Teaching+Tips

= **Implementing LGBT Awareness in the Curriculum (Teaching Tips)** =



**(Brooks, 2011)**
 * As soon-to-be teachers, we wonder what we can do to maintain a safe and open-minded environment for our schools especially since we know that for LGBT (Lesbian. Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) students, the high school and middle school years are the most impressionable and for some, the most traumatic times of their lives. According to a study done by Clark (2010), many pre-service teachers tend to feel that they do not want to impose their beliefs on homophobic, heterosexist students, even though there is more than enough evidence to suggest that one teacher that works against homophobia and heterosexism in a school makes things better for students in that school. On this webpage, I attempt to present a few ways that one can introduce this topic in the classroom. It is suggested that acceptance can be taught using the following process (Johnson, 2011): 1. Knowing the Facts, 2. Leading by Example, 3. Working LGBT Issues into your Lessons, 4. Combating Stereotypes, 5. Countering Anti-Gay Jokes, 6. Don't single out gay kids, 7. Sponsor Diversity Programs, and 8. Urging school-wide anti-discrimination policies. As we go through these steps, I will highlight any information that is relevant for our teaching processes. **

__**1. Know the Facts**__ **In a June 2008 nationwide survey administered by the gay-rights lobby group Egale Canada, in which 1200 students were surveyed on homophobia and transphobia, more than two-thirds that identified themselves as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, two-spirited, queer or questioning (also known as LGBTQ) said they felt unsafe in their school. One-quarter of LGBTQ respondents had been physically threatened and over a half said they had been verbally assaulted. Forty-one percent compared to 19 percent straight students reported sexual harassment. Students who took part in this survey** **lived in urban centres, small towns, reserves, rural areas and Armed Forces bases.** **Other findings by the survey include:** **This is just the beginning of what is happening in schools now and it looks as if we need to face this issue as best as we can to help our students to become more accepting of each other. One way to do this is by sharing the above statistics with your students and discussing how harmful verbal assaults can be.**
 * ** More than one-third of LGBTQ respondents have skipped school because they felt unsafe at the building or on their way there, compared to one-eighth of straight participants. **
 * ** Almost half of LGBTQ participants reported having had mean rumours spread about them at school. **
 * ** Close to a third of LGBTQ respondents said the rumours were spread about them on the Internet or through text messages. (CBC News/Canada, 2008) **

__**2. Set the Tone and Lead by Example**__
 * Many students don't report incidents of anti-gay harassment because they believe their teachers or the administration either don't care or can't do anything to change the situation. One way to counter-act this is to establish a tone of zero acceptance of anti-gay abuse at the beginning of and throughout the entire school year. Another way to help counter negative gay sentiment is by showing your students positive examples of LGBT people in our society and mention the influences of [|prominent and everyday LGBT people] have on our culture, i.e. Rupert Everett, Justin Fashanu (first black UK soccer player), Dolce and Gabbana, etc. **

__** 3. Work LGBT Issues into your Lesson ** __
 *  You can use a little creativity and do some homework of your own to introduce diversity into your lesson plan. Teaching English? Dedicate time specifically for LGBT authors. Teaching Drama? Mention actors that are kids of gays, such as Anne Heche, Judy Garland, etc. Teaching Science? Talk about the national origin of famous theorists and work that into a discussion about gay rights in that country. Teaching Math? Construct math word problems so as not to assume a heterosexual context (Macgillivray, I. & Jennings, T., 2008) As a secondary school teacher, you are expected to weave the LGBT issues into your content area. **


 * <span style="display: inline !important; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-decoration: inherit;">Also, you will find resources for the Ontario curriculum at your fingertips-here are some examples: **


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Here is a pdf that includes lesson plans with clear curriculum ties in which to teach about lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender issues in Ontario. Each lesson plan is divided by subject, grade and course code (for secondary schools). There are appendices for each handout associated with each lesson plan. This file was constructed in 2011 by the Toronto District School Board. **


 * Also, in the document below, you will find a few activities to engage students about this issue.**
 * [|PFLAG Quick Activities]**


