Possibly, gender violence It is one of the most serious problems in Spain. Today, November 25 (International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women), and every day of the school year, the educational community faces the challenge of to detect, prevent and eradicate all forms of gender-based violence that could affect students directly or indirectly. Therefore, both parents and schools should working together and side by side to avoid and prevent aggressive situationsof rejection and discrimination towards students, and to promote a education in equality between boys and girls that acts as a true lever for social change.
The classrooms are a very useful space for to keep students away from any kind of violence and harassmentTo teach students that everyone has the same opportunities, that no one is better than others because they are male or female, and that everyone deserves the same respect without any distinctions (culture, gender, special educational needs, etc.). Furthermore, schools have become a key place for preventative work. healthy affective-sexual relationships, the detection of warning signs and the questioning of gender stereotypes that fuel sexist violence.
But how can gender-based violence be prevented in the classroom? What can schools and teachers do? Educational research, institutional campaigns, and daily experience in schools indicate that a comprehensive approach is necessary: teacher training, work with students, family involvement, and a review of materials and messages conveyed throughout the school. Below are some very simple ideas that can be implemented in the classroom without requiring a high level of effort, as well as more advanced proposals based on specialized studies and resources.
Teacher training in educational centers
I always say that teacher training does not end with the teaching career or the competitive examinations. The training of teachers practically continues until their professional career ends. Know and know how to apply guidelines and tools to prevent gender violence and conflict resolution among the students themselves it is fundamental in the classroom. In this way, educational centers should offer workshops, conferences and courses to teachers to find out what to do if there is any type of aggressive, violent or harassment scene in the classes.
Studies on equality and coexistence in schools indicate that when teachers have specific training in co-education, prevention and detection of cases of gender violenceThis significantly improves the center's ability to intervene in a timely manner. Center management, which has a privileged view of school life, typically highlights the following as key aspects:
- Understanding the concept of gender violence in all its breadth: physical, psychological, sexual, economic, social and digital.
- Identify controlling and humiliating behaviors (checking your partner's phone, limiting who you talk to, ridiculing, insulting...) which young people often normalize.
- Detect warning signs in the students (sudden changes in character, isolation, decline in performance, fear of a partner or peer group).
- Knowing the protocols for action internal resources of the center and external support resources (social services, information points, helplines).
If educational institutions do not take responsibility for this training (as is often the case), the internet offers many free educational resources (documentation, courses, books, guides) to enable active, autonomous, and independent learning. It's important to remember that this involves understanding tools and dynamics for to prevent rejection, discrimination and violence among studentsThere are social skills guides specifically aimed at preventing gender violence, which help teachers to work on respect, self-esteem and assertiveness with the students.
Furthermore, it is essential that this training not be limited to a single session. Ideally, it should be integrated into the educational project of the center and be updated periodically, incorporating new problems (such as cyberbullying or control through social networks) and good practices that other schools have successfully developed.
Teacher attitude towards students in the classroom
Maybe it seems silly or something very obvious. But the attitude of the teachers towards the students is key to avoid situations of gender violence in the classes. If the teacher treats all students the sameHe understands them all equally and He values them without making any distinctions.Students will be learning firsthand that rejection, discrimination, and intolerance based on gender lead nowhere.
Educating for equality means that teachers must be aware of how their own beliefs can influence their expectations. This is important:
- Avoid phrases or comments that reinforce stereotypes such as “Boys are more brutish” or “girls are more responsible.”
- Distribute speaking turns in a balanced way, encouraging that Girls should also lead, express their opinions, and make decisions in the classroom.
- Assigning tasks and responsibilities without regard to gender, promoting co-responsibility and cooperation.
In this section we can also talk of the language teachers use: in their classes they could use the feminine more and refer to the concepts with generic words such as childhood instead of children, family instead of parents. This way it will go eliminating sexism from the classrooms and will promote gender equalityThe review of non-sexist language should also extend to written materials, exams, circulars, and communications with families.
Another thing that teachers can do is spend ten minutes of their classes talking about a female character who has been important in history and for society. This will convey that women can have the same talents as men and dedicate themselves to the same things as them. We're talking about fostering a positive and equal attitude which always starts with teachers and is reinforced by showing female role models in science, art, sports or technology.
In adolescence, it is especially important that teachers work critically on Myths of romantic love (Jealousy as proof of love, the idea of the soulmate, the belief that suffering is an inevitable part of a relationship) because these are the basis of many unequal relationships. A tutor who listens, supports, and knows how to set clear boundaries against controlling behavior, humiliation, or sexist jokes becomes an essential figure of protection for students.
Apply cooperative learning
Cooperative learning is an active methodology that fosters teamwork among students. Each team must be composed of an equal number of boys and girls. In this way, the group of students helps each other and works together to achieve the objectives set by the teacher for the task. Furthermore, cooperative learning It is highly recommended to promote empathy and solidarity among students.
