DOCUSENT RESUME SP 015 931 AUTHOR Grant, Anne ir TITLE Venture, Beyond Stereotypes. A Workbook for Teachers :kro°'ncerned about Sex-Role Stereotyping. , INSTITUTION New 'York City 'Board of Education, Bronx,tit Y. SPONS AGENC Y Oifice of; Education( DHEW) $1Washington, D.C. Women's , Educational Equity .Act PrOgram. PUB DATE 79 . NOTE '108p.; ./ilot kvailable in-paper copy due to.emarginal legibility of origina,1 document. AvAILA413 FRO-M EDC/WEEAP Distribution Cerit,er,39 Chapel St., Newton, MA 021k9., EDRS PRICE 11F01 Plus Postage. PC Not Availa,ble from EDRS. DESCRIPTORS *Afiective Behavior; *Behavior Patterns; Cultural Influtnces; Zndividual.Development; *Inservice Teacher Education:` *Sex Bias; *Sex Stereotypes; Social Attitudes; *TeaCher Role; Young Children ABSTRACT I This workbook is designed as an inservice teacher training course (on eliminating sex-role stereotypes.. The format is based on telecast vignetts, discussion sessions, and homework , assignments consisting of in ividual ,examination of attitudes. Tlie program discusses the masculi e and feminine mystiques, language and textbooks, classroom pra'atice early childhood attituole-formati.on athletics, career guidance, and cultural valves., Discussion questions for each session are appended.(JD), . 0 *************************************************************,********* Reproductions supplied by LDEIS are the best that can be made * * from the_original docuptent. * . ., ****** 4 I 4. WeilturecBeyolid Stereotypes A workbook for teachers concerned 'about sex-role stereotyping by Anne Grant with program notes to the television series Jill and Jack/ Fidion and Fact by Pat 'Sullivan 1) 41". Women's Educational Equity Act Program U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE Joseph A. Gall fano, Jr., Secretary Mary. F. Berry, Assistant Sect-Mary for Education Offire of Education t.) Erriest L. Boyer, Commissioner MAY 1. 9e0 4 Both this course and the television series were produced at WNYE-TV by Venture Beyoni Stereo- types, a project of the New York City Board of Education, with funding from the U.S. Office of Education, HEW, under the Women's Educational Equity Act.: .° Anne Grant, P?oject Director Pat Sullivan, 7blevision Producer/Bnoadcaster Mina Korn, Associate Producer Gary Russo, Television Director Mattie Forman, Administrative Assistant Cheri Cross, Manual Designer Carole Kowalchuk, Manual Illustrator 'Center for Library, Media and Telecommunibations Morris Freedman, Director Division of Educational Planning and Support Arnold Webb, Executive Director New York City Board of Education Irving Anker, Chancellor Discrimination Prohibited: No person in the United States shall, on the grounds of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or-be subjected to disCrim- ination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance, or be so treated on the basis of sex under most education programs or activities receiviiiVederal assistance. Produced by the New York City Board of Education, under a grant from the U.S. Departnient of Health,. Education, and Welfare, Office of Education, under the auspiceg of the Women'sfEducational Equity Act. Opinions expressed herein doliot necessarily refleCt the position or policy of the Office of Education or the Department, and no official endorsement should be inferred. Printed and distributed by'Education Development Center, 1979, 55 Chapel Street, Newton, MA 02160. 4 r , 0, Preface 1 6. Athletics CorNtents Introduction 3 Groupwork: Mirror, mirror 38 1'. The Masculine MyStique Thlecast: Athletics 38 Groupwork: Introduce yourself 6 GroupwOrk: Opinion poll 39 Telecast: The masculine mystique '6 Homework: Interviews 39 -r Groopwork : Feminine/Masculine 7 7. Career Guidance Homework: How to use your feelings in Groupwork: "I've decided that I want to. ".41 this course 8 Telecast: Career guidance. 41 2. The Feminine Mystique Groupwork: The break-out circle 42 Groupwork: Introduce yourself again 14 Homework,: Identify your culture, Telecast: The feminine mystique 14 and plot your hie 42 to 'Homework; Wouldn'tyou know? 15 8. Cultural Values 3. Language and Textbooks Telecast: Cultural values 47 Telecast: Language and textbooks 19 IGroupwork: Summing up 47 Groupwork: Review your classtem Coat of arms, 48 materials for bias 20 Appendix HomeWork: The subtle power of language . 22 Discussion Questions for 4. :C14sroom Practices "The Masculine Mystique"' 52 Telecast: Classroom practices 26 Discussion Questions for "The Feminine Mystique" , .52 Uncle/standing sex bies 27 Gtoupwork: Is there a double standard Discussion Questions for "Language and Textbooks" 52 xour classroom? 