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PROFILE Issues in Teachers' Professional Development,Vol 19, No 1 (2017)

http://dx.doi.org/10.15446/profile.v19n1.56209

ALearningExperienceoftheGenderPerspectiveinEnglishTeaching
Contexts
Aprendizajesdelaperspectivadegneroenlosescenariosparalaenseanzadel
ingls
ClaudiaPatriciaMojica*
UniversidaddeLosAndes,Bogot,Colombia
HaroldCastaedaPea**
UniversidadDistritalFranciscoJosdeCaldas,Bogot,Colombia

*cp.mojica10@uniandes.edu.co
**hacastanedap@udistrital.edu.co

ThisarticlewasreceivedonMarch15,2016,andacceptedonOctober21,2016.

Howtocitethisarticle(APA6thed.):
Mojica,C.P.,&CastaedaPea,H.(2017).AlearningexperienceofthegenderperspectiveinEnglish
teachingcontexts.PROFILEIssuesinTeachersProfessionalDevelopment,19(1),139153.
http://dx.doi.org/10.15446/profile.v19n1.56209.

ThisisanOpenAccessarticledistributedunderthetermsoftheCreativeCommonslicenseAttribution
NonCommercialNoDerivatives4.0InternationalLicense.Consultationispossibleat
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/byncnd/4.0/.

EighteenColombianEnglishteachersparticipatedinacoursewithanemphasisongenderandforeign
languageteachinginaMastersprograminBogot.Thistextdescribesthedesign,implementation,and
thelearninginthiseducationalexperience.Theanalysisofthecoursewasbasedonaviewoflearningasa
processofparticipationrootedinthepraxisofEnglishteachersclassrooms.Thisexperiencerevealsthat
genderisarelevantcategoryintheframeofEnglishlanguageteachereducationasitprovidesteachers
withtoolsfromabroadersocialandeducationalperspective.Thisreflectionalsoleadstoimplicationsfor
teacherspracticeswithagenderperspective.

Keywords:Englishteachers,genderandforeignlanguageeducation,languageteachereducation,
learning,participation.

Dieciochoprofesoresdeinglsparticiparonenuncursoconnfasisengneroylaenseanzadelengua
extranjera,enelmarcodeunprogramademaestraenBogot.Estetextodescribeeldiseo,la
implementacinylosaprendizajesquesurgenenestaexperienciaeducativa.Elanlisisdelcursosebasa
enunacomprensindelaprendizajecomoelresultadodeunprocesodeparticipacinenlaprcticadela
enseanzadelosdocentes.Estaexperienciarevelaquegneroesunacategoraimportanteenelmarco
delaeducacindelaenseanzadelingls,porcuantoaportaelementosdesdeunaperspectivasocialy
educativa.Estareflexinrevelaalgunasimplicacionesparalaprcticadedocentessensiblesalacategora
gnero.

Palabrasclave:aprendizajes,educacindedocentesdeingls,gneroyeducacinenlenguaextranjera,
participacin,profesoresdeingls.

Introduction
OneofthemajorcommitmentsthatthefieldofEducationhasassumedinthelastdecadesworldwideis
theincorporationofthegenderperspective.Educationisthemeansbywhichitispossibletoreachgender
equity1andfostergenderjusticeandfairness(Connell,2011UNESCO,2015).Inthissense,Colombia,
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likemanyothercountriesaroundtheworld,hasattemptedactionssuchasimprovingaccesstoeducation
particularlyforgirls/womenhowever,thishasnotbeenenoughtotransformgenderrelationsinthe
school.Theschoolisconsideredoneofthesocialplacesforthegenderedculturalreproductiontherefore,
ithasbeensuggestedthatthegenderperspectivebeincorporatedintotheteachingframework,the
curricularcontentsofallsubjects,andintoallteachersprofessionaldevelopment(AlcaldadeMedelln&
SubsecretaradePlaneacinyTransversalizacin,2010Calvo,Rendn,&Rojas,2006FuentesVsquez&
HolgunCastillo,2006).

Foreignlanguageteachingcontextsarenotexemptfromtheresponsibilityofincorporatingthegender
perspectivetohelpeducationalinstitutionsbattlegenderinequities.Theseparticularlearningsettings2
alsodisplaythatmeaningsrelatedtogenderturn,inmanyoccasions,intosexistpractices,hegemonic
ideas,ordifferentialtreatmentsthatdisfavorstudentslearningexperiences(Hruska,2004Litosseliti,
2006Sunderland,2000bPavlenko&Piller,2001).Someresearchersclaimthatlanguageteachersshould
bemoreawareofaspectssuchasgendereddiscoursesoftexts/contentsandissuesrelatedtopower
duringclassinteraction,asthismayhelporhinderlearningopportunities,languageaccess,andmeanings
thatstudentsmaylearnaboutgenderrepresentations(CastaedaPea2008bHruska,2004Litosseliti,
2006Sunderland,2000a,2000b).

Withinthisview,wearguethatforeignlanguageteachersshouldconsidernotonlystudentslinguistic
knowledge,butalsotheknowledgestudentslearnthroughlanguagesocializationprocessestakingplacein
classroomssettings.Thisknowledgeisrelatedtoculture,values,beliefs,andissuesofmoralityand
respect(Duff&Talmy,2011).Furthermore,somescholarsandteachersinthefieldofsecondlanguage
acquisition(SLA),bilingualism,andforeignlanguageeducation(Hruska,2004Litosseliti,2006
Pennycook,1999Piller&Pavlenko,2001Sunderland,2000a,2000b)claimthatgenderandlanguagein
theforeignlanguageclassroomarerelativelyuntheorizedandunexplored.Therefore,theseauthorshave
stronglyrecommendedpractitionerstoincludegenderintheirwork,practices,andresearchinterests.

