Gender

Responsive
Pedagogy (GRP)
…In the best interest of our girls and boys
Who are
these?
Daniel &
David
Mia & Remee
Mia & Remee
James &
Daniel
Let’s break
the ice!
Who does the following
jobs the most, male or
female?
Are these
Natural?
• These are not natural; the
classroom experience we give boys
and girls have tended to shape their
academic and co-curricula interests,
and future employability!
 Introduction
• Ghana has attained parity in basic education nationally.
However, there are disparities at regional and district
levels as learners progress higher the educational ladder.
• Women’s participation in higher education in Ghana and
Sub Saharan Africa has thus become a major concern.
• Even more worrying is the gendered breakdown of some
professions: Nursing, midwifery, speech, language
and hearing, education, social work and
librarianship dominated by women, military, sciences,
engineering, robotics, aeronautics and
astronautics, high-energy physics, mathematics,
computer science, philosophy and economics
 Introduction
(II)
• Too often, prevailing pedagogical practices reinforce
gender inequalities in the classroom – because teachers’
are unaware of issues of inclusion, or teaching and learning
practices which actively enable both boys and girls.
• A GRP addresses this by integrating gender into the fabric
of teaching and learning – including the processes of
curriculum design, the management and facilitation of
learners in the classroom, etc.
• Gender responsive pedagogy aims to acknowledge social
norms and power imbalances by working with teachers
to build an awareness of gendered stereotypes and biases
in their teaching and learning, and, from there, explore new
practices
What Is
Pedagogy?
• Pedagogy, as a concept, embraces virtually
all teaching and learning processes.
• Within the context of the classroom,
pedagogy is a term that includes what is
taught (the content), how teaching takes
place (the teaching process) and how what
is taught is taught (the teaching
methods).
What Is Gender
Responsive Pedagogy
(GRP)? – I
• GRP refers to the:
– techniques that are applied in
teaching and learning that take into
account the needs of both males and
females.
– teaching and learning processes that
pay attention to the specific learning
needs of female and male students.
What Is Gender
Responsive Pedagogy
(GRP)? – II
• From the definition, two (2) important
issues stand out:
– The learning needs of male and female
learners are addressed in teaching and
learning processes (in and outside of the
classroom).
– Teaching staff are gender-aware and
gender-responsive in their planning and
teaching of subjects, and continuously
 Objectives of
this GRP Session
• Build capacity of teachers to adopt teaching
practices that promote equal treatment and
participation of girls and boys within the
school learning environment.
• “…train teachers to inspire hope, ignite
the imagination and instil a love of
learning in both female and male
learners” - Brad Henry
 Why GRP?
• GRP is very important because it helps to
determine how boys and girls participate
in their education and whether they are
doing well in their studies.
• Teachers’ awareness and understanding
of gender-responsiveness is key to the
effective participation of girls and boys
in their learning processes (e.g. equal
participation in classroom activities).
Achieving GRP:
Creating GR School
Environments
• GRP require teachers to embrace an all-
encompassing gender approach in the processes
of:
• Lesson planning
– TLMs, Learning Activities, Language Use, Classroom Setup
and Classroom Interactions

