1. AREIAC Conference July 2005 HOW CAN RE HELP US THINK DIFFERENTLY ABOUT DIFFERENCE? Ruth Mantin

2. Aspects of the Government's Agenda for ‘inclusion’ §Citizenship §Gender (Underachievement of boys) §Ethnic Minorities (‘achievement’) §EAL (English as an additional language) §G&T (Gifted and Talented) §N.B. no reference to sexualities

3. QtT 2/02 Standards  1.1 Have high expectations of all pupils, respecting their social, cultural, linguistic, religious and ethnic background, and be committed to raising their educational achievement;  1.2 Treat pupils consistently, with respect and consideration and be concerned with their development as learners;  2.4 They understand how pupils’ learning can be affected by their physical, intellectual, linguistic, social, cultural and emotional development;

4. QtT 2/02 Standards  3.3.6 They take account of the varying interests, experiences and achievements of boys and girls, and pupils from different cultural and ethnic groups, to help pupils make good progress.  3.3.14 They recognise and respond effectively to equal opportunities issues as they arise in the classroom, including by challenging stereotyped views, and by challenging bullying or harassment, following relevant policies and procedures.

5. INCLUSION §Included into what?

6. EQUALITY EQUAL TO WHAT?

7. USING POSTSTRUCTURAL IDEAS §Discourses §language - its power -constructs meaning -‘Hegemony’ §Challenges influence of the Enlightenment

8. CLASSICAL DUALISM GOD / GOOD ABSOLUTE LIGHT SOUL SPIRIT REASON CULTURE MALE EVIL OTHER DARK BODY MATTER/THE PHYSICAL WORLD/SEXUALITY EMOTION/IRRATIONALITY NATURE FEMALE

9. Difference §Developing positive responses to difference §Challenging what is ‘normative’ e.g. ‘Androcentrism’, ‘Heterosexism ’ ‘Ethnocentrism’ ‘Christocentrism ’ §

10. Deconstructing metanarratives e.g.

11. Respect For Difference §Rethinking what is ‘normal’ §Inclusive language §Inclusive imagery

12. Homophobia in Schools §Results of recent survey of American secondary schools undertaken by US Dept. of Health and Human Services - e.g. §90% gay students receive homophobic comments from other students and 30% from staff §30% teenage suicides relate to issues of sexual identity

13. Schooling Sexualities §Debbie Epstein and Richard Johnston Open University Press 1998  In schools, sexuality is both ‘everywhere and ‘nowhere’

14. Schooling Sexualities §Epstein and Johnstone argue for: §recognition that sexualities are socially constructed §acknowledgement of pleasure and desire in discussions of sexuality §need to address pupils’ own sexual cultures §need to ‘understand difference differently’

15. Queer Theory §Judith Butler Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity New York: Routledge 1990 §Butler challenges the assumption that a person’s sex is a ‘biological given’. § She argues that identity, including sexuality, is ‘performative’ - we ‘act out’ who we are. §According to Butler, the social construction of this ‘performance’ is within a ‘heterosexual matrix’.

16. Queer Theory §The term ‘queer’ challenges the assumption that there are such biological ‘facts’ as male or female, gay or straight. §A comparison could be made with challenges to the notion of ‘race’ as a biological fact. §Issues of racism, sexism and heterosexism still remain

17. GENDER & EDUCATION §‘‘Other’ boys: negotiating non- hegemonic masculinities in the primary school Emma Renold Vol 16:2 June 2005 §Reinforcing hegemonic masculinities through sexual harassment: issues of identity, power and popularity in secondary schools Kerry H. Robinson Vol 17:1 March 2005

18. Implications for RE teachers? §Be aware of the ‘hidden curriculum’ §Avoid using polarities of male and female as a major means of differentiation §Present pupils with a range of possible ‘masculinities and ‘femininities’ §Challenge homophobic comments

19. RE AND DIFFERENCE §How do we reconcile this with respect for belief systems which do not recognise ‘difference’?