Middle School Students as Social Theorists: Using a Short-Term Unit to Engage Students in Thinking Critically about Gender

Authors

  • Brandelyn Tosolt Northern Kentucky University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18251/ijme.v11i2.257

Keywords:

gender, schema, urban education, curriculum

Abstract

Because middle school is a time of identity development, it may also be an appropriate time to focus on students’ conceptions of social roles. This article examines a unit focused on gender roles taught to a group of seventh grade language arts students at a private, urban school. The students deconstructed and reconstructed their gender schemas, gained awareness of gender as a lens, and began to question the adequacy of the male/female binary model. The findings suggest that ideas typically found in college-level courses may have appropriate applications in classrooms of much younger students.

Author Biography

Brandelyn Tosolt, Northern Kentucky University

Assistant Professor in the Department of Teacher Education

Downloads

Published

2009-12-11

How to Cite

Tosolt, B. (2009). Middle School Students as Social Theorists: Using a Short-Term Unit to Engage Students in Thinking Critically about Gender. International Journal of Multicultural Education, 11(2). https://doi.org/10.18251/ijme.v11i2.257

Issue

Section

Praxis Articles (Peer-reviewed)