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Women’s sport has made good progress in the last ten years or so. The campaign 20×20 “If she can see it she can believe it” was great in making girls sports more visible. Women’s rugby, soccer and Gaelic football now get huge attendences at games. The Women’s All Ireland final has increased in attendence numbers year on year. I think more media focus and campaigns in schools and on Tv are needed to keep closing that gap in sports coverage and ensure continued involvement by girls in playing sport.
I have come across gender stereotypes on many occasions in classes I have taught. At infant level for example I have seen children choose toys that are traditionally for boys or girls. I think play can reinforce children’s gender stereotypes. Boys generally get cars, trains and Lego as gifts, Girls receive dolls, kitchens and cuddly toys. I have come across a lot of stories books for young children that promote gender stereotypes. In many Fairy Tales the woman is cast as the weak hopeless pretty female waiting on the man to save and rescue her! In my Infant school last year we did a cull of many books where women were only seen in passive, mothering roles and there were many books thrown out! Development education is very important in order to raise awareness and it is important as teachers that we give children opportunities to play and learn in inclusive settings and we are seen to challenge stereotypes through curriculum and the way we speak and act in our schools.
Development Education is about global challenges and problems we face today and how we can understand and meet these challenges. We are all global citizens and our individual actions and words can impact what is happening all over the world.. Development Education is important as it provides pupils with the knowledge and skills to tackle problems such as poverty, inequality, and climate change as individuals, as a school community and a global citizens. It is very important that pupils develop the skill of critical thinking and have empathy. I think SPHE, circle time, SESE are all areas where global citizenship can be developed. I think CPD for staff and whole school initiatives can also create awareness of global issues and develop critical thinking. I think celebration, recognition and tolerance around differences within the school community are also importance and a great starting point for younger children. I teach in an infant school and Green School projects have been fantastic to encourage whole school participation. We focused on waste and sustainability this year and even very young children could talk about recycling, energy conversation and sustainability as it was taught and managed in a fun way.
