ERIC EJ1125691: A Learning Experience of the Gender Perspective in English Teaching Contexts

2017·0.17 MB·English

by  ERIC

http://dx.doi.org/10.15446/profile.v19n1.56209
A Learning Experience of the Gender Perspective
in English Teaching Contexts
Aprendizajes de la perspectiva de género en los escenarios
para la enseñanza del inglés
Claudia Patricia Mojica*
1
Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
Harold Castañeda-Peña**
Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas, Bogotá, Colombia
Eighteen Colombian English teachers participated in a course with an emphasis on gender and foreign
language teaching in a Master’s program in Bogotá. This text describes the design, implementation, and
the learning in this educational experience. The analysis of the course was based on a view of learning as
a process of participation rooted in the praxis of English teachers’ classrooms. This experience reveals that
gender is a relevant category in the frame of English language teacher education as it provides teachers
with tools from a broader social and educational perspective. This reflection also leads to implications
for teachers’ practices with a gender perspective.
Key words: English teachers, gender and foreign language education, language teacher education,
learning, participation.
Dieciocho profesores de inglés participaron en un curso con énfasis en género y la enseñanza de
lengua extranjera, en el marco de un programa de maestría en Bogotá. Este texto describe el diseño, la
implementación y los aprendizajes que surgen en esta experiencia educativa. El análisis del curso se basa
en una comprensión del aprendizaje como el resultado de un proceso de participación en la práctica
de la enseñanza de los docentes. Esta experiencia revela que género es una categoría importante en el
marco de la educación de la enseñanza del inglés, por cuanto aporta elementos desde una perspectiva
social y educativa. Esta reflexión revela algunas implicaciones para la práctica de docentes sensibles a
la categoría género.
Palabras clave: aprendizajes, educación de docentes de inglés, género y educación en lengua extranjera,
participación, profesores de inglés.
* E-mail: [email protected]
** E-mail: [email protected]
How to cite this article (APA, 6th ed.): Mojica, C. P., & Castañeda-Peña, H. (2017). A learning experience of the gender perspective in English
teaching contexts. PROFILE Issues in Teachers’ Professional Development, 19(1), 139-153. http://dx.doi.org/10.15446/profile.v19n1.56209.
This article was received on March 15, 2016, and accepted on October 21, 2016.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons license Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives
4.0 International License. Consultation is possible at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.
PROFILE Vol. 19, No. 1, January-June 2017. ISSN 1657-0790 (printed) 2256-5760 (online). Bogotá, Colombia. Pages 139-153 139
Mojica & Castañeda-Peña
Introduction language teachers should be more aware of aspects such
One of the major commitments that the field of as gendered discourses of texts/contents and issues
Education has assumed in the last decades worldwide is related to power during class interaction, as this may
the incorporation of the gender perspective. Education help or hinder learning opportunities, language access,
is the means by which it is possible to reach gender and meanings that students may learn about gender
equity1 and foster gender justice and fairness (Connell, representations (Castañeda-Peña 2008b; Hruska, 2004;
2011; unesco, 2015). In this sense, Colombia, like many Litosseliti, 2006; Sunderland, 2000a, 2000b).
other countries around the world, has attempted actions Within this view, we argue that foreign language
such as improving access to education particularly for teachers should consider not only students’ linguistic
girls/women; however, this has not been enough to knowledge, but also the knowledge students learn
transform gender relations in the school. The school through language socialization processes taking place
is considered one of the social places for the gendered in classrooms settings. This knowledge is related to
cultural reproduction; therefore, it has been suggested culture, values, beliefs, and issues of morality and respect
that the gender perspective be incorporated into the (Duff & Talmy, 2011). Furthermore, some scholars and
teaching framework, the curricular contents of all teachers in the field of second language acquisition
subjects, and into all teachers’ professional development (sla), bilingualism, and foreign language education
(Alcaldía de Medellín & Subsecretaría de Planeación (Hruska, 2004; Litosseliti, 2006; Pennycook, 1999;
y Transversalización, 2010; Calvo, Rendón, & Rojas, Piller & Pavlenko, 2001; Sunderland, 2000a, 2000b)
2006; Fuentes Vásquez & Holguín Castillo, 2006). claim that gender and language in the foreign language
Foreign language teaching contexts are not exempt classroom are relatively untheorized and unexplored.
