Gender as a theme and a concept in teacher students’ Masters’ theses (original) (raw)
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The long mission towards gender equality in teacher education
Nordic Studies in Education
Since the 1970s, gender equality has been an aim in international educational politics and policies. Finland has also evidenced a history of hundreds of projects and reports that have repeated the same aims, ideas, and practical innovations for promoting equality; many of them have teacher education as one of the foci. However, the actual pace of change has been very slow. In this paper, we focus on the sustainable impact of a national project on gender awareness in teacher education (2008-2011). We analyze changes in cultures and curricula in relation to gender awareness in teacher education. The data includes documents of the project, curricula of teacher education, responses of the former activists of the project and interviews with teachers in one teacher education unit. We also use autoethnographic methodology. We suggest that the mission of gender awareness is difficult, but not a mission impossible.
Doing gender¡ staff development, Strategies and futures in teacher education [1]
Journal of In-service Education, 1999
to raise the profile of gender within teacher education. In attempting to address 'fears of feminism' of many teacher educators in Sweden (as elsewhere), an ongoing seminar was organised which, it was hoped, would be able to promote professional development, stimulate awareness and discussion of gender issues, and also, address any fears of feminism that might remain. The aim was to identify gender theoretical, research and practice frameworks for teacher education. Prior to the start of the seminar a number of key issues had emerged concerning gender issues in teacher education. These include the feminisation of teaching and teacher education as 'women's work' and the fusing of gender with other equity issues in teacher education. The seminar was conducted in two languages, Swedish and English-what the authors referred to as 'Swinglish'. An earlier version of this article was written in both languages. The first part of this article considers the background to the seminar, in particular the debates surrounding teacher education and gender. We identify issues that may be specifically relevant to teacher education, although we are aware that there is likely to be much overlap with other education disciplines. We then consider the development of the seminar, the kinds of openings it created and the issues it raised as a form of action research. Finally, we reflect on the educative process of which we were a part, and what insights it provided for gender work in the future. Both of us, as women, feminists and educationalists, have been variously and at different levels, involved in working for girls and women, within and outside education, though in different countries (Sweden and the United Kingdom). However, it is also important to say that we both at
1997
This report focuses on ways constructions of gender inform teacher education students' curriculum experiences and teaching performance in primary schools, in particular regarding a gender inclusive curriculum. The remarks of eight students from a longitudinal study were analyzed using feminist post-structural theory as a means of understanding contradictory discourses and the process by which gender relations become "normalized." By examining "taken for granted" beliefs concerning gender, students were challenged to reexamine their own values,and see the importance of gender inclusive pedagogy and curriculum planning. Students were asked to explain their own understanding of gender relations, how they would address gender equity in their own classrooms, and how their course work enhanced or limited their understanding. Most students were able to demonstrate an awareness of ways gender relations were constituted in their lives and to "problematize" gender relations. Although students requested practical gender inclusive strategies for the classroom, during the interviews it became clear to the research team that providing courses and strategies might be a "band-aid" approach and so hinder students from achieving a deeper analysis. It also became clear that the researchers' commitment to feminism had made them somewhat "hard of hearing" when it came to the students and their interpretation of gender relations. (Contains 29 references.) (LH)
Gender Awareness in Finnish Teacher Education: an Impossible Mission?
