Order Number |
636738393092 |
Type of Project |
ESSAY |
Writer Level |
PHD VERIFIED |
Format |
APA |
Academic Sources |
10 |
Page Count |
3-12 PAGES |
Read the case study BELOW and Answer the following 3 questions:
CASE 7.1: BOYS VS. GIRLS TRIVIA CONTEST
Matt, a first-year teacher, walked into Bill’s classroom, excited to observe him. Matt had a lot of respect for Bill as a teacher and looked forward to seeing effective classroom management techniques in action. Bill, a teaching veteran, was well-liked by students and colleagues.
Their principal had recommended that Matt observe Bill, noting how he engaged students, a key to limiting disciplinary interruptions. Matt found a desk in the back of the room and prepared to take notes.
As students settled into their seats, Bill welcomed them cheerily. He then reminded them that one of their benchmark tests was scheduled for the next day. Following a brief overview of strategies for studying the material, Bill asked whether they wanted to play a game. “Let’s see how prepared you are for the exam.”
“First, we need to split ourselves into two teams,” Bill explained, then asked students how they wanted to do so. As students discussed options, Bill walked to the back of the room and said to Matt, “If you let students make decisions, they’ll take ownership of their learning.”
One student suggested they form teams by gender, “boys versus girls,” eliciting enthusiastic support from several classmates. Bill sent the young men to one side of the room and the young women to the other side of room, then proceeded to ask each team questions while keeping count of correct responses.
After ten minutes the “girls” team was well ahead of the “boys” team, leading a couple young men to joke they were “letting the girls win.’ A couple young women responded by reminding their male classmates that the “girls” won the previous two games, as well. Following several minutes of the teams mocking one another, Bill tried to refocus all the students by announcing, “If you guys don’t settle down we’ll end the game.”
After class, as students left the room, Matt heard several laughing and making disparaging remarks to one another, debating about which gender was most intelligent. Bill approached Matt and warmly said, “The students love competitions and don’t realize how much they’re learning in the process.”
He then looked down and, seeing Matt’s notes, noticed he had written and circled “gender stereotypes” in his notebook. “Whoa! That’s what you are focusing on?” Bill asked. “Boys versus girls: that’s what the students love to do.” He then counseled Matt, “You’re still new at this and will learn soon enough that, as long as the students are engaged and learning, that other stuff doesn’t matter.”
With that, Bill walked back to his desk as Matt sat speechless, wondering whether he had been too sensitive.