Preparing Future Educators to Offer Queer-Inclusive Curriculum through Teaching Scenarios: A Practitioner Inquiry Perspective

Abstract

The dominance of heteronormative P-12 curricula has gained even greater force in recent years because of numerous laws put in place nationwide that severely limit teachers’ opportunities to provide a Queer-inclusive curriculum for their students. Even in states where these laws are not in place, fear over retribution causes widespread self-censorship when creating curricula. Despite research showing that all students benefit from inclusive curricula for many reasons including the access to “windows and mirrors” (Bishop, 1990), currently there is no cohesion in if or how educator preparation programs prepare future educators to navigate the nuances of providing a Queer-inclusive curriculum. This is a practitioner research study that uses Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis method to analyze reflection and discussion data from a graduate-level educator preparation program course that uses teaching scenarios that present scenarios teachers face when deciding how to include LGBTQ+ topics and people in a hostile environment. The findings of this study indicate that the use of such teaching scenarios is beneficial for several significant reasons. This approach allowed future teachers to think about solutions to problems before they face them in the field, encouraged productive and respectful discussion on controversial issues in education that center marginalized students and families, and prompted future teachers to think critically and realistically about how they can provide a Queer-inclusive curriculum once they are out in the field.