Gender Equality and Inclusion in Schools

FORMA.Azione

7 – 11 April 2025, Perugia – Ponte San Giovanni

04/2025-

Active

Considering that inclusivity is a foundation of the education sector, meaning that teachers are required and assessed also through the lens of their capacity to make the learning setting, even practically, accessible and just for all, this learning pathway is targeting teachers who want to improve their skills to be more inclusive and not gender stereotyped in designing and delivering teaching.

Gender Equality and Inclusion in Schools is designed to equip teachers with the necessary knowledge and skills to make their pedagogies more inclusive, open to diversity and just and fair for all, and promote a safe and gender equal learning environment for their students. Through a learner-led pathway, starting from individual self-reflection and proceeding to group works and discussions, teachers will explore how unconscious gender stereotypes are rooted, determining discriminatory practices in career guidance, teaching methodologies and students assessment.

In addition, the intersectional approach will support the acquisition of competences useful to prevent and remove other ground of discriminations that can negatively affect learning pathways and settings.

Main features:

Diversity and Inclusion in school settings: critical examination of diversity, with reference to the different grounds of discrimination (gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion) in connection with teachers’ perception, to start identifying and recognising stereotypes and prejudices in education, starting from the personal experience as teachers. Through self and group reflection participants will first reinforce their capacity to identify and recognise stereotypes and their impact at both individual and organisational level; then will be able to start designing appropriate measures to overcome inequalities in the education settings, in view of building a more inclusive environment.
Gender equality matters in guidance and education: research shows that gender stereotypes and bias can predict how students can succeed both at school and in their career. Schools are thus required to full invest on unlocking students’ potential despite gender stereotypes and other form of discrimination, based on ethnicity, abilities, religion, etc. Participants will practice gender equal skills in strategic education process, such as career guidance (both when prospect students choose the school and when they choose university or access labour market), teaching and students’ assessment, including during interviews and guidance interviews, in written and oral communication, in the assessment process, etc.
Inclusive language and practices in school: participants will consult and compare a variety of guidelines and ready-to-use resources on gender sensitive and, in general, inclusive language so as to reflect on their communication skills and styles. In addition, they will learn how to teach students the importance of acquiring and practicing inclusive language to prevent bullying and cyberbullying events that are increasingly characterising the school environment.
Gendered Disinformation: Examine the intersection of gender and disinformation. Discuss how gender stereotypes can contribute to the spread of harmful narratives, especially in digital environments and through social media, thus allowing teachers to actively work to raise students’ awareness on the risks and potential negative impacts that gender disinformation, misogyny, hate speech addressing women and girls can determine on students’ well-being and online safety.
Practical Group Sessions: Engage in hands-on sessions to explore tools and methods, including serious games, videos and other innovative approaches to design and develop gender equal teaching activities, also with reference to the online environment and the social media particularly. Work collaboratively with other teachers to create engaging and effective learning experiences.
Perugia and its local context: Visit the historic city of Perugia to explore its cultural heritage and see how it is enhanced by digital experiences, unveiling their educational potential. Connect with local educators and organisations to exchange good practices and gain insights into the challenges and opportunities of gender equality in the region.

Daily programme

Day 1

Registration, introduction to the course and expectations
Ice-breaking activities
Introduction to Gender Construct: meaning and implications at societal, education and labour market level
Self-reflection at individual level and group reflection and discussion on: gender stereotypes and unconscious bias; analysis of texts and contents from social media, textbooks, advertising.
How much my organisation is gender inclusive? Open discussion among the participants led by key word and organisational processes’ analysis through gender lenses.

Day 2

Study visit at local Institutions and CSOs advocating for gender equality in the Labour Market and at societal level: workshop on good practices
Gender stereotypes affect career choices and opportunities since the early years: how much gender swap can help in adopting a different perspective.
What are the gender equality competences that educators/teachers need? (Initial part)

Day 3

Design and description of the gender equality competences of educators/teachers
The gender equality competences in the guidance process, in teaching and students’ assessment: overcoming biases and unlocking students’ potential by wearing gender lenses
Practical group activity

Day 4

Study visit at local schools: workshop on good practices adopted in the schools at both pedagogical and organisational/policy level
Group work on building a Gender-equality curriculum for school

Day 5

Contrast to stereotype-biased information (GenderED Coalition project)
Preventing and combating online harassment and gender-based violence
Intersectionality to better support teachers and students’ well-being
Final debriefing and evaluation

Learning objectives

Thanks to this course the participants will be able to:

Identify, recognise and (re)act towards gender stereotypes and discrimination in the school context and at societal level.
Define a set of skills needed by the teachers to teach and advocate for gender equality and diversity in school.
Craft lesson plans on gender equality and design and test such skills through the different key processes teachers are involved in, meaning career guidance, interviewing students, students’ assessment
Utilize inclusive and gender-sensitive practices and language to ensure gender equity is reflected in lesson plans and guidance and students’ processes.
Exchange experiences and best practices in a multicultural environment with European participants and staff.
Learn and cooperate in an international context, also improving English communication and teamwork skills.
Get to know and make contacts with European colleagues and organisations thanks to team building and networking activities.

Methodology and assessment

The methodological approach of the course is intended to be practical and cooperative, in order to promote peer learning, transferability into everyday practice and effectiveness. Learning by doing, group work, study cases and best practices’ exchange will also be fostered.

Assessment will be carried out at the end of every training day and at the end of the course, in order to tailor the learning experience to the participants’ needs, attitudes and competences. Pre- and post- evaluation of the participants will be conducted as well, so as to measure the course’s efficacy.

Learning time

The total learning time amounts to 27 hours.

Materials, digital tools & other learning resources

Slides
Videos
Platforms for interactive activities (i.e. Mentimeter)
European projects' resources
Competence frameworks
Study visits

Certificate details

After completing the course, participants will receive a certificate of attendance and the Europass Mobility Certificate. These documents are in line with the Quality standards for courses under Key Action 1 (learning mobility of individuals) and include a description of the course together with its learning outcomes, dates and learning time, name of the course provider and instructor(s).