Military Leadership

Class begins with the instructor introducing students to the compelling question, “Why can’t women move up the ranks?” The teacher writes “What does the data tell us about women in the military?” on the whiteboard to introduce students to the collaboration task. Students work in groups to analyze the infographic, identify three key pieces of information, write those facts on post-it notes, and place them on the white board. Students share why they chose the information they did and the class discusses how women make up a very small percentage of military enrollment. Then, students are tasked with deliberating over the obstacles that women face in the military, especially in pursuing leadership roles. Students work through ten different news headlines about women in the military and organize the headlines into 3-4 categories based on the obstacles women face in the military given the headlines. Finally, students watch a short video featuring four female generals talking about their experiences rising through the ranks. After the video is finished, the teacher may inform students that only one of those generals is still in her position, as the rest were removed from their positions by the current administration. Students are tasked to produce a list of five questions they would ask these generals if they were planning a follow up interview. Students share their questions and reasons for wanting to know the answers. Class finishes with the teacher prompting students, ”Today we focused on the problems with women moving up the ranks, tomorrow we focused on solutions.”