Gender identities in the ECE classroom

"Playing with Gender" by Ann Pelo

Rethinking Schools, Fall 2005

http://www.rethinkingschools.org/archive/20_01/gend201.shtml

accessed 3/5/2011

Summary: Teachers at a Seattle preschool work on understanding their own identities, and how those shape their ongoing work into understanding the backgrounds of their students. Pelo talks a lot about incidences of play in which the very young children are clearly exploring gender roles and identities, and it is interesting to note (especially after today's conference) that the students are doing it in the context of an environment in which they haven't yet been exposed enough to think of what they are doing as wrong, whether because it isn't "manly" or "womanly" enough, or because it is somehow otherwise inappropriate. It is an exciting opportunity to take advantage of "teaching moments" that the children are themselves creating.

Key Points:

• the school takes a positive view of physically involved play, and this seems to help create a freer environment in which the kids can dress each other up or otherwise explore their identities through interaction
• Pelo lists a handful of incredible utterances from her young students, including words that indicate a playful contemplation of how society determines that a boy is a boy, and a girl a girl
• the teachers at the school all work hard, cooperatively, to better understand themselves and their students, and how to help guide and educate these very young children
• given even very "simple" play activities among students, a discerning educator can draw out a wealth of material to prompt discussion and contemplation among her colleagues

Audience: general public, ECE educators interested in ideas in this area

Relevance: This is a big one! The article touches on all sorts of things that have come up in our class discussions, particularly in School and Society-- but also in Inquiry, and even in today's conference! The teachers at Pelo's school are tackling the same sorts of issues that Anita is asking us to think about: how does my culture shape the lens through which I view and teach my students? How might their own backgrounds shape their lenses? How can I work to educate everyone to our best abilities not in spite of, but while embracing these differences? The team she put together is working on what I think could be called an action research project, and as is the nature of action research (at least in my still-forming understanding of it), their conclusions are continuously updated; it is an ongoing assessment of their own practices and environment. Although the article ostensibly focuses on the forming gender identity roles of their preschoolers (and how fascinatingly fluid those are), she tackles much more than that. I'm going to stop writing because this is already too long, but I highly recommend this article.