Synonyms & Similarities - Sex vs. Gender
Guided Tour (5)
Activity Tutorials (21)
- Synonyms & Similarities - Sex vs. Gender
- Conceptual Learning
- One Problem...Multiple Perspectives
- Thinking About Business
- Enduring Ideas: Sense of Place
- Self-similarity and Thinking
- Understanding Ecosystems
- Controllable Factors
- Perspectives on Art
- Deconstructing Distinctions: Sex and Gender
- Us and Them
- Metaphors and Similes
- Building Analogies
- Multiplying, Dividing and Factoring Units
- Number Line
- Using Dry Erase and Stickers
- Organizing Systems
- Distinction: Context Matters
- The Content and Context of a Distinction
- Making A Relationship Explicit
- 3 Types of Perspective Taking
Expert Talks (13)
Customer Testimonials (10)
Video Summary
You can use ThinkBlocks to deconstruct the meanings of any words, and to clarify important differences. Here we compare the concepts of SEX and GENDER. The SEX and GENDER example is particularly powerful because people often misuse these terms, with profound consequences. Place ThinkBlocks labeled MAN and WOMAN in your playspace. Brainstorm the traits of each and write them on ThinkBlocks. Which of these traits are universal, and which are not? Do you think the universal traits are more biological or more social in origin? Try to think of as many explanations or counterexamples for traits as you can. Next view MAN and WOMAN from the perspective of different time periods. What were these two ideas like in the past? How is that different from what they’re like now? What do you think SEX and GENDER will be like in the future? Now place the ideas SEX and GENDER in your playspace. Place the universal traits in SEX and the non-universal traits in GENDER. Are these the definitions of SEX and GENDER that you’re familiar with? What do you think is the relationship between the two ideas? Now think about how misunderstandings of these contextual differences might impact practical situations, such as hiring decisions or social roles. This exercise shows how to use ThinkBlocks to understand important differences between related ideas. ThinkBlocks transform these subtle and abstract differences into visual and tactile structure, making crucial distinctions concrete.