from the responsibility of incorporating the gender Therefore, these authors have strongly recommended
perspective to help educational institutions battle gender practitioners to include gender in their work, practices,
inequities. These particular learning settings2 also display and research interests.
that meanings related to gender turn, in many occasions, Colombia presents some relevant research that
into sexist practices, hegemonic ideas, or differential points to the importance of gender in foreign language
treatments that disfavor students’ learning experiences contexts (Castañeda, 2012; Castañeda-Peña, 2008a, 2008b,
(Hruska, 2004; Litosseliti, 2006; Sunderland, 2000b; 2009, 2010; Durán, 2006; Rojas, 2012); nonetheless, these
Pavlenko & Piller, 2001). Some researchers claim that studies have not been tantamount to the inclusion of
gender in English teachers’ professional development.
Foreign language educators have been largely informed
1 The terms gender equity and gender equality tend to be used
interchangeably; there has not been a general agreement on the dif- by sla research which focuses on cognitivist approaches
ference of these two concepts. Nonetheless, “gender equality is the
to language learning, leaving gender on the margins
result of the absence of discrimination on the basis of a person’s sex in
opportunities and the allocation of resources or benefits or in access (Piller & Pavlenko, 2001). Unless teachers’ professional
to services. Gender equity entails the provision of fairness and justice
development (tpd) programs in teaching English as
in the distribution of benefits and responsibilities between women and
men” (UNESCO, 2010, p. 17). Some people see the concept of equality as a foreign language (tefl) education integrate gender
a more general objective, and equity is understood as a stage or strategy
awareness courses or seminars, English teachers will not
to achieve the first one (UNESCO, 2015). We will use here the term gender
equity. be prepared to recognize ways in which gender meanings
2 Although this is not inherent only in foreign language class-
are transmitted and legitimated, and how gender inequities
rooms as gender permeates other educational spaces and social settings
outside the classrooms. are (re)produced in their teaching contexts.
140 Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Facultad de Ciencias Humanas, Departamento de Lenguas Extranjeras
A Learning Experience of the Gender Perspective in English Teaching Contexts
Teachers are key agents of change within this process Teachers’ Professional Development
and, therefore, need to receive training in these matters (TPD) From a Critical Approach
during their teaching professional development (Connell, There are various works that point to the teachers
2011; Esen, 2013). In order to contribute to filling in this as actors that may reproduce gender inequality in
gap in tpd in tefl education and have it aligned with this educational scenarios (Calvo et al., 2006; Esen, 2013;
educational commitment, we offered an optional course Verma, 1993). This happens because teachers grow up
for in-service English teachers in a Master program in in a society and transmit implicit and explicit values,
Applied Linguistics to tefl in Bogotá, Colombia, with expectations, and norms by means of which students are
a gender orientation. The objective with this course socialized to learn gender roles, gender relations, and
was to raise gender awareness within practices and gender behaviors and attitudes in society. Likewise, it
contexts of teaching. has been claimed that teachers are fundamental agents to
This article accounts for this course experience; address and struggle gender inequalities in their teaching
thus, in what follows we will present the theoretical and contexts (Calvo et al., 2006; Esen, 2013; unesco, 2015);
methodological considerations drawn for the design/ for this aim, teachers should receive training in their
implementation of the course. The analysis of this course professional development trajectory to help them gain
experience will be presented from two perspectives: gender awareness, reflect on it within the context of
First, a reflexive analysis of the learning process that their practice, and find strategies to attempt to eliminate
we as teachers of this course experienced in relation to gender inequalities.
the methodology and objectives we aimed for. Second, In Colombia there have been some experiences of
we will explain the scope the student-teachers (sts) tpd and gender equity that show important findings
displayed within their teaching contexts and practices and understandings but they have not been permanent
in relation to the gender awareness they developed experiences within the field of tpd (Calvo et al., 2006).
through the course. Some of these experiences, reported in this state of
the art by teachers of different areas of knowledge,
Theoretical Framework were designed and carried out by The Gender School
This section shows some relevant theories helpful of Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Asociación
to understanding the approach of this course with a Distrital de Educadores (ade), and the World Bank.
gender orientation in the field of English teaching. We Nonetheless, “teachers’ continuing education has not
draw on the critical approach to reflect on and question incorporated gender equity in Colombia” (Calvo et al.,
English teachers’ roles in their daily praxis, and the 2006, p. 1). This is one of the challenges that prevail in
components that should be included in the contexts of the tpd in this country (Díaz Tafur, 2002). Therefore, it
English teachers’ education. Another theory implied here comes as no surprise that tpd for English teachers had
is what Wenger (1998) termed communities of practice not incorporated a gender perspective either.