 * Here are some recommended books for both elementary and secondary schools in BC that you might want to obtain for your students in regards to this issue. They organize the books with respect to the level of school.**
 * [|Recommended Books for Schools]**

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 * One film that is quite famous for allowing students to discuss LBGT issues in the classroom is "It's Elementary". A groundbreaking film that addresses anti-gay prejudice by providing adults with practical lessons on how to talk with children about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered people.**
 * (Chasnoff & Cohen, 1996)**


 * You can obtain more information about the above film in the link below.**
 * It's Elementary**


 * Furthermore, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network has an entire website dedicated to lesson plans and resources that you can use in your classroom about this issue.**
 * [|GLSEN Educator Resources]**


 * Lastly, another great resource is this website:**
 * [|PFLAG Canada_Help for Teachers]**


 * and for parents or questions about the curriculum, in Canada, regarding this issue, go here:**
 * [|Myths and Facts]**

__**4. Combat the Stereotypes**__ ** Steer clear of general gay myths and stereotypes and be open with your students about what those generalizations are. Don't be afraid to call them out on their misconceptions. Immediately counter any generalization and stereotypes with the facts: LGBT people are individuals that represent all facets of culture and society, few of which are represented on television or in the movies. For example, challenge the notion of if a man acts feminine and/or a woman acts masculine that the person is considered to be gay or lesbian-what needs to be challenged here are the notions of what is male and female. Can men only act a certain way and women act a certain way? (CAW-TCA, 2011) ** __**5. Counter Anti-Gay Jokes**__ ** Anti-gay jokes create feelings of isolation, helplessness, fear and loneliness for LBGT teens in the midst of a cloud of laughter. Even the kids that aren't necessarily anti-gay may laugh at the gay kids out of fear or peer pressure. All it takes is the perception that a kid is gay for them to become a verbal or physical target. It is important to deal with the joke immediately, don't let it slide. According to the BC teacher's federation, here are 10 things you can say or do when you hear: "That's so Gay!" **
 * || # ====**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ask, “How would you feel if your name/identity was inserted instead of ‘gay’?” i.e.: “That’s so Bryce/ Gurvir / Aisha! etc.” and it was used repetitively. **====
 * 1) ====**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ask, “What does that mean?” or say, “That’s so what?” Typical student response, “It’s stupid/weird, etc.” Teacher response: “That’s the same as saying, ‘Gay people are stupid/weird,’ and I find that offensive.” **====
 * 2) ====**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ask, “How can a book/idea/song have a sexual orientation?” if they are referring to an inanimate object when using this slur. **====
 * 3) ====**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Say, “You might be surprised to know that what you just said could hurt someone’s feelings.” **====
 * 4) ====**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Say, “This is a homophobia-free zone. Homophobic slurs like that are not tolerated here.” **====
 * 5) ====**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ask, “What does gay mean?” Use this opportunity to discuss the language of oppression. **====
 * 6) ====**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Show one of the NFB videos: Sticks and Stones, One of Them, or In Other Words. E-mail your request to borrow one from the BCTF to video@bctf.ca . **====
 * 7) ====**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Download classroom posters on this topic from the Pride Education Network . **====
 * 8) ====**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Say, “Gay is OK.” **====
 * 9) ====**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Make links between homophobic slurs and other forms of discrimination. Use analogies between racism, sexism, ableism, ethnocentrism, etc. **==== ||
 * (BC Teachers' Federation, 2011)**