When cooperative groups are organized that are heterogeneous in gender, background, and abilities, opportunities are created for students to:
- Share responsibilities and leadershippreventing boys from always assuming the most visible or technical roles.
- Get used to listen to and value the contributions of all people, regardless of their gender.
- Learn to resolve conflicts through dialogue and respectful, a key skill in preventing any form of violence.
Furthermore, specific cooperative tasks can be designed to address equality: analyzing advertisements from a gender perspective, reviewing song lyrics popular among young people to identify sexist messages, creating awareness campaigns within the school itself, etc. All of this helps students identify the sexist stereotypes present in the media and on social networks and become aware of how they influence your relationships.
Observing the series and audiovisual content consumed by children is also very interesting: various studies have found that Psychological violence and stereotypical roles They remain very prevalent in children's and youth programming. Group analysis allows us to deconstruct these messages and propose alternative models based on respect and shared responsibility.
Didactic units on the prevention of gender violence
The didactic units are very useful to carry out and develop specific activities (in this case related to gender violence). In these activities Students have to be the protagonistsFor example, students could each read a paragraph from a story or book chosen by the teachers that contains stories about values and friendship. Short plays or scenarios involving violence, discrimination, or rejection could be acted out and then discussed with the students.
The design of these units can be adapted to different educational stages:
- Early Childhood Education and the first years of Primary Education: working on equality through symbolic play, stories without stereotypes, free choice of toys and costumes, and activities that reinforce messages such as "we can all take care" or "we can all play everything".
- Final years of Primary School: introduce basic vocabulary on equality, rights, good treatment, emotions, peaceful conflict resolution, and analyze everyday situations where discrimination occurs.
- Secondary and Baccalaureate: delve into the concept of gender violence, work on real cases (always with sensitivity and respect), analyze statistical data, social networks, adolescent relationships and the impact of patriarchy on everyday life.
I'm sharing a video that I personally really liked, and if your school has the opportunity to create something similar, I would highly recommend it for your students. It's a campaign made by students to prevent gender-based violence: "Not even a forced kiss"Remember that even if there is a specific day marked on the calendar, The prevention of any type of violence should be addressed throughout the entire school year.integrating it into tutoring, projects, special activities and the daily life of the center.
In addition to short films and theatrical monologues, the following are also very useful: documentaries and testimonies of women survivorsThese activities allow students to empathize with the reality of the victims and understand that gender-based violence is not an abstract concept, but a very serious violation of human rights. It is also recommended to include readings (novels, short stories, biographies) that address different forms of violence against women and offer tools for identifying and combating them.
Prevention of gender violence through sport
Sport is a great activity to eliminate any type of violence from the classroom and give the same opportunities to all students. Through sport they are encouraged very important values such as: diversity, solidarity, empathy, respect, tolerance, cooperation, diversity and a lot of positive attitude is generated.Sport, in this case, within physical education, could help to prevent situations of rejection and gender discrimination.
For physical education to truly be a preventative tool, the following is essential:
- Organize mixed teams where girls and boys share spaces, responsibilities and leadership.
- Avoid comments like “this game is for girls” or “this sport is for boys,” encouraging that everyone can try all the activities.
- To give visibility to female role models in sports and to question the idea that only male achievements deserve recognition.
- Work the emotional management in the face of defeat, frustration and competitiveness, reinforcing respect for the rules and for colleagues.
Cooperative games, trust-building activities, and activities where the goal is for the whole group to achieve a common objective are especially useful for creating a climate of mutual support. Within this climate, it becomes easier to identify and stop any teasing, humiliation, or discrimination that might occur in the playground or locker room—spaces where harassment related to gender or sexual orientation sometimes arises.
Take into account emotional education in the classroom
Emotional education is key to avoiding any situation of violence in the classrooms. If students can to express their emotions freely and without being judgedThis will improve the classroom atmosphere, reduce the tension caused by some conflicts, and above all, students will become aware of how others feel and understand their own emotions. In this way, they can reduce scenes of rejection, discrimination and intolerance.
Systematically working on emotions helps children and adolescents to:
- Learn to identify and name what they feel (fear, anger, jealousy, sadness, frustration, joy, calm).
- Develop assertive communication skills to ask for what they need without aggression or submission.
- Recognize harmful emotions linked to control and jealousy in relationships, friendships or family.
- Build a strong and positive self-esteem, key to not tolerating humiliation or mistreatment.
Gender-based violence doesn't arise from nothing; rather, it feeds on hegemonic models of masculinity that reward domination and power over women. Therefore, a well-structured emotional education must also challenge the idea that boys "don't cry" or that they always have to appear strong, helping to build a healthy emotional intelligence. egalitarian and caring masculinities who reject violence as a form of relationship.