Colombiapresentssomerelevantresearchthatpointstotheimportanceofgenderinforeignlanguage
contexts(Castaeda,2012CastaedaPea,2008a,2008b,2009,2010Durn,2006Rojas,2012)
nonetheless,thesestudieshavenotbeentantamounttotheinclusionofgenderinEnglishteachers
professionaldevelopment.ForeignlanguageeducatorshavebeenlargelyinformedbySLAresearchwhich
focusesoncognitivistapproachestolanguagelearning,leavinggenderonthemargins(Piller&Pavlenko,
2001).Unlessteachersprofessionaldevelopment(TPD)programsinteachingEnglishasaforeign
language(TEFL)educationintegrategenderawarenesscoursesorseminars,Englishteacherswillnotbe
preparedtorecognizewaysinwhichgendermeaningsaretransmittedandlegitimated,andhowgender
inequitiesare(re)producedintheirteachingcontexts.

Teachersarekeyagentsofchangewithinthisprocessand,therefore,needtoreceivetraininginthese
mattersduringtheirteachingprofessionaldevelopment(Connell,2011Esen,2013).Inorderto
contributetofillinginthisgapinTPDinTEFLeducationandhaveitalignedwiththiseducational
commitment,weofferedanoptionalcourseforinserviceEnglishteachersinaMasterprograminApplied
LinguisticstoTEFLinBogot,Colombia,withagenderorientation.Theobjectivewiththiscoursewasto
raisegenderawarenesswithinpracticesandcontextsofteaching.

Thisarticleaccountsforthiscourseexperiencethus,inwhatfollowswewillpresentthetheoreticaland
methodologicalconsiderationsdrawnforthedesign/implementationofthecourse.Theanalysisofthis
courseexperiencewillbepresentedfromtwoperspectives:First,areflexiveanalysisofthelearning
processthatweasteachersofthiscourseexperiencedinrelationtothemethodologyandobjectiveswe
aimedfor.Second,wewillexplainthescopethestudentteachers(STs)displayedwithintheirteaching
contextsandpracticesinrelationtothegenderawarenesstheydevelopedthroughthecourse.

TheoreticalFramework
Thissectionshowssomerelevanttheorieshelpfultounderstandingtheapproachofthiscoursewitha
genderorientationinthefieldofEnglishteaching.Wedrawonthecriticalapproachtoreflectonand
questionEnglishteachersrolesintheirdailypraxis,andthecomponentsthatshouldbeincludedinthe
contextsofEnglishteacherseducation.AnothertheoryimpliedhereiswhatWenger(1998)termed
communitiesofpractice(CoP)thislearningapproachreflectsthemethodologyandteachingdecisions
madeintheframeworkofthiscourseproposal.Finally,wewillpresenttheconceptofgenderasa
categoryconstructedthroughinteractionwithothers,aswellasitsimportanceinlightofthecourseof
identitiesandlanguagelearning.

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TeachersProfessionalDevelopment(TPD)FromaCriticalApproach
Therearevariousworksthatpointtotheteachersasactorsthatmayreproducegenderinequalityin
educationalscenarios(Calvoetal.,2006Esen,2013Verma,1993).Thishappensbecauseteachersgrow
upinasocietyandtransmitimplicitandexplicitvalues,expectations,andnormsbymeansofwhich
studentsaresocializedtolearngenderroles,genderrelations,andgenderbehaviorsandattitudesin
society.Likewise,ithasbeenclaimedthatteachersarefundamentalagentstoaddressandstruggle
genderinequalitiesintheirteachingcontexts(Calvoetal.,2006Esen,2013UNESCO,2015)forthis
aim,teachersshouldreceivetrainingintheirprofessionaldevelopmenttrajectorytohelpthemgaingender
awareness,reflectonitwithinthecontextoftheirpractice,andfindstrategiestoattempttoeliminate
genderinequalities.

InColombiatherehavebeensomeexperiencesofTPDandgenderequitythatshowimportantfindings
andunderstandingsbuttheyhavenotbeenpermanentexperienceswithinthefieldofTPD(Calvoetal.,
2006).Someoftheseexperiences,reportedinthisstateoftheartbyteachersofdifferentareasof
knowledge,weredesignedandcarriedoutbyTheGenderSchoolofUniversidadNacionaldeColombia,
AsociacinDistritaldeEducadores(ADE),andtheWorldBank.Nonetheless,teacherscontinuing
educationhasnotincorporatedgenderequityinColombia(Calvoetal.,2006,p.1).Thisisoneofthe
challengesthatprevailintheTPDinthiscountry(DazTafur,2002).Therefore,itcomesasnosurprise
thatTPDforEnglishteachershadnotincorporatedagenderperspectiveeither.

AstateoftheartaboutEnglishteachersprofessionaldevelopmentinColombiarevealsthatinservice
teachersexpecttofindprofessionaldevelopmentprogramsthattransformtheirworkingconditions,
developtheirteachingcompetence,andproduceknowledgeinareassuchasclassroommanagement,the
teachingofvalues,andtherelationshipbetweentheacademiclifeandtheirs/theirstudentsfulfillment.
WhatseemsinterestingforthisdiscussionisthatmostoftheseTPDprogramsfocusmostlyonthesecond
expectation,thedevelopmentoftheteachingcompetence,whileleavingtheothersaside(Crdenas,
Gonzlez,&lvarez,2010).Thus,forthepurposeofincludingwhatTPDinTEFLeducationhasbeenleft
out,theperspectiveofgendercontributestoagreatextenttoenhancingtheteachingpractice.Inthis
sense,criticaltheorybecomesanimportantassettoanalyzeTPDinTEFLeducationitcallsforthe
acknowledgementthatEnglishteachersroleisnotmerelyasinstructionalteachers,learninghowtoteach
English,andwhosemainconcernrevolvesarounddevelopingstudentslinguisticcompetence.English
teachersalsohavesocialresponsibilitiesaseducators,thatis,theyneedtounderstandthewaysinwhich
theyarecarriersofgendercodesthatreproduceinequalitiesandthewaysinwhichhiddenandformal
curriculatransmitandlegitimatesexistbehaviors,segregation,anddiscrimination(Calvoetal.,2006
Esen,2013).

