Thursday, April 19, 2007

Dr. Sandler's Teaching

She has many teaching strategies taught through her articles and activist explanations but she also has her own teaching strategies that have more to do with teaching rather than sex discrimination. She supports the book “The Feminist Teacher Anthology” that guides teachers on strategies for teaching. She is quoted to say, "For many years Feminist Teacher has been providing schoolteachers and college and university faculty members with information and classroom teaching strategies…This anthology of the 'greatest hits' from Feminist Teacher's first ten volumes will be an inspiration to educators and thinkers in all sectors of education."
Dr. Sandler got her Educational degree in Counseling and Personnel Services and has taught at quite a few different places. She was a part-time lecturer at the University of Maryland. She was also an instructor at Mt. Vernon College and a research assistant at the University of Maryland. She also has experience teaching in other areas that are not as prestigious. She was a teacher at a nursery school as well as a guitar instructor. Her expertise stretches far and wide. She is not useful in only one area of knowledge and she continues to work hard now putting all of her theories and guidelines, her hard work for people to consider and take advantage of. She is a true example of someone working FOR the people.

Her teaching abilities are displayed in every part of her work. None of her research has gone unnoticed or become unuseful. Her methods and statistics are shared with people all over the world through the internet, books, magazine articles, newspapers and most influentially through her personal presence in her presentations. She gives many lectures and speeches to universities, board members and people in the workforce about issues she has worked hard to research. This is one of her biggest contributions through teaching. She has definitely excelled at teaching. She not only provides people with knowledge of the problems with the equality of women but also the next steps to fixing these problems and changing the atmosphere for female students.
In “The Chilly Classroom Climate” she explains more specifically the guidelines for teaching. First there are bullets to recognize if the classroom is being taught favorably in a certain way through the subjects of “communicating lower expectations for women” subconsciously such as “asking women easier, more factual questions” and “men the harder, open-ended ones that require critical thinking.” Even to as small as calling “males ‘men’ and women ‘girls’ or gals” is degrading and suggests different maturity levels as well as certain potential. There are also issues about treating the same problems or praises differently between sexes such as labeling “the women who ask extensive questions as trouble-makers and men as interested and bright.” This specific evidence to a discriminated classroom makes it easier for teachers to realize and change. A main strength in Dr. Sandler’s way of getting information across and enlightening those who pay attention is her ability to change complex problems with extensive issues into simple guidelines. One does not have to be a sociologist or study sociology or women’s studies to understand her ideas to better the situation for women.

Also, thereafter she explains stereotypes between genders and tries to bridge the gap from stereotyping, by explaining why we label in that way but also what is “generally” true among these stereotypes and why it is that way. “The differential use of speech and language” is one topic in mind with examples such as “women are more likely to use questions to maintain a conversation, even if they know the answer,” while “men are more likely to use questions to obtain information,” or “men are more likely to listen to the first part of a statement and then almost immediately develop a response in preparation for competition in the conversation.” (Chilly Climate) This comparison helps to understand the differences between men and women but not to make one superior and one inferior but understand the equality and difference. For Dr. Sandler, I think the first step to changing the atmosphere inside the classroom is to realize the problems and these guidelines have helped make that happen. With these guidelines it is easier to formulate what not to do instead of just realizing there is a problem generally but unsure of the next step. Dr. Sandler breaks it down. Her ideas of teaching are going step by step, (baby steps) and analyzing things to the point of making it simple to understand for all levels of education.


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