"Mary Wears What She Wants": Nurturing Gender Expression in Primary School Children

Abstract

Utilising her extensive teaching experience at Taipei Private Zhongshan Elementary School, Samantha Wei developed a teaching plan for first-grade students that incorporates the picture book "Mary Wears What She Wants" by Keith Negley, aiming to foster awareness of gender expression. This plan underwent further refinement and was transformed into an academic poster by Lance Peng, a PhD candidate, and subsequently presented at a seminar hosted by the Faculty of Education at the University of Cambridge. The primary objective was to initiate scholarly discussions within broader academic communities concerning the utilisation of picture books in addressing gender expression among children. The core of this teaching session revolve around critical analysis, self-reflection and expression, as well as cultural understanding and empathy. Furthermore, this picture book teaching plan possesses the potential to be expanded to encompass transgender issues. Moreover, by incorporating aesthetic education, it enables students to explore their own distinctive sartorial style.