
DECONSTRUCTING HETERONORMATIVITY IN THE EFL CLASSROOM DAYANA ALEXANDRA AYALA BONILLA HAROL ARLEY B. GÓMEZ UNIVERSIDAD PEDAGÓGICA Y TECNOLÓGICA DE COLOMBIA LANGUAGES SCHOOL MODERN LANGUAGES PROGRAM TUNJA 2019 Deconstructing Heteronormativity in the EFL Classroom Content table Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………..4 List of figures ………………………………………………………………………………6 Introduction………………………………………………………………………………….7 1. Justification.……………………………………………………………………………..10 2. Statement of the problem……………………………………………………………......13 3. Objectives...…………..……………………………………………………………….…16 3.1 General…………………………………………………………………………16 3.2 Specific………………………………………………………………….……...16 4. Research questions………………………………………………………………………17 4.1 Sub-questions …….……………….……………….…………………………..17 5. Theoretical framework……………………………………………………………..........18 5.1 Discrimination …………………………………………………………………18 5.2 Heteronormativity as a system of oppression……………………………….....19 5.3 Sexual education in Colombia and diversity………….......................................21 5.4 EFL and social justice education in Colombia………………………................23 5.5 Identity………………………………………………………………………….26 6. State of the art……………….……………….……………….…………………………30 7. Methodology……………….……………….……………….…………………………..34 7.1 Research Paradigm…….……………….……………….……………………...34 7.2 Type of study…….……………….……………….……………………………34 7.3 Instruments……………….……….……………….……………………….......36 7.3.1 Open ended questionnaires..…………………………………………..36 7.3.2 Students’ artifacts…………………….………………………………..36 7.3.3 Focus groups……………….…………………….……………………37 7.4 Population ………….……………….………………………………………….37 8. Pedagogical design……………….……………….……………….………………….…39 9. Unit structure………….……………….……………….……………….……………….42 Deconstructing Heteronormativity in the EFL Classroom 9.1 Lesson 1 ……………….……………………………………………………….47 9.2 Lesson 2 ……………….……………….………………………………………54 9.3 Lesson 3 ……………….……………………………………………………….61 9.4 Lesson 4 ……………………………………………………………………….68 9.5 Lesson 5………………………………………………………………………..75 9.6 Lesson 6………………………………………………………………………...84 9.7 Lesson 7 ………………………………………………………………………..91 10. Data analysis…………………………………………………………………………...95 10.1 Diverse shapes trying to fit in a single square called “normal people”……...101 10.1.1 Dehumanization through discourse………………………………...105 10.1.2 What is the role as teacher in working with diverse generations?...111 10.1.3 Being me is my pride, my happiness and my story………………..115 10.2 Thinking beyond the self: acting as a citizen………………………………..118 10.3 Language for Liberation……………………………………………………..132 11. Conclusions…………………………………………………………………………...138 Pedagogical Implications ………………………………………………………………...139 References……………….……………….……………….………………………………141 Annexes……………….……………….……………….……………….………………...146 4 Abstract As English as a Foreign Language (EFL) pre-service teachers and Colombian citizens we have experienced and witnessed how heteronormativity has permeated all levels of education leading students to rejection, discrimination, and suicide. This Participatory Action Research study based on Social Justice Principles implemented in the EFL classroom of two public schools explores tenth grade students’ (re)constructions of their understandings and notions about their own and others’ identities, sexuality, diversity, and the consequences and presence of discrimination in their daily life. Informed by data from questionnaires, students’ artifacts and focus group interview, researchers identified students’ individual processes disclosed in three different stages of oppression, liberation, and change. Starting with their experiences of oppression due to the need of belonging, the liberation of the self, and finally their need and hope for social change through EFL as a tool. Keywords: social justice, heteronormativity, oppression, liberation, identity, discrimination, sexuality, diversity, social change. 5 Resumen Como maestros en formación de Inglés como Lengua Extranjera (ILE) y ciudadanos colombianos, hemos experimentado y vivenciado la manera en que la heteronormatividad se ha extendido en todos los niveles educativos, llevando a los estudiantes al rechazo, discriminación y el suicidio. Este estudio de Investigación Acción Participativa basado en principios de Justicia Social llevado a cabo en dos instituciones de carácter público explora las reconstrucciones y nociones de los estudiantes de décimo grado en cuando a su identidad y la de otros, su sexualidad, diversidad y las consecuencias de la existencia de la discriminación en sus vidas diarias. Cuestionarios, producciones de los estudiantes y entrevistas de grupos focales fueron las fuentes de información para identificar los procesos individuales de los estudiantes evidenciados en tres etapas diferentes: opresión, liberación y cambio. Iniciando con sus experiencias de opresión debido a la necesidad de encajar, la liberación del ser y, finalmente el deseo de cambio social a través del ILE como una herramienta. Palabras clave: Justicia social, heteronormatividdad, opresión, liberación, identidad, discriminación, sexualidad, diversidad, cambio social. 