The problem with gendering in ELT – Carol Lethaby | ELTOC Chapter 3 2022

#MyELTOC The problem with gendering in ELT: The brains behind the operation ELT teachers have long used activities that consider supposed-innate differences between the sexes as a way to generate interest and encourage debate and discussion. The case is often made that this is harmless and that it really ‘gets the students talking’. Grammar and vocabulary explanations often present male forms first too, perpetuating the idea that the male form is somehow the default form. It will be asserted that the use of this type of material is far from harmless and can actually act to reinforce harmful prejudices about girls and boys, women and men, which in turn affect the student’s future potential development. This is related to the notion of neuroplasticity, that is, the discovery that the brain is malleable and that it is affected by everything it experiences and learns. The notion of the hardwired ‘female’ or ‘male’ brain will be challenged and the influence of gender stereotyping on the young de