Education Inquiry, 2011
Education Inquiry is an international on-line, peer-reviewed journal with free access in the field of Educational Sciences and Teacher Education. It publishes original empirical and theoretical studies from a wide variety of academic disciplines. As the name of the journal suggests, one of its aims is to challenge established conventions and taken-for-granted perceptions within these fields. Education Inquiry is looking for lucid and significant contributions to the understanding of contextual, social, organizational and individual factors affecting teaching and learning, the links between these aspects, the nature and processes of education and training as well as research in and on Teacher Education and Teacher Education policy. This includes research ranging from preschool education to higher education, and research on formal and informal settings. Education Inquiry welcomes cross-disciplinary contributions and innovative perspectives. Of particularly interest are studies that take as their starting point, education practice and subject teaching or didactics. Education Inquiry welcomes research from a variety of methodological and theoretical approaches, and invites studies that make the nature and use of educational research the subject of inquiry. Comparative and country-specific studies are also welcome. Education Inquiry readers include educators, researchers, teachers and policy makers in various cultural contexts. Every issue of Education Inquiry publishes peer-reviewed articles in one, two or three different sections. Open section: Articles sent in by authors as part of regular journal submissions and published after a blind review process. Thematic section: Articles reflecting the theme of a conference or workshop and published after a blind review process. Invited section: Articles by researchers invited by Education Inquiry to shed light on a specific theme or for a specific purpose and published after a review process. Education Inquiry is a continuation of the Journal of Research in Teacher Education, which is available in printed copies as well as electronic versions and free access at
2016
Education for Women"s Equality states: "The National Education System will play a positive, dominant role in the empowerment and strengthening of women. It will foster the expansion of new values through redesigned curricula, textbooks, the training and orientation of teachers, decision-makers and administrators, and the active involvement of educational institutions. The removal of women"s illiteracy and obstacles inhibiting their access to, and retention in, elementary education will receive overriding priority." What happens in educational circumstances is at all times exclusive because it is reliant on the intercommunication between teacher and students. The condition explicitly includes time/space situation. The rationale of using gender cognizant pedagogical models in the classroom is to motivate self-governing dialogues and make powerful the students through this process. In general, classroom dialogue is based on the controlling role the teachers represen...
A Guide for Gender Equality in Teacher Education Policy and Practices
2015
Education is a basic human right, and gender equality is fundamental to its full realization. UNESCO promotes gender equality in and through education so as to ensure that women and men, girls and boys have equal access to learning opportunities, as well as fair treatment in the learning processes, equitable outcomes and advancement in all spheres of life. UNESCO's mandate involves implementing a significant and broad education agenda so as to cover many of the challenging issues such as persistent gender inequality, inequity and exclusion encountered within diverse and changing contexts. The Guide for Gender Equality in Teacher Education Policy and Practices has been conceived as a tool to introduce the gender perspective to all aspects of teacher education and training, notably policy and planning, budgeting, curriculum development, pedagogy and instructional materials, support services, and monitoring and evaluation. Gender mainstreaming requires a transformation in the culture of teacher education institutions, accountability, and teaching and learning processes. Progress has been made in mainstreaming gender into national sector policies in many countries, however, due to several interconnected factors, transforming institutional cultures and practices remains a challenge. Gender inequalities around the world are manifested in many aspects of education, including access, retention, success, and career choices and opportunities. This is both a cause and a result of systemic discrimination and gender stereotyping. In some countries, the gender gap is apparent for boys and men. However, girls and women undeniably experience the worst forms of discrimination. Furthermore, the teaching profession paints a mixed picture when it comes to gender parity and equality issues. A study on the feminization of the teaching profession as well as global data for 2010 from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) revealed that globally there are more female teachers (62 per cent) than male teachers at primary level education. Moreover, female teachers are over-represented in the teaching profession in Central Asia (90 per cent), Central and Eastern Europe (82 per cent), Latin America and the Caribbean (78 per cent), and North America and Western Europe (83 per cent). However, this dominance of female teachers did not automatically extend to secondary education where there continues to be unequal representation of female teachers. In the South, West and East Asia region and the Pacific region, significant efforts have been made to increase the proportion of female teachers from 32 per cent to 46 per cent and from 49 per cent to 62 per cent respectively between 1990 and 2010. Sub-Saharan Africa, with the lowest proportion of female teachers during the same period, witnessed a marginal