Gender-Oriented Topics in Teaching English as an Additional Language

Résumé

Given the great influence gender identity issues have in educational settings, it is critical to understand how students, especially in the K–12 context, are affected and how this contributes to their academic success. This article deals with the potential that lies in teaching topics of gender identity in the additional language classroom. Drawing on recent research in the German context related to language and culture and gender-oriented topics in English as an additional language (EAL) provides an international perspective. Exemplified through the German school context, the need to incorporate more gender-oriented topics into teaching is emphasized. The aim is to provide an understanding of topics related to gender and sexual orientation independent of the subject matter and to highlight some opportune teaching moments. In doing so, the role of the school as an agent of socialization and education in connection to topics of gender identity is explained, followed by an introduction to the field of gender studies in order to point out the main aspects to consider when planning a lesson for EAL. To make the theoretical field more accessible, three teaching examples for primary school and early secondary school research settings are presented.