6 List of figures Figure 1. Triangulation process…………………………………………………................97 Figure 2. Color Coding Process…………………………………………………………...98 Figure 3. Color Coding Process…………………………………………………………...99 Figure 4. Research questions, categories and sub-categories overview………………….100 Figure 5. (KA, Students’ artifacts. June 13th, 2019)……………………………………..107 Figure 6. Visual representation about Freire’s conception of Childbirth created by Harol Gómez during English Workshop II subject, Class Reading Diary………………………119 Figure 7. (SG, KV. Student’s artifacts, May 10th, 2019)………………………………..122 Figure 8. (JM. Students’ artifacts, June 13th, 2019)……………………………………..123 Figure 9. (FC. Students’ artifacts, June 13th, 2019)……………………………………..124 Figure 10. (AM. Students’ artifacts. May 28th, 2019)…………………………………...125 Figure 11. (GG, Students’ artifacts. May 28th, 2019)……………………………………126 Figure 12. (FM, Students’ artifacts. May 28th, 2019)…………………………….........134 Figure 13. (JS, Students’ artifacts. May 28th, 2019)……………………………………..134 7 Introduction This participatory action research study intends to engage tenth graders from two different public schools in tasks and dialogue about issues regarding discrimination, identity and sexual education such as sex and gender diversity. Thus, a unit containing seven lessons has been designed with the aim to deconstruct heteronormativity following the task-based approach, social justice based standards (taken from tolerance.org), and the “Estándares Básicos de Competencias Lenguas Extranjeras: Inglés” which are the standards for English teaching proposed by the MEN (Ministerio de Educación Nacional) [Nacional Ministry of Education]. During the implementation students were involved in conversations about terms such as identity, sexual education, discrimination, sexual orientation and gender identity to understand, reflect and deconstruct the normativity and prejudices created by the socio- cultural context in which students are involved. Specifically, these norms which establish how men and women have to act, behave, talk, dress, love and conceive reality responding to the biological characteristics they were born with, lead to discriminate against people when they do not fit the hetero social constructions. For instance, the norm that has been established to design colors to be worn in clothes when boys (blue) and girls (pink) are born. This oppression is known as heteronormativity, which states heterosexuality as the one and only normal sexual orientation and cisgender as the only and right existing gender identity. Heteronormativity, or the normalization of heterosexuality, exists across multiple social domains. It is maintained and perpetuated by social institutions such as marriage as well as by everyday actions taken by individuals. It is an unseen force 8 that dictates the boundaries of presumed normal sexuality and even normal social interactions (Habarth, 2008, p. 2). One of the goals of this investigation is to describe students’ (re)constructions of concepts such as diversity, sexuality (sex and gender diversity) and heteronormativity. Before implementing the unit designed, students’ perceptions and constructions about sexuality and heteronormativity informed by their meanings and socio-cultural background was explored through an open-ended questionnaire in order to analyze the development of students’ awareness in regards to their social realities. Other data collection instruments included: students’ artifacts, focus groups and students’ and a final questionnaire. They were suitable to explore students’ perceptions and understandings about new constructions of their own and others’ identities, discrimination, sex, and gender as a result of the different tasks they developed which were deeply connected to their social and real contexts. Besides, these instruments strived to acknowledge the process of deconstruction from the starting point to the end. Moreover, there is not a strong account of Colombian descriptive studies of LGBTQ+ individuals and the way school should cover themes in regards to sexual diversity in the EFL classroom. For this reason, this study, that is aligned with the research subline of investigation number 1 (theory, pedagogy, and didactics of the modern tongue and the foreign language), may be contributive due to the implementation in a topic that has not been deeply explored. This is also a call for researchers in the field of EFL education to explore and expand knowledge in this matter
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