Most of the history education research that addresses controversial issues suggests that disputes arising in the history classroom are rooted in students' diverse identities that relate differently to history. Therefore, a history education that wants to ease tensions must try both to make these different identities and their relations to history…

In this article, the authors highlight four children's picture books that can be used to discuss gender diversity with young children in social studies.

Courses in gender communication are designed to enable students to examine the role of gender and gender identity in everyday communication. To aid them to understand gender communication, they should be exposed to at least three foundational areas and supporting content. Sex and gender differences, the social construction of gender, and…

When faced with unexpected and charged conversations about race, class, gender, and other social identities, faculty often seek a list a strategies for what to say or do. Yet numerous, sometimes contradictory, strategies for navigating these discussions already exist. This article explores the issue of how might faculty and/or the faculty…

Little is known about the conditions that enable teachers to educate others about the troubling issue of gender-based violence. This paper discusses the centrality of "structures for care" for fostering the willingness and capacity of primary school teachers to initiate classroom talk about this sensitive and silenced issue. Drawing on…

This paper discusses contradictory imperatives in contemporary Australian pedagogy--the notions of "controversy" and "diversity" as they relate the subjects of genders and sexualities. It is a common view that both gender and sexuality are important organising features of identity, society and politics. Consistent effort is…

This article details the creation of a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) learning community. Created because of research that indicates chilly campus climates (Rankin, 2005), as well as particular needs of LGBTQ students in the classroom, this learning community focused upon LGBTQ topics in and out of the classroom. While…

Diversity and equity are stated priority areas across the field of mathematics education, from the ivory towers of the academy, across teacher education programs, to school districts, schools, and individual classrooms. The talk surrounding diversity and equity is usually framed around categories of race, cultural background, language, disability…

In this article the author shares conversations she has had with elementary students inquiring about her gender identity to make visible the daily-ness of conversations about sameness and difference and to surface her own struggles with, and pedagogical deliberations about, these conversations. The conversations are conceptualized as both the unit…

In this article, two teacher educators reflect on their experiences teaching a diversity course for preservice middle-school teachers. The first author is an African American male teacher educator, and the second author is a White female teacher educator. While the authors bring distinct experiences, backgrounds, and epistemologies to this work,…

Many teachers are interested in having a more inclusive multicultural education that includes lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) themes and gay-themed children's literature; unfortunately, research has found that many teachers do not implement gay themes in their multicultural education curriculum because of fear of criticism from…

Ressler's "Dramatic Changes" is a powerful guide for anyone brave enough to create a space for young people to discuss sexual orientation and gender identity. Her accessible style and tangible suggestions describe a creative and educationally sound approach to supporting youth in thoughtfully wrestling with one of the most controversial social…

Independent schools have the pedagogical freedom to determine the best approach to contemporary, perplexing educational challenges. This article focuses on the increasingly complex arena of Gender and Sexuality Diversity (GSD) in the pre-K-12 setting, offering specific reference points and frameworks for engaging these issues. Independent schools…

This article is a summary of comprehensive units on gender and sexuality diversity that the authors have used in teacher education courses in undergraduate and graduate social foundations of education classes over several years. The course lesson plan includes a five-part analysis of the following categories: biological sex; gender identity/sexual…

Few pieces of GLBTQ fiction have received the popular and scholarly acclaim awarded to Alex Sanchez's "Rainbow Boys" series. Although "problem novels" are rarely taken seriously as literature, the books--the first novel in particular--have joined the few pieces of GLBTQ literature incorporated into educational discourse and curriculum. In this…