Canadian Online Journal of Queer Studies in Education, Vol 1, No 1 (2004)

Queering Education from the Ground Up: Challenges and Opportunities for Educators

Tracy Ford

Abstract


One of the primary goals of community education is to produce transformative changes in classroom participants; however, there are barriers that reduce the abilities of community educators to effectively analyse and develop pedagogical approaches that will create the desired results. As well, academic educators successfully developed educational approaches and frameworks using Queer Pedagogy, but also face challenges in successfully implementing Queer Theory. This paper deconstructs the Children’s Aid Society of Toronto’s (CAS of Toronto) “Working with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Youth” curriculum using knowledge developed within the Queer academic discussions around Queer Pedagogy. The analysis will highlight areas of strength in the existing CAS of Toronto curriculum and will expose opportunities for curricular change that would increase the transformational impact on classroom participants. Then, using challenges identified in both the literature and through the analysis of the CAS of Toronto curriculum, a discussion of organizational, structural and classroom barriers that impede efforts to develop this model and further proposes that Queer educators work together to generate support and partnerships necessary for the successful development and implementation of Queer Pedagogy.

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