Teaching Elements and Principles of Bridge Design - International ...

FEATURE ARTICLE
• “At the national conference I was
talking to a salesman at an
exhibitor’s booth and a male
colleague barged in, grabbed the
salesman’s hand, and drew him
away as if I were not even there.
It made me feel that I was not
taken seriously.”
• “Personally, I have not had lots of
bad experiences, but other
females have been coddled or
minimized, and we could
encourage and mentor females
better.”
When given an open-ended
opportunity to speak about things that
make them feel uncomfortable in our
profession, the women who responded
noted: Inability of the profession to
define ourselves to others; technical
challenges (i.e. fix the sander);
isolation—I’m the only TE teacher at
the school; rift between traditional
industrial arts (IA) and modern TE
teachers; there is a glass ceiling
preventing advancement, but it may
not be gender-specific; lack of broad
technical experience; and age—I’m
the youngest teacher at my school.
Obviously, some of these concerns are
not gender-specific and many new
teachers would share them.
The next question asked “What is the
best thing about working in TE?”
Several highlights of the responses
included:
• Feeling needed and that the
subject is important (2).
• Fun (5), Variety (3), Exciting (2),
Creativity (2).
• The people and the curriculum.
• Family atmosphere.
As confirmation of the survey and
interview results through observation
(to provide triangulation) the
researcher felt compelled to also
report (in the 2003 study) two recent
events that he witnessed that he
believed illustrated uncomfortable
treatment of women by men in our
profession. Both were in public
forums at professional conferences in
Table 1. A Self-Check Questionnaire
Actions & Perceptions
Score
1 Do I avoid gender stereotypes in my speech? 0 1 2 3
2 Do I chastise students who generalize by gender? 0 1 2 3
3 Do I expect the same performance from girls & boys? 0 1 2 3
4 Would I want my daughter in a class like mine?
5 Do I actively take note of others’ perceptions? 0 1 2 3
6 Do I avoid patronizing statements to & about females? 0 1 2 3
7 Do I avoid statements about peoples’ appearance? 0 1 2 3
8 Would my daughter feel comfortable with statements I make
in class? 0 1 2 3
9 Do I avoid statements with sexual & salacious content? 0 1 2 3
10 Do I avoid jokes with sexual & salacious content or innuendo? 0123
11 Would I want my daughter’s teacher to tell the jokes I tell in class? 0 1 2 3
12 Do I actively seek opportunities for females in TE? 0 1 2 3
13 Do I avoid statements that undermine the dignity of those
who differ from myself in any way (gender, race, culture, sexual
orientation, others)? 0 1 2 3
14 Would I want my daughter treated as I treat the girls in my class? 0 1 2 3
15 Would I want my wife or mother treated as I treat my female
colleagues? 0 1 2 3
16 Do I actively help colleagues become sensitive to gender-related
issues? 0 1 2 3
17 Would my wife, mother, or daughter approve of my actions and
statements in these matters? 0 1 2 3
Total Score:_________
Key for Self Rating
0 No, never, poor, well below
average
1 Sometimes, less than average for
our society
2 Yes, OK, about average for our
society
3 Often, good, more than average for
our society
Interpretation of Scores
< 13 There is a serious problem to
solve, people’s feelings are
hurt
14 - 21 There is lots of room for
growth, females may often
feel uncomfortable
22 - 30 You are contributing to the
problem somewhat, try to
improve & grow
31 - 42 Basically OK, but examine
your low score areas
> 43 Share your positive
perceptions with colleagues,
but you are not perfect either!
We all have room for
improvement.
14 April 2005 • THE TECHNOLOGY TEACHER