Teacher Decision-Making: Understanding Gender Identity Content (GIC)

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Sunday 9:45 am
  In Roundtable Session: Curriculum, Identity, and Resistance: Navigating Gender in Archives and Classrooms

Abstract

The current political and cultural climate has introduced deep tensions between the democratic ideals striven for in elementary schools and the lived realities of classroom practice, particularly around the curriculum itself. As public scrutiny has intensified and political actors seek to define (and limit) what counts as “appropriate” discussions and activities around cultural content in school settings, that curriculum itself has become a contested site. The very topics that reflect students’ lived identities, such as their gender, are often framed as controversial, placing mounting pressure on teachers to either avoid or carefully manage such content. We propose a conceptual framework for understanding how teachers navigate the tensions and possibilities of including gender identity content (GIC) in their classrooms.

Author

• Greg Knotts, California State University - Northridge