Controversial Books in the Middle School: Can They Make a Difference?
The Stonewall riots, a series of violent conflicts between homosexuals and New York City police in 1969, marked the advent of the gay rights movement and led to a dramatic increase in gay and lesbian visibility. Efforts to acknowledge this movement were made by a number of groups including the American Library Association's Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Round Table (American Library Association, 2006). This group, since 1971, has given an annual Stonewall Book Award honoring both fiction and nonfiction literature for exceptional merit relating to the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgendered experience. Academia has formed departments or programs dedicated to lesbian and gay studies, and the general public has achieved a better understanding of sexual differences. Public schools, however, have continued to resist such acknowledgement, leaving homosexual students in middle and secondary schools unrecognized and often the targets of discrimination. Galley (1999) reported the results of a national survey that found 91% of homosexual students had encountered anti
Teaching Gender and Sexual Diversity in the Catholic School Context
This qualitative research study addresses the topics of teaching gender and sexual diversity in the Catholic school context, homophobic bullying among children and youths, as well as the conflicting roles of Catholic educators to instill the Catholic faith in their practice, while also meeting various human rights. Existing literature suggests that the presentation of gender and sexual diversity themes in schools help to build tolerance and acceptance among children and in turn can help reduce bullying and abuse. The literature also suggests that by reducing and interfering with instances of homophobic bullying, teachers can help create a positive school climate where students can experience lower stress levels and a more positive overall wellbeing. This study explores how a sample of three Catholic educators create opportunities for students to learn about sexual and gender diversity in ways that speak to, rather than discard their Catholic faith, without excluding or shaming individuals who do not conform to heterosexual norms. Overarching themes include the implementation of gender and sexual diversity themes in the Catholic classroom, and the varying responses and outcomes from administrators, colleagues, students’ parents and students. As a beginning teacher, I have gained insight into how Catholic educators can use the Catholic faith as a tool for teaching about the acceptance, inclusion and celebration of people in the LGBTIQ+ community, so that they can ensure that all students’ human rights are being met.
Exploring interculturally competent teaching in social sciences classrooms
Abstract This paper explores a grounded research-based framework for intercultural competence and discusses the implications of interculturally competent teaching in the classroom and beyond. Given the importance of teachers being interculturally competent in today’s diverse classrooms, a number of questions, based on the framework, are presented, which guide teachers in reflecting upon their own teaching practice and the ways in which they integrate aspects of intercultural competence into their classrooms. The paper also provides some examples from the USA of ways in which intercultural competence development is being addressed in teacher training.