Ground rules for teachers and students when dealing with CSE topics

To create a safe environment in which everyone feels comfortable and cared for, it is a good idea to establish ground rules and we can work with these rules until they become a routine.

Do’s Don’ts

• respect each other

• it is OK to pass

• questions are welcome

• use correct terms for parts of the body

• use inclusive language¹

• listen when others are speaking

• respect personal boundaries

• be sensitive about diversity

• remember everyone is important

• ask personal questions

• speak for others

• belittle others

• make rights a subject of debate²

1 The use of language that is gender non-specific (for example, the word ‘partner’ is used instead of ‘boyfriend’ or ‘girlfriend’, the word ‘firefighter’ is used instead of ‘fireman’, the word ‘they’ is used instead of ‘he/she’) to show consideration to people of sexual and gender minorities. For more examples, see https://www.un.org/en/gender-inclusive-language/guidelines.shtml

2 Debates are a powerful tool because students learn about the topics they are debating and they develop the strategies needed to participate in one. However, we must be careful about the topic we are going to discuss because a debate assumes that there are two or more sides to an issue. Debates also assume that both sides have valid arguments. If students are allowed to debate rights, they learn that this is an appropriate debate topic. For example, debating on gay marriage validates both sides: in favour and against it. This should not be available as a debate topic because by Law N° 26, 618 equal marriage is a right in Argentina and rights are not open to debate.

This is a list of key terms and ideas that are important when dealing with CSE. These terms also invite us to reflect upon our own preconceptions as well as our practices.

Ableism: it refers to discrimination or prejudice against individuals with disabilities. For example, in films, we see disabled people pigeon-holed into stereotypical roles, such as the angry, bitter wheel chair user who has a miserable life because of their disability or portrayed as inspirational people. Characters with disabilities are shown as extraordinary or heroic individuals because of their disability, which reduces them down to motivators. We seldom see people with disabilities performing everyday tasks.

In the following TED Talk, Stella Young breaks down society’s habit of turning disabled people into ‘inspiration porn’: https://www.ted.com/talks/stella_young_i_m_not_your_ inspiration_thank_you_very_much

This video shows a world where everybody has cerebral palsy except the protagonist. Even though it is in Spanish, it is good material to reflect on abilities, disabilities and what we consider to be the norm: https://www.facebook.com/EhUniverso/videos/745391612996147

Adultcentrism/Adultism: it is the tendency of adults to view children and their problems from a biased, adult perspective. Adultcentrism is exercised by underestimating the behaviour, thoughts and ideas of children and adolescents.

Ageism: the World Health Organization defines ageism as the stereotyping and discrimination against individuals or groups on the basis of their age. It can take many forms, including prejudicial attitudes, discriminatory practices or institutional policies and practices that perpetuate stereotypical beliefs.

To learn more about ageism in the ELT classroom, you can read the article ‘Teaching our future selves’ by Heloisa Duarte here: http://bit.ly/35DSHGR

Diversity: this term is used in social studies to describe the composition of a group by paying attention to differences among the group members. Such differences may be observable, such as linguistic repertoire, age, gender, accent, ethnicity or nonobservable, such as beliefs or cultural systems. From a social justice perspective, the notion of diversity is reoriented to recognize inequality, mitigate the consequences of exclusion and dismantle injustice. (Banegas et al 2021)

Gender: it refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviours, expressions and identities of people. It influences how people perceive themselves and each other, how they act and interact, and the distribution of power and resources in society. Gender identity is not confined to a binary (girl/ woman, boy/man) and can change over time.

The way individuals and groups understand, experience and express gender is diverse and they do not ‘fit’ established gender norms; they often face stigma and discrimination. It is important to note that gender and sex are not interchangeable terms. See ‘Sex’ for more information.

Here you can find a very clear infographic showing the difference between gender and sex: https://cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/documents/igh_s17_infographic_ gender_sex-en.pdf

In this link, you will find more information about gender diversity: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zhvbt39/articles/ z6smbdm

Gender identity: it refers to a person’s innermost concept of self as male, female or something else – how individuals perceive themselves and what they call themselves. One’s gender identity can be the same or different from their assigned sex.

For more information on this and other terms, you can visit this website: https://www.npr.org/2021/06/02/996319297/gender-identitypronouns-expression-guide-lgbtq

Hegemony: Merriam-Webster defines hegemony as ‘the social, cultural, ideological or economic influence exerted by a dominant group’. When something is said to be hegemonic, it means that it is a cultural belief or practice that is so embedded in a society that it is not questioned.

For example, when we speak about female ‘hegemonic bodies’ in our culture, we refer to the idea of picture-perfect bodies, that is, women who are white, young, tall, skinny and, usually, blonde. The notion of hegemonic bodies can very much affect people’s self-esteem and health if they do not conform to the imposed beauty standards.

