Framework for Developing Non-Sexist Teacher Education Materials: A Concept Paper.

Overview & Synopsis

This concept paper provides a framework for the development of a nonsexist curricular unit in teacher education courses. The immediate goal is the elimination of the narrowness of the traditional male-dominated curriculum. To assure that learning regarding sexism and sex-role stereotyping is applied in the classroom, a teacher education curriculum must be built that is based upon practical problems which teachers encounter. The current lack of sex-fair teacher education courses and materials makes it likely that new teachers will enter school knowing materials and teaching procedures that perpetuate sex inequality in education. Suggestions are made in this paper for bringing about a major reformation in the teacher education curriculum. It is specifically recommended that sex-fair instructional materials should be created for incorporation into the following courses: foundations of education, psychology of education, methods courses, and field experiences. An annotated bibliography on sexism in education is included. (JD)