Hence,inaccordancewiththeimportanceofincludingacriticalapproachtoTPDforEnglishteachers,asit
preventsteachersfromfallingintotheseinstrumentalistviewsoftheirpracticeandbroadensthehorizon
oftheirpracticeandrolesaspoliticalandsocialteachers,wecanseethateducatorsneedtoapproach
learningnotmerelyastheacquisitionofknowledgebutastheproductionofculturalpracticesthatoffer
studentsasenseofidentity,place,andhope(Giroux,1992,p.170).Wesituatethislearningexperience
withinthefieldofthecriticalapproachsinceitfurtherstheviewofEnglishteachingaimedtounderstand
andcritiqueassumptionsconnectedtopowerrelationsandculturalpoliticsthatcauseinequalitiesand
discriminationinTESOLsettings(Pennycook,1999).

TheLearningPerspective
Themethodologyofthiscourseisbasedonthepremisethatteacherslearningislikelytobeproduced
withintheirteachingsettingsandtheirparticularconditionsofwork(Johnson,2009).Thus,learningis
seenasaprocessofmeaningconstructionproducedinpeoplesdailypractices(Wenger,1998).CoP
underscorestheimportanceofthepracticebyviewingitastheepistemologicalsitewhereitispossibleto
definehowpeoplelearnandthewaysinwhichtheydevelopknowledgeofthatcommunity.Fromthis
standpoint,itisarguedthatthemeaning(s)peopleproduceoutoftheirpersonalexperienceofengagingin
thosepracticesiswhatcountsaslearning.

Accordingly,thisviewoflearninghelpsuscarrythetasksproposedtopromoteameaningfullearning
withinSTsteachingcontexts.Thislearningperspectiveturnsintoatoolallowingteacherstobecomemore
awareofgenderwithintheexerciseoftheorizethepracticeandpracticethetheory(Bulloughascitedin
DiazMaggioli,2012,p.12).

Gender
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FromapostmodernperspectiveandacknowledgingthecontributionsofscholarssuchasButler(1990)and
Foucault(1992),genderisunderstoodasasocioculturalcategorybywhichtheissueofthebodyis
connectedtoeverydaysocialandculturalpracticesanddiscourses.Litosseliti(2006)describesgenderas
thesocialbehaviors,expectations,andattitudesrelatedtobeingmaleandfemalesheassertsthatthe
featuresthathavebeendesignatedtothesexualdifferenceareculturalconstructions,sociallydetermined
andalterable.Yet,forthedesignofthecourse,andwiththeobjectiveofunderstandinggenderinequities
ineducationandthepossibilitiesfortransformation,wepositionedthissocialcategoryasdiscoursesof
multiplicities(CastaedaPea,2009,p.25).

Thispluralisticvisionpromotestheideathatthereisnotaparticularmasculinity,butmasculinitiesand
thereisnosinglefemininity,butfemininities...bothmasculinitiesandfemininitiesconstituteand
reconstitutesubjectsestablishingpermanentlychangingasymmetricalrelationshipsincontextswherethey
participate(CastaedaPea,2009,p.25).Webelieveunderstandinggenderasdiscoursesof
multiplicitieshelpsaddressthenormalizationofdifferentialdiscoursesandtheendorsementofexplicit
andtacitideasthatcausegenderinequalities.Inotherwords,wecanavoidcenteringourunderstandingof
thiscategoryfromadualistandessentialistviewofmale/female,masculinity/femininity,orgirls/boys,
whichfavorstheproductionofrigid,fixed,hegemonic,andoftendiscriminatoryconnotationsofhowthe
gendersshouldbeoract.

Thisvisionofgender,amongotherissuesthatwerepartofthecourse,wouldeventuallygiveSTssome
toolstounderstandlanguagelearningasasocializingprocessfortheconstructionofgendersubjectivity
andthe(re)productionofgenderedrules,relations,practices,andrepresentationsinthesettingoftheir
languageclassrooms(Litosseliti,2006).

DescriptionoftheCourse
IdentityandLanguageLearningwasoneoftheoptionalcoursesofferedwithintheMasterprogramfor
EnglishlanguageteachersinastateuniversityinBogot,Colombia.Thecoursewasimplementedinthe
secondsemesterof2014.AlthoughthisMasterprogramincludessubjectsrelatedtosocialandcultural
issueswithinthecomponentsofwhatinserviceteachersshouldknow,thiswasthefirsttimeacourse
withagenderemphasiswasimplementedinthisgraduateprogram.

TheParticipants
Atotalof18students,inserviceEnglishteachers,whoarecandidatesinthisMasterprogramregistered
voluntarilytotakethiscourse.Therewere13womenandfivemen10teachersworkedinstateschools,
threeteachersworkedinbilingualschools,3fourteachersworkedinuniversityprograms,andoneteacher
whoworkedinvirtualEnglishonlineprograms.

GeneralObjective
ApurposeofthecoursewasforSTstobeabletorelatetoissuesofgenderintheirteaching
environments.Inotherwords,thecourseaimedatraisinggenderawarenessandtherelationshipithad
withtheirteachingpracticesandcontexts.Byenablingthis,weplannedtoachievethefollowingspecific
goals:

1.ToidentifydifferentwaysinwhichgenderhasbeentackledinEnglishlanguageteaching(ELT)
contexts.
2.Toincreaseknowledgeabouttheissuesresearchinthefieldofgenderandlanguagelearninghas
pointedout.
3.Toreflectuponthereadingsandrelatethemtotheirparticularteachingscenarios.
4.Tobeinspiredbyotherresearchworkscarriedoutbylanguageteachers/researchersthatevidence
howtheyhavedealtwithoranalyzedthecategoryofgenderintheirteachingpractices.
5.Toidentifyandapplyapproaches,concepts,methods,strategies,andreflectionsintheirown
teachingpracticesbyusingtheperspectivetheyhaveacquiredaboutgender.

