Gender in language education

How will the course help you?

By the end of Gender in language education, you'll be able to:

• recognise and evaluate gender bias and stereotypes in language education
• evaluate common assumptions in education about gender differences
• develop strategies to promote gender equality.

How can you enrol on the course?

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Enrol on this free course

What resources can you access any time?

• A free workbook with extra learning content and resources connected to the course contents
• A dedicated Facebook community of course participants with up-to-date insight, resources and innovative teaching ideas for you to try out (Facebook account required)
• Learning content related to our courses on Facebook and YouTube
• Live events and recordings with course tutors and language teaching experts on Facebook and YouTube
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What are the self-study modules?

Module 1 – Gender representation in teaching materials

The aim of this module is to introduce you to the different kinds of gender bias and stereotypes which exist in language education as well as help you to recognise and evaluate these issues so that you can respond to them effectively in the classroom. You will describe the difference between sex and gender, evaluate the gender representations in textbooks as well as explain how teachers can respond to gender bias and gender stereotypes in textbooks.

Module 2 – Understanding gender equality in teaching practice

The aim of this module is to break down common assumptions about the differences between gender in education, so that you can help all of your learners achieve success. You will describe the differences between the way boys and girls learn, identify when gender bias results from using gender labels as well as decide whether to organise seating arrangements according to gender.

Module 3 – Working with gender equality in education

The aim of this module is to introduce you to some of the progress that has been made, as well as some of the barriers people face, in terms of gender equality and equity. You will discuss how language education promotes gender equality, examine initiatives to overcome gender inequalities as well as identify ways of teaching about gender equality and women's rights.

Course reviews

What have other teachers said about how Gender in language education helped them?

"The course content shows how important it is to consider each individual in my classroom as a student before everything. The acquired knowledge is helpful for me to consider:
- paying attention in all learners regardless of their gender;
- getting rid off stereotypes;
- creating a conducive learning environment where everyone feels comfortable and valued."

Course participant, Comoros

"In one of my recent classes, I noticed that the male students were dominating group discussions. Using strategies from the course, I rearranged the seating to encourage mixed-gender group work and set clear guidelines to ensure everyone had equal speaking time. This helped create a more balanced and inclusive environment where the female students felt more confident to participate."

Course participant, Bangladesh

"Similar to one of the video of the classroom situation, I asked my students about the usual "who plays the role" if the profession or job is like this. Then, I let them realize that, women can also play the role like men do. For instance in air force etc."

Course participant, Philippines

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