I had a question concerning “gender appropriateness”. The book says that any male or female can be an effective model if they display societal gender appropriate behaviors. But the last line in the paragraph mentions that in the referenced study, males were more likely to imitate males. Does gender appropriateness refer to the first concept, or the concept that a male will be a better model for a male, and a female a better model for a female?
Anyone can be a model. As long as they fit the criteria set out in the book (relevance, competence, status, and gender), anyone in close proximity, or merely glimpsed from afar can have an effect on what children learn, how they learn, and when children learn. A parent can easily be a model because their children closely observe them. But an actor or actress can be a model too because those same children can turn on the television and observe that person behaving in a certain way. Even a fictional character in a book can be a model, if a child observes that character’s behavior and then tries to recreate it later. As long as the model displays a behavior relevant or interesting to the imitator, appears competent, and holds a higher societal status than the imitator. Gender also plays a role, but is not necessary for the model to be effective. Models can have a profound impact on impressionable young minds, directing attention to certain information, or causing habits, either for better or worse. A child observing a mother making her bed every morning might pick up that habit. But that same child may notice a movie star smoking on television and pick up that habit as well.
For my content area, much of what I teach will be taught through observational learning. In the choir classroom I will have to be a vocal model, explaining and demonstrating appropriate singing techniques with the hope that my students will accurately recreate my behavior. With this in mind, I will have to be commanding and show competence in music. I will also have to let students know that what I say is relevant to them, which may prove difficult, as singing may not be as interesting or appear as pressing as other subjects. Furthermore, being a male choir director will have its positive and negative effects. But these are just two small barriers to overcome for me to become an effective model. Another aspect of my content area is performance, which means that I will have to instill some concepts about performing and acting appropriately on stage to my students. The easiest way to do this is to simply act like I am on stage during every class period, so that by the concert, the students will have observed me “performing” for several weeks. If I am an effective model, students will view my behavior in front of the class and on stage as the way that they should act.
I think, and I might not be correct, that the author is saying that in general, males and females are equally as appropriate for any individual to observe. It is shown that males usually learn more from males and likewise with females. I know from experience, especially with music, that I learn almost every aspect of music (theory, ear training, music lessons) with females teaching, simply because I'm more willing to go in for help with a female teacher for some odd reason! I feel much more comfortable and able to ask questions with female teachers. But, regarding your question, the author wasn't contradicting his previous statement of gender appropriateness at all, but rather just stating an overall fact about gender appropriateness .
ReplyDeleteI think the chapter is trying to communicate that both are true. A model is more likely to be imitated if they display society appropriate behaviors (so, considering ALL imitators) a woman cleaning is more likely to be imitated than if the woman was boxing. However, the woman cleaning OR the woman boxing is more likely to be imitated by little girls.
ReplyDelete