(cop); this learning approach reflects the methodology A state of the art about English teachers’ professional
and teaching decisions made in the framework of this development in Colombia reveals that in-service teachers
course proposal. Finally, we will present the concept of expect to find professional development programs
gender as a category constructed through interaction that transform their working conditions, develop their
with others, as well as its importance in light of the teaching competence, and produce knowledge in areas
course of identities and language learning. such as classroom management, the teaching of values,
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Mojica & Castañeda-Peña
and the relationship between the academic life and theirs/ within their teaching settings and their particular
their students’ fulfillment. What seems interesting for conditions of work (Johnson, 2009). Thus, learning is
this discussion is that most of these tpd programs focus seen as a process of meaning construction produced in
mostly on the second expectation, the development people’s daily practices (Wenger, 1998). cop underscores
of the teaching competence, while leaving the others the importance of the practice by viewing it as the
aside (Cárdenas, González, & Álvarez, 2010). Thus, for epistemological site where it is possible to define how
the purpose of including what tpd in tefl education people learn and the ways in which they develop
has been left out, the perspective of gender contributes knowledge of that community. From this standpoint,
to a great extent to enhancing the teaching practice. it is argued that the meaning(s) people produce out of
In this sense, critical theory becomes an important their personal experience of engaging in those practices
asset to analyze tpd in tefl education; it calls for the is what counts as learning.
acknowledgement that English teachers’ role is not Accordingly, this view of learning helps us carry
merely as instructional teachers, learning how to teach the tasks proposed to promote a meaningful learning
English, and whose main concern revolves around within sts’ teaching contexts. This learning perspective
developing students’ linguistic competence. English turns into a tool allowing teachers to become more
teachers also have social responsibilities as educators, aware of gender within the exercise of “theorize the
that is, they need to understand the ways in which they practice and practice the theory” (Bullough as cited in
are carriers of gender codes that reproduce inequalities Diaz Maggioli, 2012, p. 12).
and the ways in which hidden and formal curricula
transmit and legitimate sexist behaviors, segregation, Gender
and discrimination (Calvo et al., 2006; Esen, 2013). From a postmodern perspective and acknowledging
Hence, in accordance with the importance the contributions of scholars such as Butler (1990) and
of including a critical approach to tpd for English Foucault (1992), gender is understood as a sociocultural
teachers, as it prevents teachers from falling into these category by which the issue of the body is connected to
instrumentalist views of their practice and broadens the everyday social and cultural practices and discourses.
horizon of their practice and roles as political and social Litosseliti (2006) describes gender as the social
teachers, we can see that “educators need to approach behaviors, expectations, and attitudes related to being
learning not merely as the acquisition of knowledge male and female; she asserts that the features that have
but as the production of cultural practices that offer been designated to the sexual difference are cultural
students a sense of identity, place, and hope” (Giroux, constructions, socially determined and alterable. Yet,
1992, p. 170). We situate this learning experience within for the design of the course, and with the objective
the field of the critical approach since it furthers the view of understanding gender inequities in education and
of English teaching aimed to understand and critique the possibilities for transformation, we positioned
assumptions connected to power relations and cultural this social category as “discourses of multiplicities”
politics that cause inequalities and discrimination in (Castañeda-Peña, 2009, p. 25).
tesol settings (Pennycook, 1999). This pluralistic vision promotes the idea that “there
is not a particular masculinity, but masculinities; and
The Learning Perspective there is no single femininity, but femininities . . .
The methodology of this course is based on the both masculinities and femininities constitute and
premise that teachers’ learning is likely to be produced reconstitute subjects establishing permanently changing
142 Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Facultad de Ciencias Humanas, Departamento de Lenguas Extranjeras
A Learning Experience of the Gender Perspective in English Teaching Contexts
asymmetrical relationships in contexts where they worked in university programs, and one teacher who
participate” (Castañeda-Peña, 2009, p. 25). We believe worked in virtual English online programs.
understanding gender as “discourses of multiplicities”
helps address the normalization of differential discourses General Objective
and the endorsement of explicit and tacit ideas that A purpose of the course was for sts to be able to
cause gender inequalities. In other words, we can avoid relate to issues of gender in their teaching environments.
centering our understanding of this category from a In other words, the course aimed at raising gender
dualist and essentialist view of male/female, masculinity/ awareness and the relationship it had with their teaching
femininity, or girls/boys, which favors the production practices and contexts. By enabling this, we planned
of rigid, fixed, hegemonic, and often discriminatory to achieve the following specific goals:
connotations of how the genders should be or act. 1. To identify different ways in which gender has been
This vision of gender, among other issues that were tackled in English language teaching (elt) contexts.
part of the course, would eventually give sts some tools 2. To increase knowledge about the issues research
to understand language learning as a socializing process in the field of gender and language learning has
for the construction of gender subjectivity and the pointed out.