TeachingApproach
Asaresultofthelearningperspectiveadopted(CoP,Wenger,1998)andthevisionofparticipateand
learn(DiazMaggioli,2012,p.12),theteachingapproachfocusesonsituatingtheSTsgenderawareness
inrealteachingconditions.Thus,STsparticipatedthroughoralpresentationsanddebatespresentingtheir
ownopinionsandreflections(therewerewrittenandoralpiecesofwork).Therewereguestspeakersin
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someofthesessionswethoughtitwouldbeinspiringforSTstolistentosometeacherswhohad
researchedgenderissuesinELTcontextslocally.Additionally,personalizedtutoringsessionswereoffered
forthoseSTswhowishedtogetorientedinthepracticaltasksproposedinthecourse.

Tasks
BeyondtheSTsactiveparticipationindebatesandoralpresentations,wewantedtoproposetwo
importantactivitiestoachievethegoalofsituatingSTsgenderawarenessintheirteachingcontexts.The
firstactivitywasateachersjournalinwhichSTsobservedtheirclasseswiththepurposeofraising
questionsandproblematizingthoseobservationsinthelightofgender.Theobjectivewastosupplement
whattheyhadbeenreadinginthecoursewithwhatwasactuallygoingonintheirclasses.

Inthesecondtask,STsconductedasmallscaleresearch.STscoulddothisexerciseeitherbychoosinga
topicofthecontentofthecoursethatseemedinterestingtothem,orbyusinginformationoraspectsof
theirobservationjournalsthatwereimportant,meaningfulforthemtoinquiremoretheyusedresearch
techniquestocollectdata(interviews,classobservations,etc.).

ContentsandResources
Genderhasbeenanissueofinterestinthefieldofeducationingeneralnevertheless,weattemptedto
focusthisperspectiveontheareaofforeignlanguagelearning/teaching.ThisprogramsoughttoshowSTs
thatgenderhasbeenanimportantissueintheirprofessionalcontext,andthereforeEnglishteachers
shouldalsobeconcernedwiththesetypesofmattersaspartoftheirresponsibilitiesaslanguage
educators.Weorganizedthecontentsintofourareasoftheteachingpractice:genderedinteraction,
languageteachingmaterials,classcontents,andteacherspedagogy.4Furthermore,theuseofshort
videos,documentaries,andinternationalandlocalresearchreportsfacilitatedSTslearning.

LearningOutcomes
TheselearningexpectationswereframedontheabilitiesthatSTswereexpectedtoachievethroughthe
twotasks.

1.Toproblematizetheirteachingcontextsandpracticesinlightofthegendercategory.
2.Toexemplifytheperspectivethattheyhaveacquiredaboutgenderthroughtheirsmallscale
projects.

Assessment
Takingintoconsiderationthepedagogicalproposal,itisclearthatweneededtotaketheSTsproducts
andtheirpersonalprocessthepresentationoftheirsmallscaleresearchprojects,writtenreflections,
observationjournals,andtheiractiveparticipationindebatesandpresentationsasthemeansforthe
evaluationofthecourse.

Thefollowingsectionwilldescribewhathappenedduringtheimplementationofthiscourse,andwhether
theproposalwasrelevantforSTsteachingpractices.

LearningOutcomesoftheInnovation
Theoutcomesofhavingimplementedthiscuttingedgecoursearetobepresentedintwosectionsfrom
whichtheissueoflearninghasatwofoldeffectontheonehand,wewillnecessarilyconsiderthecourses
teachingproposal:methodology,tasks,andcontents.Ontheotherhand,wewillrefertotheSTslearning
withintheframeworkofthiscourse.Bothstandpoints,learningwithrespecttotheteachingproposaland
STslearning,pointtosomeimportantconsiderationsforthefieldofEnglishlanguageteachereducationas
wewilldemonstratethroughthediscussionofthisanalysis.

Thedatausedforthisreflexiveanalysisderivefromthreesources:firstly,sometutoringmeetingsaudio
recordedwiththeSTsthroughwhichweattemptedtogainunderstandingoftheirpersonalperceptions,
questions,andconcernswithregardtothecontentsandthetasksofthecoursesecondly,aquestionnaire
thatwasappliedattheendofthecourse(seeAppendix)andfinally,thedifferentwrittenassignments
throughwhichSTsreflectedontheirunderstandingsofthecontentsofthecourseandtheconnections
theymadewithintheirownteachingcontexts.Inordertoavoidbiasormonopolizetheinterpretationsof

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thisreflection,wedrewonthevoicesofdifferentSTsofthiscoursesoastoreconstructwhattookplace
throughthislearningexperience.

LearningWithRespecttotheTeachingProposal
Wewillstartbyconsideringsomeofthechallengesthatwefacedwhenaddressingthecontentsofthe
course.Thus,forexample,theconceptofgenderwasintendedtobepresented,asstatedinthe
theoreticalframework,fromasocialandculturalapproachratherthanaproductofthebiological
difference.Nonetheless,wenotedthatsomeoftheSTswereinitiallyrelatinggenderwiththeconceptof
sexualdiversity,asitispresentedinthefollowingextracttakenfromthefinalquestionnaire:

Itissomethingtotallyignoredbymostofteachers.Forinstance,Ihadneverthoughtinthe
possibilityorsearchgenderissuesinanEnglishclass.Itsoundedtomemorerefertoa
psychologicalsessiontohelpastudenttoclarifyhis/herbeliefsandpositionstowardshis/her
sexualorientation.WhatanignorantIusedtobe!![sic]

Giventhefactthatgenderandsexualdiversityarepartofthefieldofsexualidentity,itisfrequentthat
thesetwoconceptsaretreatedorunderstoodasinterchangeableorthesameissue,buttheyarecertainly
notthesame.Asteachersofteachers(ToT),welearnedthroughthisexperiencethatthisconfusionmay
causetensionsamongtheSTsoftheclass,astheremaybeSTswhoareinterestedinapproachinga
genderperspectiveintheirteachingscenariosbutnotwillingtodealwithissuesofsexualdiversity.5This
issomethingwefindworthreporting,asthiscommonmisconceptionwouldneedtobeaddresseddirectly
andfromthebeginningofafuturesimilar(orsame)courseinordertoavoidambiguityandconfusion.As
webecamefamiliarwiththisconfusion,wedecidedtoincorporateaclasssessioninwhichthedifferences
betweentheseconceptswerebrieflystated.

