At a faculty meeting several years ago, I noticed that the women in the group were interrupted by men far more often than men were being interrupted by women or other men. There were about the same number of men and women in the group. I was soon wondering why the women tolerated being interrupted and why the men felt it was OK to interrupt women. As a teacher educator, I also wondered if something similar was happening in our K-12 classrooms. I decided to conduct an informal study over the next several weeks as I visited student teachers in five different elementary classrooms. I asked the teachers to schedule my visit at a time when their students would be engaged in a class discussion.
As I listened to the students discussing different issues, I kept a tally of who was doing the interrupting and who was being interrupted. I also took notes on what strategies the student teachers used to support all students in having their voices heard.
This is a summary of what I found:
- Boys interrupted girls far more than girls interrupted boys.
- Boys were more assertive than girls in not allowing others to interrupt them while they were speaking.
- For the most part, student teachers did little or nothing to stop or minimize students interrupting each other. Rarely did the teachers offer encouragement to students who were not actively participating in the discussion.
As I met with the student teachers after each of my observations, I asked, “Did you notice any difference in how boys and girls participated in the discussion?” Only one teacher seemed to be aware of boys interrupting girls and being more assertive in expressing their ideas. After sharing my observations, I asked the student teachers for ideas of what they could do to encourage girls to be more assertive in having their voices heard. Together, the student teachers and I came up with these suggestions:
- Set rules in advance about how to participate in a classroom discussion. Emphasize that all students have a right to share their ideas without interruption.
- When one student interrupts another, remind him or her of the rule and allow the student who was speaking to continue.
- Encourage non-participating students to share their ideas. If a student reacts badly to being called on individually, meet with them after class and tell them that you are interested in their ideas on the topic.
- Give students an example of how they might respond when interrupted, such as, “I’m still speaking. I will listen to you when I’m finished.”
While these suggestions will be helpful for all students, they may be especially beneficial for girls. A recent report of studies conducted in over a dozen countries and commissioned by the Government Equalities Office in the United Kingdom indicates that as many as one in five girls feels too insecure to share her opinions in class. For some girls, it’s because they don’t want to draw attention to their less-than-perfect selves, and they’re afraid of being criticized.
Dr. Anita Gurian, researcher with New York University’s Child Study Center, explains that by age nine, girls are more likely than boys to have low self-esteem, which is associated with other emotional, social and academic problems. Children with low self-esteem, she notes, tend to be overly self-critical and may become passive, withdrawn and depressed. They may have a difficult time dealing with problems or hesitate to try new things.
Supporting girls in speaking up during classroom discussions won’t solve all the issues that can harm girls’ self-esteem. But any steps we can take to help girls realize their ideas are valued and to create an environment where they feel safe to make their voices heard are steps in the right direction—for all students.
Additional Reading:
The Confidence Code by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman (2015)
“The Confidence Gap” by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman, The Atlantic (2014)
Girls on the Edge by Leonard Sax (2011)
Wilson is an educational consultant and curriculum writer.
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