In this blog post, Ariel Heyman shares a five-step strategy to teach genetics while protecting and affirming student identity.
4 Ways Biology Can Make Your Teaching More Inclusive
When I switched to science teaching, I worried we weren’t preparing students for the diverse professional work environments I had left. Peers from different backgrounds often struggle to work together, and some curriculum can limit, not expand, the student conversation.
A student says…
“You need a mom and dad to make a baby.”
“Same-sex pairings or transgender behavior is unnatural because they don’t produce babies.”
“My textbook says a characteristic ‘goal’ of life is to mate and have biological children.”
“But I was taught that everyone is XX or XY. Is that wrong?”
What do we say?
Even in San Francisco, more experienced teachers asked me, a nonbinary immigrant biology teacher, whether science had any unbiased resources for talking to students in a gender-inclusive way. I’m passionate about creating a classroom where students can stay curious about new experiences and identities, but I still want to keep science at the center.
To get you started, I’m sharing four ways teachers at any level or subject can respond to common gender-related questions using the evidence-based model of actual scientific research. Click through to read the article on WeAreTeachers, which includes the infographic below. Feel free to print and/or share!
–RXS