Here you can watch a video that shows how bodies are photoshopped to fit certain beauty standards: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7PSMSNLcDg

This video shows a campaign against hegemonic (toxic) masculinity, that is, imposed standards that many men try to achieve: https://youtu.be/koPmuEyP3a0

Heteronormativity: it refers to the belief that heterosexuality is the normal or default expression of sexuality. For example, when we ask a female student if she has a boyfriend, assuming the student is heterosexual. To learn more about heteronormativity and queer pedagogy, among other things, you can watch this interview with

Dr John Gray, professor in Applied Linguistics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQCLczbmyPE

Intersectionality: this term was coined by lawyer and professor Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989 to describe the double bind of simultaneous gender and racial prejudice. Nowadays, intersectionality is a lens that allows us to visibilize the diverse forms of discrimination many people suffer when different factors, such as race, gender, social class, among others, intersect. This lens is key to understanding that people who are subject to all these types of discrimination go through a different experience and not just the sum of its parts.

To learn more about intersectionality, you can read this interview with professor Crenshaw and watch a short video: https://www.law.columbia.edu/news/archive/kimberlecrenshaw-intersectionality-more-two-decades-later https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBaIhlmM3ow&t=1s

LGBTQ+: acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transexual and queer or questioning. The + sign represents all the other gender identities and sexual orientations, which you can find in this link: https://www.hrc.org/resources/glossary-of-terms

Other/Othering: the perception or representation of a person or group of people as fundamentally alien from another, frequently more powerful, group.

To learn more about othering in ELT you can watch this interview with Sergio Durán, EFL lecturer at Universidad Veracruzana (México): https://bit.ly/35EC1PH

You can also read this article by Sergio Durán in Creating Global Change (pages 65–68): https://bit.ly/3sFv3n9

Queer: term that includes gender non-binary individuals, gender non-conforming individuals and transgender individuals. However, as Paiz claims, (2019) some queer theorists argue against establishing a single, stable definition for the term ‘queer’, so this definition is not a definite one.

In this link, you will find more information about non-binary genders and gender identity: https://www.genderbread.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/ Breaking-through-the-Binary-by-Sam-Killermann.pdf

Restive problematizing: Pennycook (2001) puts forward the notion of restive problematizing as a key component of critical enquiry pedagogies. Being a restive problematizer involves continually questioning underlying assumptions and beliefs about the world and language from a critical perspective. This is closely linked with what Paiz (2019) refers to as queering our practices, which means equipping students with tools to be critical about all normative discourses, not just ones centred on sexual identity, so that they can better advocate for themselves and others. In other words, it means encouraging our students to ask questions about why our world is the way it is, who benefits from this presentation of the world, who is marginalized or silenced and what can be done to create a more equitable and inclusive world.

To learn more about queering our practices, you can watch this interview with Dr Joshua Paiz: https://bit.ly/3oKq1U4

Visit https://bit.ly/3smoxSl to read more about restive problematizing and queering our practices.

Sex: it refers to a set of biological attributes in humans and animals. It is primarily associated with physical and physiological features including chromosomes, gene expression, hormone levels and function, and reproductive / sexual anatomy. Sex is usually categorized as female, male or intersex. It is assigned at birth.

Stereotypes: Merriam-Webster defines stereotype as ‘a standardized mental picture that is held in common by members of a group and that represents an oversimplified opinion, prejudiced attitude or uncritical judgment’. Stereotypes can be harmful because they negatively impact people’s lifestyles and opportunities. Some commonly held stereotypes are ‘Women are nurturing.’, ‘Asians are good at maths.’, ‘Arabs and Muslims are terrorists.’, ‘Boys don’t cry.’, among others.

Here there are two resources to reflect upon stereotypes: A class that turned around kids’ assumptions of gender roles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3Aweo-74kY Cultural diversity and stereotypes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7cTtZt0BjE https://issuu.com/iatefl/docs/teylt_worldwide_ issue_1__2020_special_appendix/40

Tokenism: the Cambridge Dictionary defines tokenism as ‘the fact of doing something only to show that you are following rules or doing what is expected or seen to be fair, and not because you really believe it is the right thing to do’. For example, when teachers only work with CSE for CSE week in Argentina, instead of dealing with it throughout the year and in a cross-curricular way.

Unconscious bias: it refers to social stereotypes about certain groups of people that individuals form outside their own conscious awareness.

To learn more about unconscious bias, visit these websites: https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/ authority.20110803110609736 https://bit.ly/3JDLUQd (tests)

Bibliography consulted https://cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/48642.html https://www.merriam-webster.com/ https://bit.ly/3MmCwUz https://www.unfpa.org/es/educacion-sexual-integral#readmore-expand https://csetoolkit.unesco.org/toolkit/getting-started/what-comprehensive-sexuality-education

Banegas, D; Beacon, G; Pérez Berbain (2021) Introduction: Diversity in ELT in International Perspectives on Diversity in ELT. Palgrave Macmillan.