Addressing Queer Theory in the ELA Classroom

For as long as I can remember, I have had an interest in gender. I am forever curious about how our collective social discourses around gender affect individuals' ability to uderstand and express themselves as well as connect with others. As a teacher, I am dedicated to questioning how assumptions around gender affect students' learning and expression.

 

For the last few years, I have become more and more interested in the value of Queer Thoery for schools. In the following video, I provide a (very brief) overview of Queer Thoery, drawing on the work of Jacques Derrida, Michael Foucault, and Judith Butler. I also explore two different ways of bridging the gap between Queer Theory and the ELA classroom: 

• Introducing "Queer" texts that question the performative and limiting nature of the gender binary

• Queering "straight" texts