Teachers given ‘role-play script’ for addressing toxic masculinity in classrooms

An alarming spike in sexist and misogynistic behaviour from male students has led to a new training program for teachers at Catholic and private schools. Here’s how it will work.

A landmark new national research project will give every Catholic and independent school teacher conversation guides and role-play scripts to combat the sexism and toxic masculinity of male students.

The two-year Monash University project will support private school secondary school teachers to tackle issues as they arise in classrooms and playgrounds by providing them with practical tools to help them have “tricky conversations” with students. The project, funded by Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS), comes as teachers say they lack confidence when calling out instances of sexism and misogyny as they occur.

Lead researcher Dr Naomi Pfitzner, deputy director of the Monash Gender and Family Violence Prevention Centre, said teachers have been asking for more professional development in this area.

Teachers at Catholic and independent schools will be given training in how to deal with sexism in the classroom. Picture: iStock

“They want help to engage in these challenging discussions aimed at disrupting misogynist narratives,” she said.

“These are tricky conversations because we are seeking to equip school teachers to call out and explain why these attitudes and values are not appropriate”.

It comes as the private school sector has been the location for a range of damaging and highly publicised incidents involving male students.

These include boys singing a sexist chant on a tram, having a list of misogynist muck-up day pranks, ranking their female peers on their looks and desirability, among other events.

Co-researcher Dr Stephanie Wescott said Australian women teachers “have described an alarming increase in sexual harassment and other harmful behaviours by boys in classrooms, often linked to narratives and ideologies unmistakably derived from manosphere content”.

The “manosphere” includes a myriad of negative influences including notorious “manfluencers” like Andrew Tate and Jordan Peterson as well as social media challenges daring boys to act in misogynist or sexist ways.

The project will involve in-depth research into the narratives influencing young boys and men, followed by workshops with secondary school staff across Australia to identify the most effective content and delivery methods.

A pilot program will be conducted and evaluated to ensure it meets the needs of teachers.

It comes as the new national curriculum makes consent and respectful relationships education mandatory, but there is a lack of training equipping pre-service and existing teachers on how to deliver the material.

The ‘manosphere’ includes notorious ‘manfluencers’ such as Andrew Tate. Picture: AFP

The project is concentrating on the private school system, but the aim is to expand it to all teachers in all schools.

Independent Education Union federal secretary Brad Hayes said his members “are reporting increased examples of inappropriate behaviour seemingly fuelled by online ‘anti-feminist’ activists”.

“Some of our female members have themselves experienced disgusting verbal, and even physical, attacks and intimidation.”

Mr Hayes said new tools or resources that help schools tackle the problem were welcome. “Schools will play their part, but we need parents and the wider community to also call out bad behaviour and mentor positive role models for boys and young men,” he said.

A spokeswoman said National Catholic Education is “prioritising respectful relationships education, and are involved in various initiatives across our states and territories”.

“While we haven’t been approached by the Monash project, it would be important that the tools support teachers and families across all sectors.”

Graham Catt, CEO of Independent Schools Australia, said the Monash project “will facilitate school-researcher partnerships, enhance professional development, and provide resources for the curriculum, aiming to empower boys to become respectful men and oppose gender-based violence”.