Module Five Overview

On The Road: Gender, Sexual Orientation, & Language

As the journey continues, this leg of the trip allows us to make connections between our gender, our sexual orientation, and our religious faith. Are there intersections amongst these memberships that impact our lives in ways that will also impact our work with students? As Parker Palmer says, "teaching is a mirror to our soul." What does your soul tell you about the role of women and men in this society? What have you been taught, and what do you now believe about sexual orientation? Does your faith tell you that your way is the only way of truth? Do these messages you have been given fit with your understanding of the world? How do your beliefs impact the work that your do with students and their families?

At the completion of this module, you will be able to:

• Identify effective practices in multicultural education.
• Develop an informed perspective on the social and political influences on our education system.
• Examine how student success is influenced by child development, including social, emotional, and identity development
• Apply critical thinking skills to a variety of cultural competency concepts.
• Identify group memberships and target-agent relationships within the United States.
• Apply data, research, knowledge, experience, and available resources to teaching in a specific situation.
• Examine diversity through multiple perspectives, including race, class, gender, sexual orientation, language, religion, ability, and age.