(re)production of gendered rules, relations, practices, 3. To reflect upon the readings and relate them to
and representations in the setting of their language their particular teaching scenarios.
classrooms (Litosseliti, 2006). 4. To be inspired by other research works carried out
by language teachers/researchers that evidence how
Description of the Course they have dealt with or analyzed the category of
Identity and Language Learning was one of the gender in their teaching practices.
optional courses offered within the Master program 5. To identify and apply approaches, concepts,
for English language teachers in a state university in methods, strategies, and reflections in their own
Bogotá, Colombia. The course was implemented in the teaching practices by using the perspective they
second semester of 2014. Although this Master program have acquired about gender.
includes subjects related to social and cultural issues
within the components of what in-service teachers Teaching Approach
should know, this was the first time a course with a As a result of the learning perspective adopted
gender emphasis was implemented in this graduate (cop, Wenger, 1998) and the vision of “participate and
program. learn” (Diaz Maggioli, 2012, p. 12), the teaching approach
focuses on situating the sts’ gender awareness in real
The Participants teaching conditions. Thus, sts participated through
A total of 18 students, in-service English teachers, oral presentations and debates presenting their own
who are candidates in this Master program registered opinions and reflections (there were written and oral
voluntarily to take this course. There were 13 women pieces of work). There were guest speakers in some of the
and five men; 10 teachers worked in state schools, three sessions; we thought it would be inspiring for sts to listen
teachers worked in bilingual schools,3 four teachers to some teachers who had researched gender issues in
elt contexts locally. Additionally, personalized tutoring
sessions were offered for those sts who wished to get
3 Bilingual schools refer here to schools that teach subjects in
English and Spanish. oriented in the practical tasks proposed in the course.
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Mojica & Castañeda-Peña
Tasks Learning Outcomes
Beyond the sts’ active participation in debates These learning expectations were framed on the
and oral presentations, we wanted to propose two abilities that sts were expected to achieve through the
important activities to achieve the goal of situating two tasks.
sts’ gender awareness in their teaching contexts. The 1. To problematize their teaching contexts and practices
first activity was a teacher’s journal in which sts’ in light of the gender category.
observed their classes with the purpose of raising 2. To exemplify the perspective that they have acquired
questions and problematizing those observations in about gender through their small-scale projects.
the light of gender. The objective was to supplement
what they had been reading in the course with what Assessment
was actually going on in their classes. Taking into consideration the pedagogical proposal,
In the second task, sts conducted a small- it is clear that we needed to take the sts’ products and
scale research. sts could do this exercise either by their personal process—the presentation of their small-
choosing a topic of the content of the course that scale research projects, written reflections, observation
seemed interesting to them, or by using information journals, and their active participation in debates and
or aspects of their observation journals that were presentations—as the means for the evaluation of the
important, meaningful for them to inquire more; they course.
used research techniques to collect data (interviews, The following section will describe what happened
class observations, etc.). during the implementation of this course, and whether
the proposal was relevant for sts’ teaching practices.
Contents and Resources
Gender has been an issue of interest in the field Learning Outcomes
of education in general; nevertheless, we attempted to of the Innovation
focus this perspective on the area of foreign language The outcomes of having implemented this cutting
learning/teaching. This program sought to show sts edge course are to be presented in two sections from
that gender has been an important issue in their which the issue of learning has a twofold effect; on
professional context, and therefore English teachers the one hand, we will necessarily consider the course’s
should also be concerned with these types of matters as teaching proposal: methodology, tasks, and contents.
part of their responsibilities as language educators. We On the other hand, we will refer to the sts’ learning
organized the contents into four areas of the teaching within the framework of this course. Both standpoints,
practice: gendered interaction, language teaching learning with respect to the teaching proposal and sts’
materials, class contents, and teacher’s pedagogy.4 learning, point to some important considerations for
Furthermore, the use of short videos, documentaries, the field of English language teacher education as we
and international and local research reports facilitated will demonstrate through the discussion of this analysis.
