How to Teach Age and Gender Sensitivity

Both gender and age sensitivity are important in a classroom.

Age and gender sensitivity are both important concepts to teach in a classroom environment, or to any group of children. Bullying has become a more recognized issue recently because of several high-profile cases in the news that garnered national attention. Teaching age and gender sensitivity to children is one step that can help to create a more harmonious world.

Instructions

Age Sensitivity

1. Discuss with children their own age group first, at their own level. For instance, talk to first graders about the things that they are learning, the responsibilities that they have, and what their development is like right at that moment.

2. Discuss other age groups, beginning with those closest to the students. Ask the children if they have any siblings, and use some sibling examples to talk about different developmental stages. For instance, if one of your first graders has a 16-year-old old sister, talk about issues related to high school adjustment, learning how to drive, and being a teenager. If another student has a 4-month-old brother, discuss what a baby is like, how they are developing differently, and what types of things babies do. This puts different age groups on a level that students can understand.

3. Discuss what it means to be an adult. Responsibilities like having a job, running a family, driving a car, or taking care of children are all part of adulthood. Children know adults, so they can relate to what you are saying.

4. The elderly are a group often misunderstood by children. Discuss what it means to be elderly, and the various challenges that people face as part of the aging process.

5. Take students on excursions where they can be exposed to different age groups, such as day care centers and assisted living facilities. When students have exposure to different age groups, the people in those groups become less scary. Understanding promotes sensitivity.

Gender Sensitivity

1. Discuss traditional gender roles. Even though much of the world has moved into different and more equal roles for both genders, not all traditional gender stereotypes have been wiped out, and if you start by discussing these traditional roles in your own culture, you can go on to explain how they have changed.

2. Give examples of the ways that genders are the same to emphasis the idea that gender roles have indeed changed.

3. Discuss the ways that genders are different. This can be a tricky topic, because depending on your culture, men and women might play different roles. Discuss this with an open mind because different students will have different opinions about what these roles might be.

4. Discuss alternative genders, such as transgender people. However, be sure that you have the backing of the school or district first; in some areas, you are not allowed to teach students about these issues.

References

• Global Journals: Age and Gender in Classrooms
• Assumption Davao: Sensitivity Teaching