Beyondpresentinggenderasaconcept,wewereexpectingtohelpSTstakenotethatgenderisnota
matterthatisdeemedtobethedifferencesamongboys/girlsormen/womenwithinthefieldoflearninga
foreignlanguage.ThenextextractillustratesthewayinwhichSTsperceivedthisconceptwithintheir
workingcontext:

Ilearnedthatgenderdoesnotnecessarilyhappenfromamalevsfemaleorviceversa
perspective.Ithappensamongorinsidefemininitiesandmasculinitiesintheexerciseof
power.Inmyresearchprocess,Iwasabletoseeparticularlythatboysdominatedotherboys,
andgirlswerenotnecessarilythevictimsastheyareusuallyseeninmostofthecases.

Asitcanbenoted,genderisperceivedasanissuethatiscoconstructedwithothersinthesocial
interactionsand,asthisSTstatesintheextract,ithappensintheexerciseofpower.Thisextract
evidencesthattheSTwasabletofindhowgenderoperatedwithintheinteractionofherstudentsinclass.
Furthermore,thisSTdrawsonthemultiplicityframeworkwhenreferringtomasculinitiesand
femininities(CastaedaPea,2009)toacknowledgethatthereisnotonemasculinityorfemininitybut
differentpossibilitiestobeandperformasaboy/girl.Thisunderstandingwasimportantsincedifferential
frameworksoftenmaynotbeusefultorecognizeissuesrelatedtopowerandinequalityacrossandamong
femininitiesormasculinities(Pavlenko&Piller,2001).

NowwewouldliketorefertothemethodologyofthecourseandhowSTsrespondedtothepedagogical
tasksweproposed.Certainly,thislearningapproach(situatedinSTsteachingsettings)appearedtobea
goodproposaltoachievemeaningfullearninghowever,whatappearedtoberightalsogaveriseto
momentsoffrustrationandconfusion,asacknowledgedbythisSTsresponse:

Itwasacocktailofemotions,manytimesIwasconfusedanddidnotseetheconceptof
genderanywhereIthoughtitwassomethingimposed.Ilivedmomentsofdiscouragement
andconfusion.However,thecollaborationwiththegroupandobservingotherstudiescleared
mydoubts.

ThisextractdescribeshowsomeSTsexperiencedthetasksoftheobservationjournalandthesmallscale
research.AscanbenotedfromtheSTsperceptionfeelingsofdiscouragementandconfusionthisisa
rathercomplextaskthatcannotbeachievedjustbylookingattheclassroom.Thecomplexityofthistask
stemsfromlearningtosharpentheviewwithregardtowhatistacit,whatistakenforgranted,andwhat
isembeddedinnaturalandroutinizedteaching/learningenvironments.Thisisalsoachallengingtaskdue
tothefactthatitishardtoproblematizeissuesthatusuallypassunnoticed,aswemaybelievethisisjust
thenaturalwayoftheselearningenvironments.WecouldactuallyfeeltheeffortSTsweremakingtotryto

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identifygenderissuesintheirEnglishclassrooms(classroomdynamics,useofmaterials,thecurriculum,
etc.).Nevertheless,wewerealsoabletoseefromotherSTssamplesthatthiswasaprocess:Ittook
sometimeforSTstoacquirethisgenderviewintheirclassesandunderstandtheimplicationsitbringsto
theirpractices.

ThefactthatSTshadtocomplywiththesetasks,aspartofthecoursedemands,certainlyincreasedthe
pressureonhavingtowritetheirobservationjournals.Forinstance,therewerethreestudentswhotoldus
theywerewillingtodothetaskoftheobservationjournalbuttheyhadnotbeenabletofindanyspecific
momentsoraspectsintheirclassesrelatedtogenderandlanguagelearning.Thestrategyhereinorderto
helpSTswiththistaskwastouseotherSTscontextualsamplesinwhichgenderwasevident.Wethought
thisstrategymightlessentheconfusionanddiscouragement,asSTscouldrealizewhattheirclassmates
weredoingandhowtheywereinterpretingit.ThiswaspartoftheCoP,whereSTswereabletosharenew
understandings,doubts,andwhattheywerelearningintheirclassroomswithregardtothisnew
perspective.HerewehaveoneoftheSTsexamplesfromtheobservationjournalthatweusedinclassto
showtheseSTsideasofhowgendercouldbeidentifiedintheirclassscenarios.Theextractdescribesone
eventofaSTsEnglishclassinwhichherpreschoolstudentswerelearningdifferentprofessions:

Buttheitdidnotfinishedwiththegirlsquestion,whenshewaspresentingherself,shesaid
MynameisMichel,IamPilotandIworkattheairportandaboyraisedhishandandtold
me:Teachershedidnotdoitrightbecausesheshouldhavesaidflightattendantinsteadof
pilotandthegirlsaidIsaiditrightbecauseIwanttobeapilota,6andwhenshesaidthat
somechildrenlaughatherandIaskedthemnottodothatbecauseshewasright....Inthis
case,languageshowsthatthereisnotdifferentiationinwordsforthisoccupationpilotis
pilotoorpilota7(pilotaispossibletosayitinSpanish),8mystudentfeltangryaboutitmaybe
shewasfeelingthiswasnotfair,becauseshehasthetotalrighttobewhatevershewants
eventhoughthereisnofemalenameforthat.[sic]

ThisexcerptshowswhenaSTrecognizedagendereddiscourse.Agendereddiscourseisnotastacitor
implicitasothertypesofclassroominteractionissues.Thesediscoursescanbetracedbecausetheysay
somethingrelatedtomenorwomen.Inthiscase,theSTnoteshowtheuseofthisdiscourseproduces
powerrelationsamongherstudentscreatingdiscursivesubjectpositions:Gendereddiscoursesposition
womenandmenincertainways,andatthesametime,peopletakeupparticulargenderedsubject
positionsthatconstitutegendermorewidely(Sunderland,2004,p.22).Whatisinterestingfromthis
extract,besideshelpingthethreeSTswhoexpresseddifficultywritingintheirjournals,isthattheSTwho
writesthisjournalentrycanidentifyanunfairsituationthroughgendereddiscoursesofherEnglishclass.
Thisleadsustothinkthatthroughthisobservationtask,STswerealsoproblematizinggenderintheir
contexts,aswehadexpectedthemtodo.

