Gender Representation

Activity Goals

Learners practice conducting the basics of researching using Google while exploring gender representation in government (global, national, or local) or dierent governing bodies/boards (school boards, etc.). Learners gain skills in using dierent vocabulary for speaking data, such as frequency adverbs and words for observation, along with practice in telling data stories.

Key Objectives

UD.4 Identify a need for data in their own communities

SD.6 Explain and interpret data and data visuals

SD.7 Use comparative language

SD.9 Use language for asking questions

These steps describe the activity using “mujeres chilenas” and images of post-dictatorship Chilean cabinets. This activity can be re-imagined for different images, search terms, and contexts, such as for local governments and school boards. Use what makes sense for your community!

Steps

1. Begin by discussing representation misrepresentation, lack of representation, and stereotypes. Translate these words into learners’ languages, and discuss what these terms mean for the learners.

a. How do you feel represented in the news and/or media? How do you feel misrepresented? What stereotypes of your identity can you think of?

2. Look at Google.com as a whole class. Discuss learners’ experience with Google by using terms that express frequency (e.g., “I go to Google often”). What challenges do learners have with using Google? What strengths do learners have with using Google?

3. Search“chilenas”onGoogle. Look at the search results page together.

a. Ask: What was I searching for? Where are the results located? What kind of results did Google give us?

4. Click on the Google Images tab for the same search.

a. Ask: What is different on the Google Images results page compared to the rst results page? Why?

b. Discuss: What is the connection between the two different results pages (Web results and Images

results)?

5. Go back to the search bar and type in different search terms related to the original search term(“chilenas”).

a. Discuss: How does Google give predictions in the search bar and suggested searches based on your prole?

6. Add “mujeres” to your search term (now“mujereschilenas”).

a. Discuss: How does adding one word to your search terms change the search results? How does this change affect the search suggestions?

7. Pick one of the suggestions from the search suggestions(e.g.,“mujeres chilenas en política”). Search more specifically for “mujeres en la política chilena post-dictadura.”

8. Look at the images results and ask them to 1.Observe, 2.Count, 3.Tell.

a. Discuss dierences in counting and telling.

b. Recap language and terms for observing, counting, and telling.

9. The Google Images results show cabinets of different politicians. Ask learners to observe, then count, then roleplay telling others what they learned from the images.

10. Discuss how this activity relates to creating data and the need for data in their own communities. How do the images we looked at together represent women in politics?

a. Reflect on the issues of representation, misrepresentation, lack of representation, and stereotypes that we discussed at the beginning of the activity. How do you feel represented by data? By Google search results?