change from 40 per cent to 43 per cent. If gender equality in education is to be achieved, the entire education system must adopt gender-responsive policies, plans, strategies and budgets. Mainstreaming gender equality in system-wide teacher education institutions is crucial for two main reasons. Firstly, gender equality is a priority on the international development agenda, and secondly, teachers are central to the education system for the key roles they play in the transmission of values, knowledge, and the development of human potential and skills. For these reasons, among others, UNESCO took the decision to prioritize gender equality in its programmes, and considers that gender shall remain a central issue in the global post-2015 education agenda. The education of girls and women is not only essential for improving their own living conditions, but it also yields multiplier effects with regard to personal, social and economic development more generally. Indeed, we at UNESCO are convinced that education, especially of girls and women, is one of the most effective investments for peace and sustainable development. Gender equality in and through teacher education is the ultimate goal of this guide. It seeks to contribute towards quality teacher education by ensuring that girls and boys, women and men are treated equally and have equal access to learning opportunities. By benefiting from education equally, students can develop their potential, feel empowered to achieve their dreams, and contribute to and benefit from social, cultural, political and economic development as equals. It is my hope that you will find this guide useful in enhancing the capacity of teacher education institutions to transform their institutional culture. Education institutions in general, and teacher education institutions in particular wherever they are located, should champion gender equality through mainstreaming gender into teacher policies and plans, curriculum development, pedagogy, and research and communication. It is also my personal conviction that gender equality in every sphere of life, including in education, can only be achieved when all types of discrimination are eliminated and equal access to learning opportunities, career choices, professional development and services are provided to both women and men. We must start with education.
Editorial: Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in Education
Frontiers in Education, 2022
Editorial on the Research Topic Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment in Education Current scholarly literature shows that gender inequalities are still present in the process of curricular decision making and teacher practices. These inequalities are expressed through the selection of educational content, the application of methodological strategies, the selection of teaching resources, interpersonal relationships, specific task assignments, or even seating choices within the classroom. These ongoing gender-related issues drive the need for teachers to receive specific and transversal training in this area. Such trainings should be aimed at revealing gender relations as a type of power relationship for the promotion of social change. The literature in the field of teacher training indicates that the maintenance of gender stereotypes and biases in teacher discourses and practices reinforces the sex-gender system and, consequently, inequalities. Further research is therefore still needed to study the discourses that emerged from the teaching practices around gender. Moreover, research in this field should encourage critical reflection on teacher training plans and the teaching curriculum itself. The adoption of coeducational approaches and the promotion of education in and for gender equality entails transforming the traditional teaching curriculum to overcome the androcentric constructive bases of historical, social, and literary knowledge. Such transformation would also motivate the incorporation of "polysemic views" in the understanding and interpretation of social reality. Even today, it is common to recognize in mainstream social communication discourses, such as advertising or audiovisual artistic expressions, clear imagery of unquestionable, allegedly identarian gender cultural patterns. The overcoming or relativization of these patterns should necessarily go through the reexamination of curricular content. The eradication of gender inequalities requires not only the integration of all the voices that have built social knowledge but also the overcoming of gender stereotypes within the education system. It is thus essential to identify the shortcomings of teachers' training and encourage gender studies as a requisite for their curricula in order to achieve inclusive, plural, and diverse models for teaching practices. This Research Topic includes 15 manuscripts, from nine prestigious international academic institutions
Reflecting on an academic practice to boost gender awareness in future schoolteachers
Educação, Sociedade & Culturas, 35, 2012
Gender mainstreaming has become an important issue in UE politics and has been included in most national educational policy. Nevertheless, its implementation is frequently more apparent than real. Here in Spain, schoolteachers are rarely prepared to overcome gender stereotypes. Moreover, university professors interested in developing gender awareness in future professionals generally face difficulties due to, on the one hand, the lack references and models to follow and, on the other hand young people general resistance to feminism claims. In this article we present a specific case of action research developed in order to stimulate gender self-awareness in future schoolteachers. The aim of the text is double: firstly, to critically evaluate our teaching experience in order to improve it in the next years and, secondly, to stimulate a debate with colleagues on potentialities and pitfalls of teaching gender sensibility to future schoolteachers and other educators.