__**6. Don't single out the gay kids**__ ** You may have a tendency to give your LGBT kids special treatment, treat them like victims or use them as examples. When talking about diversity in your classroom, try not to use your LGBT students as examples. Many LGBT teens are just coming into their sexual identity and often feel isolated as it is. Identifying them to the class or using them as "gay poster children" will only increase their feelings of isolation (and, frankly, make them more of a target for harassment) <span style="display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; text-decoration: inherit;">(Johnson, 2011). ** __**7. Sponsor Diversity Programs**__ ** A great way to help school-wide diversity and create a safer haven for LGBT students is by: **
 * **<span style="font-family: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-decoration: inherit; text-decoration: inherit;">Sponsoring a Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) chapter at your school. GSA is a student-run club which provides a safe place for students to meet, support each other, talk about issues related to sexual orientation and work to end homophobia. According to Walls, Kane, & Wisneski (2010), the presence of GSAs positively affects more school experiences, i.e. LBGT teens achieve better academic and social success. Whether or not these teens are actual members of the GSA does not appear to make a difference in these positive experiences (Walls et al., 2010). **
 * ** <span style="font-family: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-decoration: inherit; text-decoration: inherit;">Inviting PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays), a socio-political group to your school for a safer school training. There is a speakers program with PFLAG Canada which means that speakers will come to the school to talk about this issue. The following pdf document includes this information. PFLAG Speakers Program Take advantage of this program by inviting these speakers to make a difference at your school. **

__**8. Urge School-Wide Anti-Discrimination Policies**__ ** Urge your school administration to help you help your students re-inforce our anti-discrimination policy or by //explicitly// including LGBT people in their existing anti-discrimination policies. **  __**A final note:**__  **I started out thinking about the abstract parts of this issue but I felt that we hadn't really discussed how to implement it into our curriculum, so I felt that I wanted to learn about how to do this. I feel that this issue had never been discussed when I was in school and this generation needs to feel as if they can feel safe enough to be themselves at school. We, as soon-to-be teachers need to know how to do this. I was upset to discover that there wasn't very much information about explicitly teaching about the LBGT issue in the high school curriculum-perhaps this could be due to teachers not willing to express their beliefs on children, the high school curriculum itself may not provide enough room for this issue, specifically in the maths or sciences, or it may be because of parental or religious influences who do not want this issue to be discussed in high schools. I think as soon-to-be high school teachers we need to think about how to go about implementing this issue into our subject areas so as to not anger parents or those with deeply religious backgrounds so that we can help our students to become more open-minded individuals.** ** In addition, students will take our lead, especially at impressionable teen ages. Their view of the world is still developing and can often be wrongly influenced if they aren't shown other alternatives. As a soon-to-be-teacher, we need to be aware of the facts regarding the issue, try to implement this issue into our curriculum as best as we can, be a positive role model regarding this issue, deal with stereotypes immediately, and re-inforce our anti-discrimination policy. We will play an important role in molding these teens for the future. How we speak of, portray or act towards lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender people can have a lasting impact on our future students' view of LGBT people and LGBT issues. ** **For Presentation:** Presentation

References: BC Teachers' Federation (2011). Ten things you can say or do when you hear, "That's so gay!". Retrieved from []

Brooks, D. (2011). //Inclusive Classrooms// [Photograph]. Partners in Learning retrieved from []

CAW-TCA. (2011). To our allies: everything you have ever wanted to know about Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Trans Issues..well, maybe not everything. Retrieved from []

CBC News/Canada. (May 12, 2008). Two-thirds of LGBT students feel unsafe: report. Retrieved from [|http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2008/05/12/egale-canada-report.html#ixzz11WD9FA8D]

Chasnoff, D. & Cohen, H. (Directors). (1996, May 20). Trailer. //It's Elementary//. Podcast retrieved from @http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWyj_OfQpnU

Clark, C.T. (2010). Preparing LGBTQ-allies and combating homophobia in a U.S. teacher education program. Teacher and Teacher Education, 26, 704-713. doi: 10.1016/j.tate,2009.10.006

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Johnson, R. (2011). <span class="fn" style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: inherit;">Teaching Acceptance in Schools - How Teachers Can Help Gay Students. Retrieved from []

Macgillivray, I & Jennings, T. (March 2008). A Content Analysis Exploring Gay, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Topics in Foundations of Education Textbooks. Journal of Teacher Education, 59 (2), 170-188. doi: 10.1177/0022487107313160

Walls, N.E., Kane, S.B., & Wisneski, H. (March 2010). Gay-Straight Alliances and School Experiences of Sexual Minority Youth. Youth & Society, 41(3), 307-332. doi:10.1177/0044118X09334957 .
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