going to prepare a short group project where you will have to draft an article about a gender issue that you feel strongly about. This must be like a real newspaper article, and it will be published on our blog. I want you to think about your interests and try to form mixed groups of 4 or 5 people that would like to write about the same topic. [Once they have formed the groups] Next, I would like for you to assign separate roles to the members in the group. On the one hand we have the Researcher; this person will be in charge of investigating about the topic and looking up pictures on the Internet that you want to include. Then, we need a journalist: this will be the person to write the article using the information gathered by the Researcher. We also need an editor: this person will work alongside the journalist and will decide the design you want to follow for your article, where to put the pictures, what font you would like to use, etc. Finally, assign the role of the Director to the person who will oversee all the activities of the rest, will make the final decision about how the article is written, which pictures are chosen, how is the piece designed. Also, this person must help anyone in the team that needs a hand with their work. If there are 5 members in your group, assign two researchers instead of just one. Is this understood? Are there any questions? Please raise your hand when you have finished so I can take notes of the members in the team and their roles. Thank you! Let’s get to work. Grammar. A variety of relevant structures (e.g., simple phrases, complex sentences, the correct order of elements, etc.) that are suitable for the communication context. Occasionally occurring mistakes in structures that are more complex than the level required. Uses the structures required to convey the message. Makes some minor and infrequent mistakes. Structures are below the necessary level (insufficient variation in sentence range, wrong sequence of sentence elements, etc.) and contain a number of faults that make comprehension difficult. Does not use the structures required to express the content, and the mistakes are so prevalent and substantial that understanding is hampered. Vocabulary. Extensive and varied vocabulary as well as structures that adapt to the communication context (use of antonyms, synonyms, specific vocabulary, richness in the use of compound nouns, variety of adjectives, etc.). Uses suitable terminology that is appropriate for his/her level and responds to the circumstance at hand. Absence of generalizations and empty phrases (stuff, thing, etc.). Uses a restricted, simple, repetitive, and weak vocabulary for his/her level. Frequent mistakes that prevent answering the task set or make the content repetitive. Does not employ the required vocabulary. Makes significant grammatical mistakes: incorrect words, omissions, Spanish phrases, and so forth.