Profiling academic research on what is being sought in initial teacher education gender wise

Abstract

This article is mainly focused on what is happening with university structures, at least in the aspects related to the pedagogy of gender, specifically transgender, provided to pre-service vocational students. Universities are hyper-regulated spaces in which, in an invisible way, there are spaces of censorship in the production of knowledge and the selection of topics of interest for research and learning. Vocational teacher formation has constituted a whole scenario of being, in which the gender diversity and especially Transgender is not contemplated. Initial teacher education in Colombia seems to be monolithic. Teaching education does not include topics or contents that deals with gender, least Transgenderism. The monolithic construction of who supposed to be “The English teacher” is an evident problem in the initial vocational teacher formation. Teacher formation is dis-gendered, denies not only the existence of “genders” but moreover the existence of Transgender “individuals” in classroom. This article traces back the meaning attributed to transgenderism in particular teaching practices, specifically in vocational training classroom, from some previous studies until ELT teachers’ and students’ beliefs, thoughts, perceptions, and interpretations about transgenderism. Additionally, by looking into elements that have been left unattended or unsaid in previous works concerned with gender, the integration of transgender teachers’ & students’ personal and professional experiences will be an ally ship not only on how to intervene when transphobia occurs, but also in the consolidation of the future transgender teachers’ identity.