What Does It Mean to Teach About Gender?

Abstract

Although Gender Studies have found their way into most domains of academic research and teaching, they are not directly in the spotlight of foreign language teaching pedagogy and research. However, teachers are confronted with gender issues in the language classroom everyday. By the use of language alone, they construct or deconstruct gender roles; with the choice of topics they shape gender identities in the classroom; and their ways of approaching pupils clearly mirrors their gender sensitivity. The book "Gender and Language Learning" aims at raising awareness towards gender issues in different areas of foreign language teaching and learning. The primary objective of the book is to spark university students', trainee teachers' and in-service teachers' analysis and reflection of gender relations in the foreign language learning and teaching section.