Meetings with parents of students
Obviously, not everything is the responsibility of schools and teachers. They don't have to do all the work. As I said at the beginning, teachers and parents need to collaborate and cooperate to prevent situations of gender-based violence from occurring in classrooms and at home. Informative and guidance meetings They are very useful and recommended for families to learn and apply guidelines to eliminate any case of violenceIn this way, children/young people will be formed who are committed, sensitive, supportive, tolerant and empathetic.
In these sessions with families it is important to address topics such as:
- The need for end traditional gender roles at home (equitable division of tasks, co-responsibility in care).
- The importance of Do not let sexist jokes or comments go unpunished and explain to sons and daughters why they are harmful.
- How to talk with teenagers on relationships, social media, consent, respect and privacy.
- The relevance of offer consistent adult role models with the values that are meant to be conveyed: boys and girls learn about equality by observing how the adults in their environment relate to each other.
In this section, we can also include the teamwork between the school and the Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs). This involves activities, campaigns, and talks (providing information on sexuality, relationships, adolescent behavior, boundaries, and basic rights) to students to achieve to eliminate stereotypes that directly lead to a possible start of gender violenceCoordination with specialized entities and public awareness campaigns multiplies the impact of these actions.
Co-educational framework, protocols and specific materials
The fight against gender violence and education in equality go hand in hand. Educating children and adolescents is key to creating a more egalitarian society where sexist behavior has no place. It is urgent to address this problem in homes and schools in order to to recognize and combat sexism and violent behavior towards women from childhood.
Numerous studies agree that gender violence is one of the most brutal symbols of inequality and that school is a privileged space for working on its prevention from the earliest stages of socialization. This implies that schools must:
- Incorporate gender perspective in the educational project and in all his actions.
- Review the curriculum materials and teaching resources to avoid stereotypes and sexist language.
- Apply co-educational methodologies that break with the idea of "boys'" and "girls'" tasks.
- Count on clear detection and action protocols in cases of gender violence, both inside and outside the center.
Several autonomous communities have developed inter-institutional coordination protocols These protocols guide actions for prevention, detection, and victim support. They typically include initiatives such as teacher training, the development of specific tutoring materials, the creation of secure communication channels for students to seek help, and coordination with specialized services.
In many cases, educational regulations explicitly include the obligation to work on gender equality, respect for diversity, and non-discrimination on the grounds of sex, sexual orientation or gender identityThis translates into the need for the center to guarantee a climate of coexistence in which all people feel safe and respected, and where any form of violence, harassment or discrimination is addressed quickly and professionally.
Teaching, audiovisual and literary resources for the classroom
To effectively work on preventing gender violence in classrooms, it is very useful to rely on a wide variety of didactic resources that make the subject matter more accessible to students in a meaningful way. Among them we can find:
- Short films and educational videos that show stories of control, jealousy, humiliation or violence and propose alternatives based on respect.
- Social skills guides aimed at building egalitarian relationships, strengthening self-esteem and developing assertiveness.
- Books and novels for young adults that denounce different forms of violence against women (physical, psychological, social, family) and offer examples of resistance and mutual support.
- Cooperative games and group dynamics that promote empathy, respect, tolerance, and inclusion.
- Specific materials for working on sexism in languagehelping students to express themselves appropriately and equally.
It is also interesting to incorporate activities involving the critical analysis of songs, films, series, and social media content consumed by young people. Many lyrics and storylines continue to be reproduced. jealousy, control, objectification, and power relations as something normal. Using these materials, which are very close to their daily lives, allows students to see what they hear and see with different eyes, and to become aware that they can choose different models.
The presence of female role models in history, science, art or sport It is another essential resource for breaking with the idea that women have played a secondary role. Research projects about women forgotten by history, short biographies, displays in the school hallway, or classroom presentations are simple strategies that have a great impact on the construction of children's identity.
Online, platforms like Educate in Equality They bring together materials, guides, videos and activity proposals adapted to different educational stages, which makes it easier for teachers to plan a sustained intervention throughout the course.
What did you think of the ideas that can be developed in classrooms to prevent gender-based violence? Which ones would you incorporate? Do you do any activities in class or at home to prevent and eliminate situations of rejection and gender discrimination? Each school and each family, from their own perspective, can contribute initiatives that, together, help create a shared culture of respect, equality, and absolute rejection of violence against women.
More information in Educate in EqualityInvesting in the prevention of gender-based violence in schools not only protects girls and adolescents who may be at risk, but also helps all children and young people grow up with a positive attitude towards gender equality. values of respect, care and co-responsibilitybuilding a society in which relationships are based on freedom and real equality.