27 Discussion Questions for Groupwork: The break-in circle 28 "Classroom Practices" 53 Homework: More on words and the power Discussion Questions for of exclusion 28 "Early Childhood" 53 5. Early Childhood Discussion Questions for Telecast: Early childhood , 32 a,"Athletics" 53 Groupwork: Early childhood inventory 33 Discussion Questions for "Career Guidance" 54 Homework: Sports inventory 34 Discussion'Questions for "Cultural Values" 54 Ye e The word stereotype 'was first used in 1798 to Fok his tenth birthday, our older son, Lars. describe a printing process by which a molded plate recerVed a fine red sweatshirt from his grand- could turn out exactly the same page over and over parents. He thanked them and tried it on buthas Preface not worn it since. When we asked hirn why,he again. In the wake of the Industrial Revolution, artisans said sheepishly, "The kids would tease me. They mourned the loss of their craft. Pride in original say that red is onlfor girls." work and individual styte became rare, even A few days ago, Lars mentioned that girls ani, eccentric. By the thousands, products were stamped boys always sit at separate, tables in the cafeteriN. out in conformity with a single pattern, andwork- The boys are often mean to each other,'he said, and ers who manufactured them becameinter- he would rather eat with theigirls. Buthe knew changeable. that others would rikticule him if he sat al!he girls' Now the word stereotype refers most often to a table. mental process by which we assume that certain We adults fool ourselves when we suggest that groups of people are all alike and ought tobe treated this kind of segregation is voluntary and innocent. the same. We rush to say that a girl is "pretty" even For many children: it is an untlealthy state forced if she is not, 3'nd, we may fail to notice her real gifts. on them by the taunts of a fewaggressive cl'ass- We iike to.praise a boy for being "strong" or "brave!' mates. We commend Black children fokbeingathletic. My husband and I are cautious not to place the Our cartoons portray Native Americans wearing burden of our conyictions on a child with worries feathers and saying, "How!" Our newspapers of his own. Yet we would have him believe that identify Gypsies only when they are fortune-tellers prejudice is not a fact of life and can be changed. or vagabonds. Our lawsdeclare that women need How does he cope with prejudice at school? to be protected from harsh workingconditions that Sometimes, he says, he has apologized to a girl mei; can be paid to endure. These are stereotypes. Thoughsometimes based on the truth, they distort reality.They influence students and teachers every day, and yet we seldom discuss them in the classroom orhelp our students to cope with them. N4*, when boys have been mean to her. Sometime's he fascinated by the romance of the roles, and we has.argued with the'offenders. But then the other needed a cover to carry our shaky identities through children say that he is in love with the girl, and he'. adolescence. isn't happy about that either. We understand that But, as the party ends and the masks come off, sometimes he can do nothing. 'we find that we have made commitments without Does he think his teacher could discuss these undewtanding. Now we are responsible to raise a issues with the class? could she olierrule the forced new generation of childeen..And we see them segregation in the cafeteria? He thinks that migbt happily trying on the masks we would like to work, but he's not sure how to ask her for help. discard. It is hard for most of'us to raise the sUblect ofsex Though we would not forbid children to play at roles. TIlose whopbserve rules of decorum and traditional roles, we ought to point out the stereo-. kindness hesitate'to challenge another person's typic assumptions that_shape and preserve those. traditional behavior. It seems toe critical of their voles. good intentions. It,may also'probe painfully close We should warn of the danger wpenkohe roles of to the raw nerves of our private lives. Questioning one group domineer' anothermeA lording it over sex roles makes us feel disloyal to people we love. women, career women over homemakers, the Some of Lksare comfortable intraditional sex married over the single, tbe privileged over the dis= roles and resent those who doubt their worth for advantaged, tbe healthy over the handicapped, the themselves. OtherS seek shelter in the masks of liberal over the conservative, the beautiful over the femininity and masculinity, only to feel sick atthe plain. The list goes on and on, or it can be taken in charade. reverse. At times we need to draw children out of. Perhapewe first tried on the masks with tbe tir costume corner when there art other things to innocence of a children's costume party. Wewere This workbook is designed to help us confront' the power of the feminine and masculine mystiques and of all the maskswe put on ourselves and others. Old'masks and stereotypes can become teaching tools as we uncover the faces and feelings behind them. 0 *V 2' a Venture Bqyond Stereotypes isthe basic workbook office staff, paraprofessionals, students, parents, for an inservice teacher-training course on sex- and the community. gritroduction role stereotypes. The work can be covered in eight A number of educational stations plan to broad- two-hour meetings or expanded if participants wish cast the television series,JilIand Jack /Fiction and to plan further activities.