• Management of Sexual Maturation

• School Management System
• Monitoring and Evaluation
GR Lesson
Planning
• In lesson planning, the teacher decides on the learning
materials, methodologies, content, learning
activities, language use, classroom interaction,
assessment and classroom setup.
• Whereas many teachers have the skills to develop good
lesson plans, most do not have the skills for making the
plans gender responsive. It is therefore important for
teachers to acquire skills to develop a gender
responsive lesson plan.
• A gender responsive lesson plan is a teaching plan that
takes into consideration the specific needs of girls and
boys in all the teaching-learning processes listed above.
 GR Teaching &
Learning
Materials
• The teacher should review the TLMs for gender
responsive.
• For example, does the materials contain gender
stereotypes? If so, what techniques will the
teacher use to address them?
• For instance, if a history textbook only portrays
male heroes, the teacher should include a list of
female heroines in his or her planning notes. If a
chemistry textbook only portrays male scientists
as inventors, the teacher should include a
discussion of female scientists.
GR Teaching
Methodologies
• The teacher should select teaching
methodologies that will ensure equal
participation of both girls and boys.
• Some teaching methodologies, like
group work, group discussions, role play,
debates, case studies, “virtual tours”
and practicals, are more effective in
encouraging student participation and
will therefore give the girls opportunity
to participate more actively.
 GR Learning
Activities
• The lesson plan should make sure that all students
participate in the learning activity.
• For example, when doing a practical science experiment, the
teacher should ensure that both girls and boys have a
chance to use the equipment and chemicals.
• There should be equal participation in such activities as
making presentations.
• When undertaking project, the teacher should ensure that
both girls and boys are given leadership positions and roles.
• The lesson plan should take into account how the learning
materials will be distributed equally to both girls and boys,
especially in cases of shortages.
 GR Language (I)
• Language can also reinforce gender differences and inequalities.
• Some teachers reflect their own gender biases through language, such as
their beliefs that girls cannot perform as well as boys in Maths and
Science, or that boys should not allow themselves to be outperformed by
girls academically.
• In the English Language, male nouns and pronouns are used to refer to
both men and women. The word ‘man’ can be used to describe the human
race and he/him can be used to describe both men and women. For
example, the saying ‘he who laughs last, laughs loudest.’ The teacher
should make an effort to use the pronouns he and she so as not to exclude
one gender.
• Teachers should be conscious of gender-biases in languages. Language
use in the classroom that is gender responsive treats boys and girls as
equal partners and provides a conducive environment for learning to both.
 GR Language (II)
• Most of the offensive communication takes the form of
non-verbal communication.
• This includes gestures and body language such as
winking, touching, brushing, grabbing and other
overtures.
• This is the type of communication that goes unnoticed by
others for a long time, but can be extremely damaging to
classroom participation to the one to whom the
communication is targeted. It is also difficult for the victim
to take action to stop it because there is often no tangible
evidence.
• Most sexual harassment starts in this way
 GR Classroom
Setup
• Many schools do not have adequate or appropriate infrastructure and furniture.
These constrain the teachers’ ability to organize the classroom set up for effective
learning.
• Despite these limitations, innovative teachers are able to organize the classroom
setup in such a way that it is conducive to learning.
• In many cases, however, no attention is paid to the gender responsiveness of the
classroom set up.
• A gender responsive classroom set up responds to the specific needs of both boys
and girls.
• For example, many girls are socialized not to speak out. Seating arrangements
which place them at the back or in corners, reinforce this tendency which in turn
leads to poor performance; high stools in science laboratories are constraining to
girls’ participation in science practicals, especially if their uniform is fitted skirts,
appropriate shelf heights in the libraries, appropriate size, shape and weight of
desks and chairs, etc.
• Fixtures and visual aids on the walls that send gender responsive messages
 GR Classroom
Interaction
• There are many dynamics in classroom interaction that have an
impact on teaching and learning processes, one of them being
gender relations.
• The teacher needs to be aware that the students are also boys
and girls with specific gender needs. As such, the gender roles
and relations impact on the classroom interaction processes.
• Gender responsive classroom interaction takes gender
considerations into account in all the dynamics in classroom
interaction such as: teacher-student interaction; student-student
interaction, teacher presentation (dress, physical appearance,
walking style); teacher behavior (harsh, arrogance, lateness,
drunkardness); teacher and student morale (commitment,
motivation).
 GR Management of
Sexual Maturation
(I)
• Sexual Maturation is a normal process of growing up, characterized by physical
and emotional changes.
• The rapid body changes that accompany maturation in both boys and girls may
interfere with learning.
• The issue of sexual maturation should be carefully examined within the context
of teaching and learning processes, as this will impact on learning outcomes.
• For example, the monthly menstruation for girls may lead to pain and
discomfort. The girls may also fear staining their dresses. Some girls also are
too poor to afford sanitary pads and therefore they miss school altogether for
several days each month. Often schools do not have adequate and appropriate
sanitation for example enough water, sanitary bins, or emergency sanitary
wear. All these interfere with girls’ classroom participation.
• It has been observed that the rate of absenteeism among girls due to
menstruation-related causes is high
 GR Management of
Sexual Maturation
(II)
• Boys too get conscious of their bodies when they reach maturation.
• For example, as they break their voices, become muscular, experience wet
dreams, they become self-conscious about these physical changes and
they too become affected in class and this can be very disturbing and can
impact negatively on their classroom participation.
• Much of the deviant behavior among boys (and girls) becomes more
pronounced at this time, as their body and hormonal changes become
more evident.
• As boys go through maturation changes, they also go through similar
motions of lack of concentration, short attention span and day dreaming
during class sessions.
• Boys also tend to become aggressive due to pressure both from their peers
and from the society. Teachers therefore need to be sensitive and offer
appropriate counsel to students both girls and boys.
Sexual
Harassment
• Sexual harassment is an unfortunate
experience that girls and boys face
daily in their schooling lives.
• Sexual harassment harms both boys
and girls physically, psychologically
and emotionally.
• Sexual harassment has far reaching
implications on the teaching and
learning processes.
• Teachers must create a conducive
classroom environment which is free
from all forms of sexual harassment
Gender Responsive
School Management
System
• he effort to establish a gender responsive pedagogy will not succeed if it is
not supported by a gender responsive school management system. Often
school rules and regulations are not gender responsive and can cause
undue problems and inconveniences, which impact negatively on teaching
and learning processes. The school management has a critical role to play
in transforming a school into a gender responsive environment which is
necessary for nurturing a gender responsive pedagogy.
• For example, it is the role of the school management to provide teaching
and learning materials that are gender responsive and to train teachers in
gender responsive pedagogy. Moreover, the school management should
provide the necessary human resources for efficient gender responsive
management and governance of the school.
• For the school to have a gender responsive management system, the
teacher has an important role to play by working closely with the school
management through regular communication on classroom related gender
issues.
Thank
You!