TheevidentanxietyintheSTsprocessaroundthistaskcannotbeavoided,yetwelearntthatitmaybe
reducedthroughoutthecollaborationanddialoguewithothers.Inthisrespect,Johnson(2009)highlights
theimportanceofdialogicmediationandcollaborationintheprocessesofteacherslearning:

Teachingasdialogicmediationinvolvescontributionsanddiscoveriesbylearners,aswellas
theassistanceofanexpertcollaborator,orteacher.Instructioninsuchacollaborative
activityiscontingentonteachersandlearnersactivitiesandrelatedtowhattheyaretryingto
do.(p.63)

Duringtheclasses,weopenedspacestoshareSTssubjectiveexperiences,understandings,and
questionstheyneededtobeverbalizedandanalyzedincooperationwithothermembersofthisCoP
(Wenger,1998).Weperceivedthattherewasacoconstructionintheproductionofnewmeanings
regardingthesepedagogicaltasks.

DespitethecomplexityofthesmallscaleresearchandthedifficultiesthatSTsreportedwhiledoingit,we
foundthatthistaskallowedthemtobecomeawareoftheimportanceofagenderviewintheirteaching
contexts.SeveralSTsrevealintheiroralandwrittenreportsthattheymanagedtodiscoverandlearn
differentissuesintermsoftheirrolesasEnglishteachers,theirpossibilitiestousethisinformationto
makechangesintheirteachingpractices,andtheimportanceoftheseviewsfortheirteachingpractices.
AlthoughthenextsectionwillpresentSTslearning,Table1summarizesthethemesaddressedinSTs
smallscaleresearchstudies.Allofthemwereanalyzedwithagenderorientationandcompriseda
fundamentalelementofanalysis.

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STsLearningWithintheFrameworkoftheGenderOrientedCourse
ThissectionwillpresentsomeoftheaspectsthatSTsidentifiedthroughtheirsmallscaleresearch
exerciseswithrespecttothegenderanalysisintheirteachingcontexts.Thefollowingextractillustrates
notonlywhattheSTdiscoversinherpracticebutalsoaccountsfortheSTsabilitygainedthroughher
research.ThisnarrativeaccountdisplaysthemomentofanEnglishclassinwhichteenagestudents
coordinatearoleplayactivityintherestaurant.

Thehostintheentranceoftherestaurant(classroom)wasaboy,mostoftheclientswere
families(parentsandchildren)therewerenotwaitersjustwaitress,theywerefive,the
cashierwasaboyandthemanagertoo,butthecookswerewomen,whilethegirlswere
workingveryhard,theirdialogueswerelonger,theboyshadtheeasierperformance.
However,boyshadthebestpositiontakingintoaccounthowarestaurantworks.Inaddition,
talkingabouttheclients,families,thewiveswentintotherestaurantwalkingbehindtheir
husbandsandtheydidnotaskforthereservation,theboysweretheclientswhoappearedin
thereservationslist.Thewaitresstooktheordersmenfirst.Certainly,Isawthatwomenhad
manyresponsibilitiesandorganizedeverything,buttheywerenotthebosses.Onthe
contrary,boysenjoyedsomeprivilegeswithalesseffort.[sic]

Unlikeotherexamplesinwhichgenderisidentifiedbyexplicitgendereddiscourse,thisextractreflectsthat
genderbecomesanissueofreflectionastheSTproblematizesthewayherstudentsassignedgenderroles
thatrepresentsymbolicallymoreadvantageoussocialpositionsforboysthanforgirlsgirlsplayedmore
domesticrolesanddidnothaveimportantsocialpartsinthesketch,e.g.,theyheldmorebackstage
responsibilities.WeperceivedinthisinterpretationanabilitythattheSTgainedsincethissituationcould
havepassedunnoticedifshehadnotdrawnonagenderviewtounderstandthissituationwhichwasdue
totheroutinizeddynamicsoforganizationinthesesortsoftypicalEnglishclassactivities.Thisanalysis
allowsonetounderstandthatthroughthesesubtleformsoforganizationthelegitimationand
reinforcementofgenderrelationsandgendersocialpositioningarise.Itispreciselythesetypesofsubtle
interactionswhichimpactthegendersubjectivitiesintheschool(GarcaSurez,2003).Furthermore,the
STmanagestoproblematizetwootheraspectsthatareconnectedtogirls/boyslearningexperiences:the
STfindsthatgirlshavemoredifficultandlongerdialoguestolearn,aswellasmoreresponsibilitiesinthe
organizationoftheroleplay.

AnotherSTwhoexploredhisstudentssocialrelationshipsturnedhisattentiontoaproblematicsituationin
whichhereportedsexistdiscoursesamongstudents.Ashedescribesinhisfinalwrittenreportofthe
smallscaleresearch,heobservedbehaviorsandpatternsrelatedtogenderthathinder[ed]andlimited
studentsparticipationinclass.ThisSTcommentsthatinagroupactivity,aboyhadconflictswiththe
girlsofhisgroup,andquestionstheSTforhavinghimworkwithgirls.WhentheSTtriestoinquirywhatis
goingoninthegroupheobtainsthefollowingreplyfromtheboy:

Teacher:whatisgoingonCamilo?Whydontyoulikethatwomentalktoyou?
Camilo:Idontknow,maybeitischauvinism...Idonotlistentowomen,noteventomy
mum.9

