I also think it is important to note that students, especially middle school aged, will naturally want to work with students of the same gender. I struggle daily to get my students to work in groups that are co-ed and this case study seemed natural to me that students would divide themselves that way as well as make jokes and remarks.

I feel that the solution to this case study, is to share the importance of kindness and knowing the power that our words can have on each other. This will help to create an environment that students will feel comfortable and supported, which is essential for learning.

When discussing the relationship and stereotypes of genders in education, I think it is important to view all outside factors that could be enhancing these rumors. In Article 1, they share that male students have felt that being successful or caring about school is seen as un-masculine, whereas doing well in school is the norm for female students. This could very well play into why some male students are not as motivate or encouraged to apply themselves in school, in the same way that females are. Article 2 had an interesting study that covered the effects of stereotypes on the overall performance on a quiz, based on if the stereotypes were given before taking it. When women were asked to take a quiz on Sports and Science Trivia, the women who had stereotypes placed upon them before taking the quiz, did significantly worse than those who were just simply given the quiz.

Overall, I think there is evidence to support the idea that gender stereotypes do play into our views of intelligence and can sway how successful we are. With this being said, I think the veteran teacher should be a little more careful when deciding how to choose groups for his next activity. I also think that Matt should have noticed so many of the important things that Bill was doing in his classroom, while also taking note of things that he would do differently.