Advising Resources

Teaching English as a Second Language

 The following information was compiled for a presentation at the TESOL 1997 conference by Lisa Carscadden, University of Washington (WA), Sue Hodes, Bellevue Community College (WA) and Christopher Renner, University of Naples (Italy).

Contents

  1. Breakdown of GLB materials in ESL curriculum
  2. Specific activities for ESL classes
  3. Summary of GLB surveys to ESL teachers
  4. Resource list for use in the ESL classroom

1. Breakdown of GLB materials which are typically introduced in the ESL curriculum

News Articles (23%)
Videos (19%)
Speakers (19%)
Conversation (15%)
Textbooks (7%)
Fieldtrips (6%)
Pamphlets (5%)
Personal Experience (2%)
Role Plays (2%)
Came Out (2%)

2. Specific Activities for ESL Classes to treat GLB Issues

Writing
- Free Writing (what do I know and do I wonder about GLB people/issues?
- Who is the audience? Self-exploration, group discussion, instructor feedback
Essays
Compare and contrast with other writings, movies, characters, themes
Research Papers
Pictures and Videos
- Textbooks
- Posters
- Videos:
  • Preview: handouts, vocabulary, lists of characters, summary of main points, comprehension questions
  • View: in class/out of class, in segments, stop to review main points and/or vocabulary
  • Postview: discussion, testing of listening comprehension, vocabulary, summary and response writings.
Guest Speakers
Panels-rotating or stationary, lesbigay people, parents of GLBs
Coming out as lesbigay or as having a lesbigay family member of friend
Students preparation/ guest speaker preparation

3. Summary of GLB Surveys to ESL teachers

Frequency of responses listed in descending order with the most frequent first.

A. Teacher's Goals for teaching lesbian/gay/bisexual issues

  1. Breakdown stereotypes/reduce bias/increase tolerance
    • Provide information and answers
    • Normalize, legitimize topic
    • Foster recognition of each person's humanity
    • Reduce students' fear abut gays approaching them and HIV.
  2. Respond to student interest/student generated topic
  3. Increase understanding of American culture
  4. Develop critical thinking
    • Reading for "bias" in newspaper articles
    • Practice discussion skills
    • Have students react to each other's opinion in a balanced and understanding way
  5. Help understanding of their own culture
    • Increase knowledge about gender roles and gay/lesbians/bisexuals at home.
    • Pass on positive values about diversity and lesbians and gays in their culture.
  6. Develop Discussion skills:
    • Provide students with provocative, engaging interesting course/topic
    • To provoke discussion on a controversial /taboo topics.
  7. Find out what students think
  8. Experiment with teaching this topic
  9. Raise teacher's awareness

B. Suggestions: What to do when teaching about GLB issues.

Tips for introducing the topic:

Guidelines for discussion Create an atmosphere of respect and security:

  • Allow and encourage students to state their own opinions.
  • Make room for polite disagreement.
  • Accept all opinions, including hostile ones, neutrally /without confrontation.
  • Don't be sarcastic or defensive in response to bigoted comments.
  • Don't joke or let students joke or show a lack of respect for lesbian/gay/bisexuals
  • Don't deal with topic superficially
  • Restate students' opinions.

Suggestions for teachers' presentation of the lesbian/gay/bisexual issues:

  • Answer candidly without embarrassment, or surprise.
  • Relax . Be direct, honest, and sensitive.
  • Treat the topic as a natural part of class/life; matter of fact way.
  • Be encouraging.
  • Don't preach.
  • Don't overemphasize the sexual aspect.

C. Where do GLB issues fit in the ESL curriculum?

Types of units of study where lesbian, gay and bisexual issues were introduced:

  1. Diversity, and cultural issues,
  2. Study of Cultural attitudes/customs as they relate to human sexuality - cultural anthropology
  3. Human rights and discrimination (ageism, environment, gender role etc.)
  4. Response to homophobic comments of students.
  5. Family and lifestyles unit - (part of a unit about adoption and mixed marriages)
  6. Lifestyle unit -gender roles
  7. Part of a unit about AIDS
  8. Introduced as one item in sex education/health units
  9. Politics - Steve Gunderson, a gay congressman, is our representative - his struggles with GLB issues.
  10. A complete unit
  11. A unit for EFL teacher training in response to students' homophobia (mocking GLBs)

Specific skills where LBG issues were introduced:

  1. Speakers and discussion in speaking/ listening class
  2. Culture classes - all skills -Comparison/contrast with their country -
  3. Field trip and interview activities in the community - integratedskills.
  4. Topic for reading class
  5. Writing topic for persuasion papers to articulate controversial/research papers.
  6. Came up in a reading/textbook/video
  7. Media class: "Minorities in the media"

D. Activities

General Comments:

Do everything that works for any authentic new material. Have students learn outside of class if possible.

Specific Activities:

E. Student Responses and Outcomes

F. Teachers' experiences and views about coming out in the classroom:

Should teachers come out in class? Sometimes or Yes:

  1. Personal decision each individual needs to make
  2. Staying in the closet is very stressful but climate needs to be safe.
  3. A risk to your job or better job assignments
  4. It is important for us to come out to our students.
  5. important to come out to offer support to out and not out lbg students
  6. Gay and lesbian and straight students need positive role models.
  7. Good exposure for students of lesbian/gay/bisexuals as regular people.
  8. Students asked teacher if Lesbian and gay relationships are a valid option so teacher came out.

Should teachers come out in class? No:

  1. No teacher ought to discuss their personal lives in the classroom
  2. Would never teach lesson as a gay man because it is special pleading. Instead say "I have a gay/lesbian friend."
  3. I wouldn't come out. Students in Hong Kong are appalled at the notion of a homosexual. Strong Christian anti-sexual morality.
  4. I come out as straight because I sometimes mention my partner. I wonder if I'd just say I'm not married and leave it at that if I were a lesbian.
  5. My husband finds it embarrassing for me to discuss my bisexuality and worry about talking to much about my son and invading his privacy - I cannot see a benefit of discussing this in class.
  6. Why come out? Other teachers don't say if they are married or have children or a boyfriend or girlfriend. My personal life is privilege of close friends.

Reactions to teachers coming out in class:

  • Generally surprising but generally accepted.
  • Students felt closer to teacher
  • The teacher felt better about students after coming out.
  • After coming out, could invite students to my home to an end of semester dinner
 
Indiana University Office of Overseas Study
Copyright 2000, The Trustees of Indiana University
site url: http://www.indiana.edu/~overseas/lesbigay
Comments: NAFSA: Rainbow SIG