Inthisparticularsituation,theSTdescribessomegendereddiscoursesusedbythisboyinclassthatshow
sexistideasthatdonotfavorgirlsimagestojustifythefactofnothavingtoworkwiththem.Thequestion
thatremainsinthiscaseishowteachersdealwiththesetypesofgenderrelationsinclass.Teachers
cannotsimplyinsiststudentsworkwithouthavinganyconflictduringtheirgroupwork.
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Beforediscussingthelearningacquiredinthiscase,wewillpresentanotherexamplerelatedtothedesign
ofmaterialthatisconnectedtothisreflectionoftheteachersrole.OneSTdesignedastoryusingrole
reversalstostudythetopicofprofessionsandillustratesomegenderstereotypes.Themaincharacterof
herstoryisamanwhoislookingforajobasahousekeeperinBogot.TheSTwantedtoexposeher
studentstotheideathatbothwomenandmencouldbegoodhousekeepers.Fromessentialistand
patriarchaldiscourses,thisisajobthatisusuallythoughttobeassignedexclusivelytowomen/girls
(Prez,2012).Atfirst,theSTwasinterestedinlearningthetypeofgendereddiscoursesthatemerged
whenherstudentsreadthestory.However,theSTmanifestedthatalthoughherstudentsproduced
gendereddiscourses,shefeltshedidnotknowhowtoreacttowardsthesestereotypicaldiscourses,asshe
didnotwanttoimposeideasonherstudentsorjudgeherstudentsimaginaries.Asaresultofthis,thisST
raisesquestionsaboutherownroleandthepossibilitiesthatmightbeavailabletoherinordertopromote
moreprogressiveideasaboutgenderbeliefsandimaginaries.

AspartoftheSTslearning,wefoundthatthesetwoSTsraisedquestionsinrelationtothewaysthey
couldaddressgendermeaningsthatdonotfavorgenderrepresentations.STsrealizedthatitwascomplex
toreactcounterhegemonically.Weidentifyaconcerntowardsthisissueastheyfeltaccountablefor
tacklingthosemeaningsthatweretakingplaceintheircontexts.ItwouldrequirethatSTscontinuethis
process,aswebelieveitisthroughexperienceandintheexerciseoftheirpracticethatteacherscangain
expertiseandabetterunderstandingofhowtodealwiththeseresponsesintheclassrooms.Wealso
believethatthecoursedidnotdirectlyprovideSTswiththetoolstotransformthesesituations.

Yet,wefinditvaluablethatSTsacknowledgedthattheirrolesasEnglishteachersshouldgobeyond
teachingalinguisticcode.Asamatteroffact,STsmanifestedaninterestinbecomingagentsofchangein
waystocreateequalopportunitiesforparticipationandgeneratingmoreprogressivediscoursesaspartof
theirpractices.Thenextextractshowsthispoint:

Theprojectwasthenaimedatportrayinggenderpositioningthroughtheanalysisofstudents
andteachersdailyinteractions.Asthefindingsshowedasubordinatedordisempowered
groupofstudents,boysandgirls,whohadapparentlittlehumanagencyandweredeniedthe
possibilitytoaccesspowerandknowledge,asmallpedagogicalinterventionwascarriedoutin
ordertoempowerthepowerless.

ThisreplyaccountsforaSTsexperienceinhersmallscaleproject.Throughthis,theSTmanagesto
noticeunequalopportunitiesinstudentsclassparticipation.Basedonthisdiscovery,theSTcreateda
pedagogicalintervention(changesinherclassparticipationdynamics)inwhichstudentswhodidnot
participateinclassincreasedtheiropportunitiesintheirclassparticipationastheSTsays,she
empoweredthemtodoso.Hence,changesinteacherspracticesareshapedbyteachersreflectionsand
whattheyproblematizeintheirclassrooms,andnotbytheimpositionsofthemethodologyofthecourse.
Onthismatter,thistransformationinSTspracticewasaproductofherowndecisionintheprocessand
reflectionduringtheirparticipationinourcourseandherindividuallearningprocesses.

Althoughweacknowledgethecomplexityofthecoursetasks,itwasthroughtheanalysisofthedataSTs
collectedintheirteachingsettingsthatourparticipantsstartedtodiscoverparticularthingsandmeanings
thathadnotbeenevidenttothembefore.Hence,knowledgeandabilitiesSTsgainedwerenotaproduct
ofemptyreadingsoroftryingtoimaginewhatitwouldbeliketoconsidergenderasananalytical
categoryfortheirteachingpractices.Thesethingslearnttranslatedinproductssuchasthematerialsfor
TEFL,discoveriesandreflections,anddecisionswereproducedintheengagementandthecomplexityof
theirdailypractice(Wenger,1998).

Conclusions
ThiscourseaimedathelpingEnglishteachersraiseawarenessongenderissuesthatoccurintheir
classroomsorteachingpractices.Asaresultofit,STswereabletoachievemostofthelearningobjectives
wehadsetupforthiscourse.Thus,forexample,STsmanagedtodiscoverandidentifysomeproblematic
situationsthathadusuallypassedunnoticedbythemforinstance,aspectsrelatedtotheidentificationof
unfairsituations,sexistdiscoursesandbehaviors,andasymmetryinclassparticipation.TheseSTswould
nothavebeenabletorecognizealltheseproblematicmattersiftheyhadnotparticipatedinthisoptional
courseanddevelopedsmallscaleresearchintheirteachingcontexts.Consequently,wearguethatEnglish
teachingeducationorTPDprogramsshouldturntheirattentiontothesetypesofexperiencesto
incorporatewhatisbeingleftout,improveteachersreflectionprocessesabouttheirpracticeandrole,and
equipSTswiththeattitudes,skills,andtheknowledgethattheywouldneedtoworktowardsthegoalof
genderequityintheforeignlanguageteachingcontexts.Theanalysisofthedataindicatesthatthese
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coursespreventEnglishteachers,asweexplainintheconceptualframework,tofallintoinstrumentalist
viewsoftheirrolesasEnglishinstructors.STsbroadentheirperspectiveoftheirrolesasEnglishteachers
embracingapositionasEnglisheducatorswithasocialresponsibilitythiscanbeperceivedinthisreplyof
thefinalquestionnaire,whereweaskedthemopenlyiftheywouldrecommendthecoursetootherEnglish
teachers:

Iwouldstronglyrecommenditbecausewe,teachers,mustgainawarenessongenderissues
thatunderliehumanrelationsineducationalsettingsaswellasthepossibilitieswehave,as
agentsofchange,tosubvertsociallyconstructedbeliefsongenderthatperpetuatesocial
inequities.