sts’ learning. The data used for this reflexive analysis derive from
three sources: firstly, some tutoring meetings audio-
recorded with the sts through which we attempted
4 If the reader is interested in getting a deeper understanding on to gain understanding of their personal perceptions,
this, then a review of the following references will be useful: Hruska,
questions, and concerns with regard to the contents and
2004; Litosseliti, 2006; Norton and Pavlenko, 2004; Sunderland 2000a,
2000b. the tasks of the course; secondly, a questionnaire that
144 Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Facultad de Ciencias Humanas, Departamento de Lenguas Extranjeras
A Learning Experience of the Gender Perspective in English Teaching Contexts
was applied at the end of the course (see Appendix); and worth reporting, as this common misconception would
finally, the different written assignments through which need to be addressed directly and from the beginning
sts reflected on their understandings of the contents of a future similar (or same) course in order to avoid
of the course and the connections they made within ambiguity and confusion. As we became familiar with
their own teaching contexts. In order to avoid bias or this confusion, we decided to incorporate a class session
monopolize the interpretations of this reflection, we in which the differences between these concepts were
drew on the voices of different sts of this course so as briefly stated.
to re-construct what took place through this learning Beyond presenting gender as a concept, we were
experience. expecting to help sts take note that gender is not a matter
that is deemed to be the differences among boys/girls
Learning With Respect or men/women within the field of learning a foreign
to the Teaching Proposal language. The next extract illustrates the way in which
We will start by considering some of the challenges sts perceived this concept within their working context:
that we faced when addressing the contents of the course. I learned that gender does not necessarily happen from a “male
Thus, for example, the concept of gender was intended vs female or vice versa” perspective. It happens among or inside
to be presented, as stated in the theoretical framework, femininities and masculinities in the exercise of power. In my
from a social and cultural approach rather than a product research process, I was able to see particularly that boys dominated
of the biological difference. Nonetheless, we noted that other boys, and girls were not necessarily the “victims” as they are
some of the sts were initially relating gender with the usually seen in most of the cases.
concept of sexual diversity, as it is presented in the
following extract taken from the final questionnaire: As it can be noted, gender is perceived as an issue that
It is something totally ignored by most of teachers. For instance, I is co-constructed with others in the social interactions
had never thought in the possibility or search gender issues in an and, as this st states in the extract, “it happens in the
English class. It sounded to me more refer to a psychological session exercise of power.” This extract evidences that the
to help a student to clarify his/her beliefs and positions towards st was able to find how gender operated within the
his/her sexual orientation. What an ignorant I used to be!! [sic] interaction of her students in class. Furthermore, this st
draws on the multiplicity framework—when referring
Given the fact that gender and sexual diversity to “masculinities and femininities” (Castañeda-Peña,
are part of the field of sexual identity, it is frequent 2009)—to acknowledge that there is not one masculinity
that these two concepts are treated or understood as or femininity but different possibilities to be and perform
interchangeable or the same issue, but they are certainly as a boy/girl. This understanding was important since
not the same. As teachers of teachers (ToT), we learned differential frameworks often may not be useful to
through this experience that this confusion may cause recognize issues related to power and inequality across
tensions among the sts of the class, as there may be sts and among femininities or masculinities (Pavlenko &
who are interested in approaching a gender perspective Piller, 2001).
