Culturally Inclusive Teaching: Strategies to Incorporate LGBTQ Adult Learners
Conference Strand
Teaching, Training, and Supervision
Abstract
Research reveals there is often reticence on the part of adult English language educators to include lessons or classroom conversations related to sexual identities other than heterosexuality (Liddicoat, 2009; Nelson, 2006). The purpose of this session is to present the findings and recommendation of the presenters’ recent study. Attendees will have an enhanced understanding of Queer Theory and its application for creating inclusive classrooms.
Evidence
Curran, G. (2006). Responding to students' normative questions about gays: Putting queer theory into practice in an Australian ESL class. Journal of Language, Identity, and Education, 5(1), 85-96.
Dumas, J. (2008). The ESL classroom and the queerly shifting sands of learner identity. TESL Canada Journal/Revue TESL Du Canada, 26(1), 1-10.
Kappra, R., & Vandrick, S. (2006). Silenced voices speak: Queer ESL students recount their experiences. CATESOL Journal, 18(1), 138.
Liddicoat, A. J. (2009). Sexual identity as linguistic failure: Trajectories of interaction in the heteronormative language classroom. Journal of Language, Identity, and Education, 8: 191-202.
Macdonald, S., El-Metoui, L., Baynham, M., & Gray, J. (2014). Exploring lives and issues in adult ESOL. Retrieved from https://esolbritishcouncil.org/sites/esol/files/Exploring%20LGBT%20Lives%20and%20Issues%20in%20Adult%20ESOL.pdf.
Moore, A. (2016). Inclusion and exclusion: A case study of an English class for LGBT learners. TESOL Quarterly, 50(1), 86-108. doi:10.1002tesq.208.
Nelson, C. D. (2006). Queer inquiry in language education. Journal of Language, Identity & Education, 5(1), 1-9. doi:10.1207/s15327701jlie0501_1
Nelson, C. D. (2009). Sexual Identities in English Language Education. New Yo
Format
Individual Presentations
Biographical Sketch
Christy M. Rhodes, Ph.D.
Dr. Rhodes completed her Ph.D. in Adult Education at the University of South Florida in 2014. Prior to that, she received her MAEd in TESOL at Radford University and her BA in Political Science from SUNY Albany. She taught adult English language learners in the U.S., the United Arab Emirates, and Costa Rica.
She is currently an assistant professor of Adult Education in the Department of Interdisciplinary Professions at East Carolina University. She is an active member of the American Association for Adult and Continuing Education (AAACE) and the National Coalition of Literacy Her areas of research include culturally responsive teaching, adult literacy education, and TESOL.
Syntia Santos Dietz, Ph. D.
Dr. Santos obtained her Ph.D. in Counseling and Counselor Education at North Carolina State University (NCSU) in 2014 and her M.Ed. in School Counseling at the State University of New York at Buffalo (UB) in 2006 as a Fulbright scholar. She worked as professor and program coordinator in her home country Honduras, in their school counseling program at the Universidad Pedagógica Nacional Francisco Morazán (UPNFM).
Dr. Santos is a National Certified Counselor (NCC) and a License School Counselor in the state of North Carolina. Dr. Santos is currently working as assistant professor at East Carolina University (ECU). Her areas of interest include cultural competence development, international counseling and education, and counselor education. In addition, Dr. Santos serves as an editorial board member for the Professional Counselor journal (TPC) and she is also a steering committee member for the International Registry of Counselor Education Programs (IRCEP).
Location
ELAB 21
Start Date
2-9-2019 10:15 AM
End Date
2-9-2019 11:30 AM
Recommended Citation
Rhodes, Christy M. and Dietz, Syntia Santos, "Culturally Inclusive Teaching: Strategies to Incorporate LGBTQ Adult Learners" (2019). National Cross-Cultural Counseling and Education Conference for Research, Action, and Change. 17.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/ccec/2019/2019/17
Culturally Inclusive Teaching: Strategies to Incorporate LGBTQ Adult Learners
ELAB 21
Research reveals there is often reticence on the part of adult English language educators to include lessons or classroom conversations related to sexual identities other than heterosexuality (Liddicoat, 2009; Nelson, 2006). The purpose of this session is to present the findings and recommendation of the presenters’ recent study. Attendees will have an enhanced understanding of Queer Theory and its application for creating inclusive classrooms.
Description
There are few places more open and inclusive than an adult English language class. Or, are there? While adult educators teaching in these multi-cultural and linguistically heterogeneous environments use practices designed to embrace their students’ diverse ethnic and linguistic identities, they less frequently incorporate practices to be inclusive of another important element students bring into the classroom, their sexual identity (Nelson, 2009; Rhodes & Coda, 2017). The result is an imbalanced, thus overall ineffective, use of culturally inclusive teaching. The resultant heteronormativity effectively excludes LGBQ and non-gender conforming students to be their true selves in their English language classrooms. However, evidence suggests that educators want to be inclusive of minority sexual and gender identities but are reluctant for a variety of reasons, including not knowing how to do so (Liddicoat, 2009; Nelson, 2009). The purpose of this session is to present the findings of the presenters’ recent study and to supply adult educators with strategies to positively address sexual identity in ways that establish an inclusive environment for all learners. The strategies will reflect of the literature and the personal experiences of the presenters and are: dealing with homophobia in classroom discussions and supporting students’ exploration of sexual identities. Attendees of this session will have an enhanced understanding of Queer Theory and its application for creating inclusive classrooms.