Teacher Education for all!: Building Capacity for Sexual and Gender Diversity in a Teacher Education Program
Presentation: Helene Frohard-Dourlent, Lori MacIntosh
Session F | 11:50- 12:30 | Location: Room 1003
Abstract:
In May 2016, with the help of the UBC-ARC Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Fund, the Faculty of Education launched the Teacher Education for All! (TEFA) project. The goal of the TEFA project is to build capacity for faculty, staff and students in the Teacher Education program at UBC to create and provide an inclusive culture, work place, and learning environment for sexual and gender diversity. This intersectional project focuses on the role that public educational settings and pedagogical approaches can have to identify and transform the impacts of systemic discrimination.
In this presentation, we will briefly review the different TEFA initiatives that have been implemented in the last 8 months in the Faculty of Education, including:
- The creation of a SOGI (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity) Inclusion statement for syllabi;
- The design and delivery of LGB/T2/Q inclusion workshops that build capacity and increase understanding of sexual and gender diversity among teacher candidates as well as faculty and staff;
- A Teacher Education for All! communication campaign;
- Bachelor of Education curriculum mapping to identify gaps and goals to address LGB/T2/Q inclusion;
- A facilitated “SOGI Collective” group for queer and allied teacher candidates to gather, plan events and participate in a professional book club on SOGI education;
- The design and delivery of engaging events and professional development for alumni and practicing teachers on SOGI education topics.
We will then discuss how these various initiatives work to change school cultures and school climate in a sustainable way so that every learning space in our university and in our province’s schools can not only be safer spaces for sexual and gender minority students, but also spaces that increase capacity for respect and self-determination for all students.