Ensuring gender equality when asking questions

In many classrooms around the world, boys and girls do not always receive the same opportunities to participate. Often this happens without the teacher realising it. Teachers may ask more questions to boys, give them more attention, or encourage them more in certain subjects. Cultural expectations can also affect how confident girls feel speaking in class. Think about your own classroom — do boys and girls participate equally? Are there situations where girls might feel less confident speaking?

In the previous activity, we looked at how boys and girls sometimes participate differently in class discussions. Now listen to three teachers talking about small changes they made to encourage more balanced participation. “I realised I was asking more questions to boys without noticing. When I started paying attention, I saw the same students answering again and again.” “I began keeping track of who answered questions. Sometimes I would write small marks on my lesson plan so I could see if I was asking boys and girls equally.” “In my class, some girls were shy about speaking. So I sometimes ask them questions after group work, when they feel more confident.” “I also started giving students a few seconds to think before answering. This helped quieter students feel ready to speak.” “I now move around the classroom when asking questions, so I am not always facing the same students.” “These are small changes, but they helped more students feel confident to participate.” Encouraging equal participation does not require big changes. Often, small adjustments in how we ask questions can make a big difference. .