Trans-Inclusive Pedagogies: Embracing Gender Diversity in K–20 Classrooms

• In Event: 32.056 - Expanding the Table: Schools as Inclusive Spaces

Abstract

The recently released “Dear Colleague Letter on Transgender Students” sets forth a mandate for teachers and school administrators to shape their classrooms and schools into safe and nondiscriminatory learning contexts for all learners, including learners who identify as transgender. This mandate extends far beyond the question of how to provide safe access to restroom and locker room facilities; it requires educators to also consider how to provide safe access to learning. This paper offers actionable pedagogical principles for building gender-inclusive K-20 classrooms. Drawing on research undertaken in an elementary school classroom, in addition to instructional materials developed for undergraduate and graduate-level courses in education, I present evidence-based strategies for embracing gender diversity in formal educational contexts.

Author

• Jacob McWilliams, University of Colorado - Denver