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IN CLASSROOM ACTIVITY_ROLE PLAY - GENDER SENSITIVITY

CONTENTS

In Classroom activity_Role Play - Gender Sensitivity.......................................................................................................................................................................... 1

Teacher’s Section ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 1

Introduction – .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 1

Specific Objectives – ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 2

Steps for the activity ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 2

Student’s section - Role Play scenarios ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 3

Follow up discussion .................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4

Reflection Sheet ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5

TEACHER’S SECTION

INTRODUCTION –

Gender stereotypes often arise in social situations. Children face a great deal of pressure to be popular and to conform to their peer groups. Acting

out realistic social situations in a safe, controlled classroom environment is a good way to prepare students for situations that might come up. It

also helps children think about their roles in both fighting and perpetuating gender stereotypes.

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SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES –

1. To encourage students to speak openly about the ways gender stereotypes and pressure to conform to socially constructed gender norms

influence their daily lives

2. To use a dramatic expression to brainstorm ways to combat rigid ideas about gender in their daily lives

3. To internalize the fact that teasing or bullying someone because they do not conform to gender norms or stereotypes is never acceptable

and ultimately harms all of us

4. To continue developing a community where individual identity is respected, and students feel safe about expressing themselves

5. To form a collective definition of gender that respects a wide variety in gender expression

Time – 1 Hour

STEPS FOR THE ACTIVITY

1. Explain to the class that today you will be doing some role plays to help them think about gender and gender-identity-based teasing and

bullying at home, school, and society.

2. Divide students into 5-6 groups (depending on group size) and give them a scenario to act out.

3. Give 15 minutes time to each group to prepare the 5 minute roleplay out of the situation given. Ask them not to give the solution at the

end of the play.

4. Then, they should think about how they might solve the problem presented in this scenario.

5. Then, ask them to come together and have each group share their scenario with the class through the act.

6. After each role play, asks questions to the remaining class about the problem and possible solution to the problem.

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STUDENT’S SECTION - ROLE PLAY SCENARIOS

In a Civics class, most of the students listen quietly and do their best to participate. There are three boys and one girl who often get over excited about

what they’re working on, and they sometimes call out, act silly and interrupt each other and also make fun of other sincere students when they answer to

teacher’s questions. One day, the teacher allows the students in the class to make their groups work on a special community project. The boys are some of

the first students chosen by classmates to be in a group, but no one wants to work with that girl, and several classmates tell her she is too silly and doesn’t

behave right with others. If we take this girl in our group, she will create a nuisance in the group and will not behave properly during community work.

The science teacher gave a really hard test; it was a surprise test and teacher announced after the test that marks of the class test will be added to their unit

test scores. Several students feel bad about how they did in the test. One boy starts crying hard because he is worried he did badly and his mother will be

upset with him due to his scores. He knows he could have done better, and he feels so terrible that he can’t stop crying. In the hall on the way to lunch,

several other students tell him they can’t believe he’s crying over something like that. Doesn’t he know boys don’t make a big deal over something silly like

a science test? Doesn’t he know that crying is for girls?

Amita is very excited today as she turns to 18 and becomes eligible to vote in coming elections. She goes to her mother and asks her about voting, the

election process, and the voter ID card process, etc. Her mother is too tied up with household chores and ignores her queries. She then goes to her father

and asks him the same questions. Her father rudely replies, “Don’t come to me again for such silly questions. Your elder brother and I can decide on such

cases. Politics and elections are topics that girls should not think about”. He advises her to help her mother and learn household tasks. Amita gets very

disappointed by listening to this.

At recess, the boys are very excited because they’re finally allowed to play football on the big field. They can’t wait to make their teams and get started—

maybe they’ll even have a tournament! One boy isn’t interested, though. Who cares about stupid football? He has plenty of other things to keep him busy

at recess. The other boys can’t believe it. What kind of a BOY is he, anyway? They call him a sissy and say they just can’t believe he isn’t interested in sports.

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After school one day, a group of girls is looking at a bunch of fashion magazines. They are strategizing about what outfits they might wear to school for the

next few days. One girl sits near them, but she doesn’t understand the big deal. She is happy in her sweatpants and T-shirt. When the other girls notice she

isn’t participating, they start making fun of her unfashionable outfit. She tries just shrugging her shoulders, but the other girls say, “Don’t you know GIRLS

ARE SUPPOSED to care about clothes?”

Simmi is a new student in your class. She loves playing cricket with her brother at home. She is a fast bowler and very good at batting too. Simmi wants to

play cricket for the school team and they would like to compete for under 19 women’s Ranji trophy and further want to win for India. But all her dreams

came crashing down when she came to know that your school only allows boys to participate in cricket. Girls are only eligible for badminton. She contacted

the cricket captain and coach and requested him/them to allow her to participate. They both made fun of her and advised her to either drop her dream or

leave the school.

FOLLOW UP DISCUSSION

After each group presents their role play, discuss the following questions:

1. What are the stereotypes in the act?

2. What do you think are the causes of the problem enacted here?

3. What are some possible, realistic solutions to this problem? How does thinking about gender as a social construction change our way of looking at

these scenarios?

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REFLECTION SHEET

Name of your role-play character: ________________________________________________

1. How would you describe your character’s personality?

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2. What do you think he or she is thinking or feeling in this situation?

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3. Why do you think he or she is acting this way?

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4. What is the relationship between this character and the other students in the scene?

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5. What do you think might have led up to this scene?

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6. What do the other students in the story think of him or her?

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7. What other things do you think about this character? (What are things like at home, how does this person act outside of school, and so on?)

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8. Can you do something to change the mindset of the people around you? If yes, what?

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