Men Teaching Children 3-11: Dismantling Gender Barriers

Men Teaching Children 3-11 provides a comprehensive exploration of work experiences of men who teach young children. The authors draw on their own research as well as international studies to provide realistic strategies to help to remove barriers in order to develop a more gender-balanced teacher workforce. Burn and Pratt-Adams, former primary school teachers who have both experienced these unfair gender practices, also trace the historical roots of the gender barriers that have now become embedded within the occupational culture. Throughout Men Teaching Children 3-11, the authors argue that primary school teachers should be judged by their teaching talents, rather than by the application of biased gender stereotypes; and that male and female teachers need to work together to remove these stereotypes from the occupation.

Table of Contents:
Introduction 1. The Historical Background 2. Men Training to Teach Young Children 3. The Role of Sport in Upholding Gender Practice 4. Male Teachers and Discipline 5. Male Role Models 6. Male Teachers and Promotion 7. Moral Panics 8. International Experiences and Perspectives 9. Women Teachers Talking 10. Removing Gender Barriers Conclusion Appendix Glossary Bibliography Index

About the Author :
Elizabeth Burn is a retired academic with substantial experience of teaching in urban schools and higher education. She is now involved in setting up a free school in a disadvantaged area in the North-East of England. Simon Pratt-Adams is Head of the Department of Education in the Faculty of Health, Social Care and Education at Anglia Ruskin University, UK.

Review :
Chapter 1 should be required reading for everyone ... I would argue that any English-speaking teacher, teacher educator, student teacher, school leader or parent ought to read this. This is a book for everyone with an interest in education. It will have obvious appeal to males entering and established in the teaching profession who may, as I did, identify with many of the perspectives presented. I hope it will find a wider audience than just those interested in gender, however, as female teachers, school policy-makers, parents of boys and girls, and academics in the field of teacher education will find much that will help them make sense of the gendered practices they carry themselves and that they encounter in their experiences in education. Men Teaching Children 3-11 is a text with an in-depth review of the topic of men who teach elementary aged children ... This book is perfect for a reader who has a passion for gender equity issues or others who want additional research on the topic. Examining the working lives of men teaching young children, the authors offer a unique spin on gender studies in education. There is great use of data and grounded feminist and post-structural theory. The historical and contemporary vantage points offer multilayered understandings of the topic. In addition to research, historiography and social critique, the book offers pedagogical techniques to disrupt the patriarchal assumptions embedded in school buildings that all too often resemble Victorian households. An ambitious and scholarly volume that is incredibly successful in combining theory and the voices of teachers - both men and women - to convey the depth of the gender contradictions in the primary teaching profession. This is likely to be the definitive work on the topic for many years to come. Burn and Pratt-Adams argue that men teaching in the early years of schooling have been consistently undervalued and positioned as deviant by the wider society. The implications of this for the identity of the Early Years practitioner is significant. By interrogating the views of a group of male Early Years teachers and the associated gender scripts that are attached to them, this book makes a major contribution to the literature in this field and should be read by all those working with young children. Burn and Pratt-Adams skilfully balance the presentation of sometimes complex theoretical positions with an engaging and accessible narrative, which is a perfect combination. This book is a much needed addition to our Professional Studies reading list. Burn and Pratt-Adams' appraisal of the lives and careers of male primary teachers and the role of schooling in social reproduction is timely and informed. The authors demonstrate how discourses of gender and sexuality continue to shape teachers’ career opportunities and offer welcome proposals designed to dismantle institutional barriers to equality. Invaluable for all students of education. This excellent book is about education equality, equity but ultimately gender. It challenges social stereotypes by examining how men work in predominately female education environments. Both Burn and Pratt-Adams show the importance of this area for education research and professional practice. The authors finding of the need for "alliance-work" between male and female teachers have important implications for children, parents, school governors and educational researchers in domestic and international settings.