Likewise,wenotedthatSTslearningimplied,forsomeofthem,tothinkofandimplementstrategiesto
avoid,forexample,classparticipationimbalances.Nevertheless,wealsoobservedthatnotallofthe
teacherswereabletotransformtheissuestheyidentifiedasproblematicintheirteachingcontextsthisis
meaningfulwithintheteachingexperienceofthiscourseasitallowsreflectingonwhatisneededtobe
includedinthecourseprogram.Inthissense,wethinkthatthiscourseaimedsolelytoraiseteachers
genderawarenessbutitdidnotincorporateanexplicitagendathroughwhichSTscouldlearnskillsfor
combatingaspectssuchassexistdiscourses,studentsgenderimaginariesthatfavorapatriarchalview,or
studentsattitudesinregardtocertainunfairgenderedmeanings.Forthisreason,wethinkitwouldbe
relevanttoofferanothercourseinwhichSTsareprovidedwiththenecessarysupportandfollowupsoas
tofindpracticalsolutionstotransformtheissuesofgenderinequalityidentifiedintheirclasses.

Finally,itisimportanttoassertthatwedonotintendtoassumethisteachingpracticeasarecipefor
howandwhattoteachwhenconsideringagenderperspectiveinthefieldofTEFL.Weareawareofthe
factthattheremaybeotherwaystodothis.Additionally,weexpecttoaccountforthiscoursewiththe
spiritandhopetoinitiateadebate,basedonthisexperience,onwhatwethinkismeaningfuland
importantinordertoincludethegenderperspectivewithinthefieldofTPDprogramsinTEFL.Unlessthis
perspectivestartsoccupyingamoreprivilegedplaceinresearch,theory,andinthiscurrentacademic
communitysattention,thisfieldofEnglishteacherseducationwillremaingenderblindandthe
possibilitiestoattempttoachievegenderequityinEnglishteachingclassroomswillcontinuebeingjust
isolatedexperiencesinwhichonlyafewEnglishteacherswillengage.

1Thetermsgenderequityandgenderequalitytendtobeusedinterchangeablytherehasnotbeena
generalagreementonthedifferenceofthesetwoconcepts.Nonetheless,genderequalityistheresultof
theabsenceofdiscriminationonthebasisofapersonssexinopportunitiesandtheallocationofresources
orbenefitsorinaccesstoservices.Genderequityentailstheprovisionoffairnessandjusticeinthe
distributionofbenefitsandresponsibilitiesbetweenwomenandmen(UNESCO,2010,p.17).Some
peopleseetheconceptofequalityasamoregeneralobjective,andequityisunderstoodasastageor
strategytoachievethefirstone(UNESCO,2015).Wewilluseherethetermgenderequity.

2Althoughthisisnotinherentonlyinforeignlanguageclassroomsasgenderpermeatesothereducational
spacesandsocialsettingsoutsidetheclassrooms.

3BilingualschoolsreferheretoschoolsthatteachsubjectsinEnglishandSpanish.

4Ifthereaderisinterestedingettingadeeperunderstandingonthis,thenareviewofthefollowing
referenceswillbeuseful:Hruska,2004Litosseliti,2006NortonandPavlenko,2004Sunderland2000a,
2000b.

5Theaimofthiscoursedidnotinvolvedealingwithsexualdiversityissues.

6ThegirlusesthewordpilotinEnglishbutappliesagrammarruleofSpanishwhichconsistofaddingthe
vowelaattheendofthewordtoreflectafemaleconnotation.

7WhattheteachermeanshereisthatinEnglishthewordpilotissexless,andthatiswhyitispossibleto
thinkofthisoccupationformenandwomen.

8ThewordpilotadoesnotactuallyexistinSpanish.

9Ourowntranslationfromthefinalsmallscaleresearchreport.

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AbouttheAuthors
ClaudiaPatriciaMojicaholdsanMAinAppliedLinguisticsfromUniversidadDistritalFranciscoJosde
Caldas.SheisadoctoralcandidateinEducationatUniversidaddeLosAndes(Bogot,Colombia).Sheis
interestedinteacherseducation,socialissuesrelatedtosubjectsidentitiesinlanguagelearning
environments,andqualitativeresearchmethodologies.

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3/11/2017 Mojica
HaroldCastaedaPeaholdsadoctoraldegreeinEducation,Goldsmiths,UniversityofLondon.Heisan
assistantprofessoroftheSchoolofScienceandEducationatUniversidadDistritalFranciscoJosdeCaldas
(Bogot,Colombia).Heisinterestedingender,informationliteracy,andvideogaminginrelationto
languagelearningandteachereducation.

Appendix:FinalQuestionnaire
Wewouldliketoaskyousomequestionsaboutthecoursewehavejustfinished.Thisisnotpartofyour
evaluationprocess,thusitisimportanttobeasclearandhonestaspossible.

1.Whatmeaningsornewdiscoverieswereyouabletomakethroughoutthecourse?
2.Howcanweperceivegenderinourownteachingenvironments?Provideexamples.
3.Ifyouhadtotellsomeonewhatthiscoursewasabout,whatwouldyousay?
4.Wouldyourecommendthecourse?Why?
5.Whatlessonslearnt,ifany,didyouconstructbymeansofyourresearchprocess?
6.Howdidyoufeelthroughoutthedevelopmentofyoursmallscaleresearchproject?Engaged,
frustrated,motivated,andother?_________.Trytoexplainwhyyoufeltlikethis.
7.WhattypeofdifficultieswillEnglishteachersencounteriftheyaretohaveagenderperspectivein
theirteachingpracticesorintheirlearningenvironments?
8.Doyoufeelthatwhatyoulearnedinthisclassistransferabletoyourteachingpractice?Ifso,why?
9.WillyoukeepgenderinmindwhenteachingEnglish?

Thanksforyouranswers!!!

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