Educational Toolkits: Where should you begin?

Cards for Democracy
Published on
December 29, 2021
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Educational Toolkits: Where should you begin?

In the last three articles we talked in depth about the Toolkits created for the European Commission to challenge learners in primary and secondary schools to identify and question gender stereotypes and discover career opportunities in the transport sector.

This created the opportunity to carry out an interview with two of the authors of the Toolkits: Maria Luísa de Bivar Black – historian, teacher, educator and consultant with experience in education for human rights and democracy – and María Pilar Santos Tambo – language teacher in secondary school and university and also manager of a teacher professional development program in Spain.

The interview was hosted by Pascale Mompoint-Gaillard: education consultant, trainer and co-founder of Learn to Change.

On today’s article we talk about some paths suggested by the authors themselves to start using the Toolkits with their students.

From the beginning to the end, the sequencing of the toolsets and activities in this toolkit follows the logic of progression.

At the same time, the toolkits has been designed in a way that allows you to develop your own pathway.

The toolkit provides a context and the contents to pursue specific interests. You may pick and choose material according to your own needs and inspiration.

As you browse through the toolsets and the learning activities, you might do so asking yourself the three why questions to make your own selection.

The Toolkit also offers suggested pathways to the learning activities according to specific learning goals, which are clearly specified under each pathway. These pathways vary in length and complete different learning aims and relevant sequences. It is possible to follow one or several of the recommended pathways.

Suggested pathways to the learning activities

The learning activities follow an internal coherence that will guide you in your progression along the three main concepts explored (i.e. gender stereotypes, work and transport).

However, for ease of use, there are eight suggested pathways varying in length, which can be completed to answer the specific interests listed below.

The purpose of the suggested pathways is to offer a flexible approach for teachers to adapt the learning activities to the needs of their particular context.

Use this pathway to raise learners’ awareness about existing gender stereotypes.

  • Activity 2: Learning about gender stereotypes – Learners understand the concepts of gender stereotypes and gender equality.
  • Activity 6: Do I fit the stereotype? – Learners develop a critical understanding regarding gender stereotypes.
  • Activity 7: The podium – Learners reflect on the different ideas, concepts, issues, etc.
  • Activity 10: Letter to self – Learners reflect and plan their future in relation to the world of work.

This pathway allows learners to observe the reality around them and to better understand other people from the perspective of gender equality.

  • Activity 3: Getting to know you – Learners discover that they only know a part of the other, that they often judge others through gender stereotypes and they infer that the same is true with regard to themselves.
  • Activity 5: Who does what at home? – Learners observe gendered patterns of behavior in household chores related to girls and boys.
  • Activity 7: The podium – Learners reflect on the different ideas, concepts, issues, etc.

This pathways aims to stimulate learners’ interest in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).

  • Activity 9: Working like engineers! – Learners experience an introduction to a STEM activity (hands-on and creative).
  • Activity 11: Draw the job, meet the person – Learners become familiar with certain STEM-related/transport-related jobs.
  • Activity 16: Imagining the future of transport – Learners consider transport used today to compare to transport used in the past and imagine what transport might look like in the future.

This pathway offers differentiated learning, providing for diverse thinking and learning styles.

  • Activity 12: Color, symbol, image – Learners think non-verbally and explore different paths for metacognition.
  • Activity 16: Imagining the future of transport – Learners consider transport used today to compare to transport used in the past, and imagine what transport might look like in the future.
  • Activity 19: I love my bike! – Learners explore an object through careful observation.

This short pathway allows learners to adopt different viewpoints and develop their capacity for empathy.

  • Activity 1: A step inside – Learners explore other people’s perspectives.
  • Activity 3: Getting to know you – Learners discover that they only know a part of the others, that they often judge others through gender stereotypes and they infer that the same is true regarding themselves.
  • Activity 21: What’s the story behind the scene? – Learners adopt the perspectives of different people and even objects.

Explore the importance of work in our way of living and analyse whether women are equally represented in all professional areas.

  • Activity 8: Think, pair, share – Learners discuss the prominent role work plays in people’s lives.
  • Activity 9: Working like engineers! – Learners experience an introduction to a STEM activity (hands-on and creative).
  • Activity 12: Colour, symbol, image – Learners think non-verbally and explore different paths for metacognition.

Through this pathway you can explore the prominent role that transport plays in different, sometimes unsuspected, aspects of our lives.

  • Activity 13: Stop, look and listen! – Learners discover traffic rules and infer their importance.
  • Activity 14: What do we know about transport? – Learners observe and identify different means of transport and explain in their own words why transport is needed.
  • Activity 15: I want to ride my bicycle – Learners reflect on the environmental impact of transportation and discover the benefits and joys of riding a bicycle.
  • Activity 18: Hurry up! We don’t want to miss the train – Learners look more closely into some of the jobs involved in rail transport and explore their complexity; they also develop their thinking and metacognition skills.
  • Activity 20: Let’s go to the supermarket – Learners understand and value the importance of transport in their life.
  • Activity 22: Transport is my choice – Learners value the importance of transport and consider a job in the transport sector.

Use this pathway to follow the full progression along the three aspects developed in the toolkit: gender stereotypes, work and transport.

  • Activity 1: A step inside – Learners recognise the existence of different assumptions about boys and girls.
  • Activity 2: Learning about gender stereotypes – Learners understand the concepts of gender stereotypes and gender equality.
  • Activity 4: Draw the jobs – Learners identify language biases that make women invisible.
  • Activity 9: Working like engineers! – Learners experience an introduction to a STEM activity (hands-on and creative).
  • Activity 11: Draw the job, meet the person – Learners become familiar with certain STEM-related/transport-related jobs.
  • Activity 16: Imagining the future of transport – Learners consider transport used today to compare to transport used in the past, and imagine what transport might look like in the future.
  • Activity 17: When I grow up – Learners explore their future professional interests.
  • Activity 22: Transport is my choice – Learners value the importance of transport and consider a job in the transport sector.
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