Overcome Classroom Gender Challenges

Teacher Piyumi notices that in her English classroom, boys tend to dominate group discussions and speaking activities, while girls hesitate to participate. This disparity in the gender affects the confidence levels of her female students.

How can she create a more balanced and inclusive learning environment?
What strategies she might use to encourage quieter students, especially girls, to participate actively?
How can she structure group work to ensure equal opportunities for all students to contribute regardless of their gender?

Let’s read what she did in her own words.

The Problem: Unequal Gender Participation

In my classroom, I noticed a pattern that made me uncomfortable. During group discussions and speaking activities, the boys spoke the most, while the girls stayed quiet. Even when I asked questions, the girls hesitated to respond or gave very short answers. I realized that this problem wasn’t just about participation—it was about confidence. If I didn’t do something regarding this gender disparity, the girls might feel left out and stop trying altogether.

Observing Gender Disparity

The first thing I did was observe how my students interacted. I saw that the boys often spoke first and took over the conversation, leaving little room for the girls to join in. It wasn’t that the boys meant to exclude the girls, but the way the class was working didn’t encourage everyone to participate. I needed to make some changes.

Introducing Turn-Taking Rules

I started by introducing turn-taking rules. In group discussions, everyone had to share at least one idea before anyone could speak again. I also gave students time to write their thoughts before the discussion started. This helped quieter students, especially the girls, feel more prepared. For example, when discussing “Should students have homework every day?” the girls were able to share their opinions more confidently.

Creating Girls-Only Groups

Next, I tried having girls-only groups for some activities. This gave the girls a chance to practice speaking without feeling overshadowed. One day, I asked the girls to work together on designing a poster about reducing plastic waste. They were full of ideas and excited to share them. It showed me that they just needed a supportive space to express themselves.

Assigning Group Roles Regardless of Gender

I also introduced group roles during activities, like leader, note-taker, presenter, and timekeeper. These roles changed every time, so everyone had a chance to lead or speak. At first, some of the quieter girls, like Nirosha, were nervous about being the presenter. But after some practice and encouragement, Nirosha delivered her first presentation with confidence. It was a proud moment for her and for me.

Encouraging Boys to Support Inclusivity

I wanted the boys to understand the importance of letting everyone have a turn. I talked to them privately about creating space for the girls to speak. It worked! One day, Ashen, one of the boys, encouraged a quieter girl, saying, “Tharushi, what do you think? You always have good ideas.” That small act made a big difference.

Reflecting on Gender Involvement

To make everyone reflect on how they worked in groups, I started asking them to think about questions like, “Did everyone get a chance to speak?” or “How can we improve next time?” This helped them see the importance of teamwork and inclusion.

The Results: A More Inclusive Classroom

Over time, I saw real changes. The girls started speaking up more, and the boys became better at listening and working as a team. During a debate about mobile phones in schools, one of the shyest girls in class stood up and confidently shared her opinion. Her classmates clapped for her, and I could see how proud she felt.

Looking back, I’m so glad I made these changes. My classroom is now a place where every student feels valued and included. Everyone’s voice matters, and the students are learning not just English, but how to support and respect one another.

Over to you:

Meet the Trainer – Noel Perera

Noel loves helping new teachers improve their skills and grow their careers. He has worked with many TKTiers worldwide, guiding them for the exam and enhancing their teaching methods. AceTheTKT holds his knowledge and experience gained over 18 years as an English teacher and trainer.