in their teaching scenarios but not willing to deal with Now we would like to refer to the methodology of
issues of sexual diversity.5 This is something we find the course and how sts responded to the pedagogical
tasks we proposed. Certainly, this learning approach
(situated in sts’ teaching settings) appeared to be a
5 The aim of this course did not involve dealing with sexual
diversity issues. good proposal to achieve meaningful learning; however,
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what appeared to be right also gave rise to moments as sts could realize what their classmates were doing
of frustration and confusion, as acknowledged by this and how they were interpreting it. This was part of the
st’s response: cop, where sts were able to share new understandings,
It was a cocktail of emotions, many times I was confused and did doubts, and what they were learning in their classrooms
not see the concept of gender anywhere; I thought it was something with regard to this new perspective. Here we have one
imposed. I lived moments of discouragement and confusion. of the st’s examples from the observation journal that
However, the collaboration with the group and observing other we used in class to show these sts’ ideas of how gender
studies cleared my doubts. could be identified in their class scenarios. The extract
describes one event of a st’s English class in which her
This extract describes how some sts experienced pre-school students were learning different professions:
the tasks of the observation journal and the small-scale But the it did not finished with the girl’s question, when she was
research. As can be noted from the st’s perception— presenting herself, she said “My name is Michel, I am Pilot and I
feelings of discouragement and confusion—this is a work at the airport” and a boy raised his hand and told me: “Teacher
rather complex task that cannot be achieved just by she did not do it right because she should have said flight attendant
looking at the classroom. The complexity of this task instead of pilot” and the girl said “I said it right because I want to
stems from learning to sharpen the view with regard be a pilota,”6 and when she said that some children laugh at her
to what is tacit, what is taken for granted, and what is and I asked them not to do that because she was right. . . . In this
embedded in natural and routinized teaching/learning case, language shows that there is not differentiation in words for
environments. This is also a challenging task due to the this occupation “pilot” is piloto or pilota7 (pilota is possible to say it
fact that it is hard to problematize issues that usually in Spanish),8 my student felt angry about it; maybe she was feeling
pass unnoticed, as we may believe this is just the natural this was not fair, because she has the total right to be whatever she
way of these learning environments. We could actually wants even though there is no female name for that. [sic]
feel the effort sts were making to try to identify gender
issues in their English classrooms (classroom dynamics, This excerpt shows when a st recognized a gendered
use of materials, the curriculum, etc.). Nevertheless, discourse. A gendered discourse is not as tacit or implicit
we were also able to see from other st’s samples that as other types of classroom interaction issues. These
this was a process: It took some time for sts to acquire discourses can be traced because they say something
this gender view in their classes and understand the related to men or women. In this case, the st notes
implications it brings to their practices. how the use of this discourse produces power relations
The fact that sts had to comply with these tasks, among her students creating discursive subject positions:
as part of the course demands, certainly increased the “Gendered discourses position women and men in
pressure on having to write their observation journals. certain ways, and at the same time, people take up
For instance, there were three students who told us particular gendered subject positions that constitute
they were willing to do the task of the observation gender more widely” (Sunderland, 2004, p. 22). What is
journal but they had not been able to find any specific
moments or aspects in their classes related to gender 6 The girl uses the word “pilot” in English but applies a grammar
rule of Spanish which consist of adding the vowel “a” at the end of the
and language learning. The strategy here in order to
word to reflect a female connotation.
help sts with this task was to use other sts’ contextual 7 What the teacher means here is that in English the word “pilot”
is sexless, and that is why it is possible to think of this occupation for
samples in which gender was evident. We thought this
men and women.
strategy might lessen the confusion and discouragement, 8 The word “pilota” does not actually exist in Spanish.
146 Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Facultad de Ciencias Humanas, Departamento de Lenguas Extranjeras
A Learning Experience of the Gender Perspective in English Teaching Contexts
interesting from this extract, besides helping the three we found that this task allowed them to become aware
sts who expressed difficulty writing in their journals, of the importance of a gender view in their teaching
is that the st who writes this journal entry can identify contexts. Several sts reveal in their oral and written
an unfair situation through gendered discourses of her reports that they managed to discover and learn different
English class. This leads us to think that through this issues in terms of their roles as English teachers, their
observation task, sts were also problematizing gender possibilities to use this information to make changes
in their contexts, as we had expected them to do. in their teaching practices, and the importance of these
The evident anxiety in the sts’ process around this views for their teaching practices. Although the next
task cannot be avoided, yet we learnt that it may be section will present sts’ learning, Table 1 summarizes the
reduced throughout the collaboration and dialogue themes addressed in sts’ small-scale research studies.
with others. In this respect, Johnson (2009) highlights All of them were analyzed with a gender orientation
the importance of dialogic mediation and collaboration and comprised a fundamental element of analysis.
in the processes of teachers’ learning:
STs’ Learning Within the Framework
Teaching as dialogic mediation involves contributions and
of the Gender-Oriented Course
discoveries by learners, as well as the assistance of an “expert”
collaborator, or teacher. Instruction in such a collaborative activity This section will present some of the aspects that sts
is contingent on teachers’ and learners’ activities and related to identified through their small-scale research exercises
what they are trying to do. (p. 63) with respect to the gender analysis in their teaching
contexts. The following extract illustrates not only what
During the classes, we opened spaces to share the st discovers in her practice but also accounts for the
sts’ subjective experiences, understandings, and st’s ability gained through her research. This narrative
questions; they needed to be verbalized and analyzed account displays the moment of an English class in
in cooperation with other members of this cop (Wenger, which teenage students coordinate a role play activity
1998). We perceived that there was a co-construction in the restaurant.
