Sam wrote this framework article for The Assembly: A Journal for Public Scholarship on Education. The framework describes five components of a gender-inclusive biology curriculum that can be used to adapt any existing curriculum. The article also includes reflections on the classroom implementation of each framework component.
[HS and College] Inclusive and Accurate Approaches for Teaching Sex and Gender in Biology
Image of a presentation slide with the rainbow-colored Project Biodiversify logo containing an atom, a DNA double helix, a single-celled organism, a plant, and a winged insect. Title reads “ESA 2018 WK 44: Inclusive and Accurate Approaches for Teaching Sex and Gender in Biology.” The bottom of the image lists three presenter names: Alex Webster - she/her/hers - @alxweb, Ash Zemenick - they/them/theirs - @mtn_ash, and Sarah Jones - she/her/hers - @joness943.
Project Biodiversify team members Alex Webster, Ash Zemenick, and Sarah Jones presented this workshop at the 2018 Annual Meeting for the Ecological Society of America (ESA). The slides contain comprehensive information about the benefits of teaching inclusive biology, and how to adapt existing curricula using an iterative process. Extensive examples are given for sexual reproduction, sex determination, and sexual selection.
6 Ways I Make My Science Class LGBTQ-Inclusive as a Trans Teacher
In this article for GLSEN, Lewis Maday-Travis offers six high-impact ways to include LGBTQ students in science class.
Diversity Is What Makes It Interesting To Study Living Things - in Rethinking Schools
Diversity Is What Makes It Interesting To Study Living Things
In this article from Rethinking Schools, I recount a few instances of gender-inclusive teaching in my genetics unit, and how students responded.
Caption: An illustration of a man with dark hair standing in front of a classroom of students. In the foreground, a student with dark skin and hair with purple streaks in it is sitting and raising a hand. The speech bubble rising shows two conjoined circles filled with a rainbow spectrum. The speech bubble rising from the man shows a black circle separated by a slash from a white circle, followed by a question mark.
Teacher Moves: "But what do I say?" Responses to Gender Questions
Caption: Photograph of a wall with many tools assembled, including chisels and saws mounted on the walls.
Check out this selection of teacher responses to possible put-downs or questions about gender. The main rule of thumb is to be affirming and respectful of a preference or viewpoint while maintaining a safe space for emotional and intellectual challenge. Easy, right? /sarcasm
Link: http://www.welcomingschools.org/pages/be-prepared-for-questions-and-put-downs-about-gender/
Excerpt:
Question: “But he’s a boy, why does he dress like a girl?”
Response(s): “There are lots of different ways that boys can dress and lots of different ways that girls can dress. There are lots of ways that people of any gender can dress. All of these things are OK in our school. Those are the kinds of clothes that he likes to wear? What kinds of clothes do you like to wear?”
Question: “You overhear a student call another student who identifies as a boy, a “girl” in an insulting way.
Response(s): “That’s not OK at our school to call someone a “girl” to insult them or make them feel bad. We don’t use gender as a put-down.”