ABSTRACT
This chapter describes how lenses derived from social, feminist, and developmental psychology can enhance teaching about gender diversity. It recommends using these lenses to gauge student readiness for gender diversity lessons. Student unreadiness can impede learning about diversity and acquiring new multicultural competencies. Before teaching diversity lessons, instructors should first strive to understand the presuppositions that students bring into the classroom. Introducing gender diversity concepts, lessons, and activities without first assessing students’ readiness is like giving them new glasses without a thorough prior eye examination. The chapter discusses several aspects of students’ initial ways of thinking that may frame their engagement with social issues of sex, gender, and power. Both social psychological and feminist perspectives offer students alternative means of perspective-taking, a key to critical thinking. In addition to fostering appreciation for competing viewpoints, teaching about gender diversity builds other critical-thinking skills.