in the production of new meanings regarding these The host in the entrance of the restaurant (classroom) was a boy,
pedagogical tasks. most of the clients were families (parents and children) there were
Despite the complexity of the small-scale research not waiters just waitress, they were five, the cashier was a boy and
and the difficulties that sts reported while doing it, the manager too, but the cooks were women, while the girls were
Table 1. Main Gender Themes Explored by STs
Material Role-play Feminist Unveiling Students’ The class
design activities pedagogy in gendered sexist participation
debates discourses ideologies/ and the sitting
discourses arrangements
The Understanding Students’ The use of Students’ Opportunities for
analysis of femininities and conversation fairy tales and interaction class participation:
vocabulary masculinities while working the gender while working resistance and
in students’ in groups stereotypes in groups domination
written
texts
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Mojica & Castañeda-Peña
working very hard, their dialogues were longer, the boys had the patterns related to gender that hinder[ed] and limited
easier performance. However, boys had the best position taking students’ participation in class.” This st comments that
into account how a restaurant works. In addition, talking about in a group activity, a boy had conflicts with the girls of
the clients, families, the wives went into the restaurant walking his group, and questions the st for having him work with
behind their husbands and they did not ask for the reservation, girls. When the st tries to inquiry what is going on in
the boys were the clients who appeared in the reservations’ list. The the group he obtains the following reply from the boy:
waitress took the orders’ men first. Certainly, I saw that women Teacher: what is going on Camilo? Why don’t you like that women
had many responsibilities and organized everything, but they were talk to you?
not the bosses. On the contrary, boys enjoyed some privileges with Camilo: I don’t know, maybe it is chauvinism…I do not listen to
a less effort. [sic] women, not even to my mum.9
Unlike other examples in which gender is identified In this particular situation, the st describes some
by explicit gendered discourse, this extract reflects gendered discourses used by this boy in class that show
that gender becomes an issue of reflection as the st sexist ideas that do not favor girls’ images to justify the
problematizes the way her students assigned gender fact of not having to work with them. The question that
roles that represent symbolically more advantageous remains in this case is how teachers deal with these types
social positions for boys than for girls—girls played of gender relations in class. Teachers cannot simply
more domestic roles and did not have important social insist students work without having any conflict during
parts in the sketch, e.g., they held more back-stage their group work.
responsibilities. We perceived in this interpretation Before discussing the learning acquired in this
an ability that the st gained since this situation could case, we will present another example related to the
have passed unnoticed if she had not drawn on a gender design of material that is connected to this reflection
view to understand this situation which was due to of the teachers’ role. One st designed a story using
the routinized dynamics of organization in these sorts role reversals to study the topic of professions and
of typical English class activities. This analysis allows illustrate some gender stereotypes. The main character
one to understand that through these subtle forms of of her story is a man who is looking for a job as a
organization the legitimation and reinforcement of housekeeper in Bogotá. The st wanted to expose her
gender relations and gender social positioning arise. It is students to the idea that both women and men could be
precisely these types of subtle interactions which impact good housekeepers. From essentialist and patriarchal
the gender subjectivities in the school (García Suárez, discourses, this is a job that is usually thought to be
2003). Furthermore, the st manages to problematize two assigned exclusively to women/girls (Pérez, 2012).
other aspects that are connected to girls/boys’ learning At first, the st was interested in learning the type of
experiences: the st finds that girls have more difficult and gendered discourses that emerged when her students
longer dialogues to learn, as well as more responsibilities read the story. However, the st manifested that although
in the organization of the role play. her students produced gendered discourses, she felt she
Another st who explored his students’ social did not know how to react towards these stereotypical
relationships turned his attention to a problematic discourses, as she did not want to impose ideas on her
situation in which he reported sexist discourses among students or judge her students’ imaginaries. As a result
students. As he describes in his final written report of
the small-scale research, he “observed behaviors and 9 Our own translation from the final small-scale research report.
148 Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Facultad de Ciencias Humanas, Departamento de Lenguas Extranjeras