Dear

I disagree of your ideas, in my opinion there are countries that respect the theory

Even they have rights in too many schools

ingrid

Campbell, J. (2019). Performing Queer Modernism. English Literature in Transition, 1880-1920, 62(1), 130-134.

Zanghellini, A. (2019). Antihumanism in queer theory. Sexualities.

Lisahunter. (2019). What a queer space is HPE, or is it yet? Queer theory, sexualities and pedagogy. Sport, Education and Society, 24(1), 1-12.

Ingrid

I agree with Ben Levin ( see above ) quite a bit- there IS a large gap or what I would call a " disconnect" between what people know intellectually and their on going behavior. And I also agree- that researchers do have a certain obligation to make their results better know ( even if they are contrary to conventional wisdom or even if they require more thought or intellectual work or commitment) And yes, few researchers do this ( other than perhaps at conferences which only reach a few interested others)

As a new doctoral student, who has been out of school for 20 years, I have to agree with Ben and Michael above. Upon my return to school I realized I needed to learn a new vocabulary, and gain a better understanding of the new culture of higher education. If one has always been in academe they are unaware of what non-academics know or are exposed to outside of the education world. I have to admit that prior to my return to school I was not familiar with the term Queer theory. Many people outside of academics do not base their decisions from theories. I do believe that there is a large disconnect between the realities of academics and non-academics.

Could you give examples of what you reference in regards to English as an Additional Language (EAL)?

Alicia: Thank you for your contribution---I agree wholeheartedly with you---especially in regard to the " new culture of higher education" ( which I think needs to be written about and discussed---and I further agree with you 100 percent about the "large disconnect between the realities of academics and non academics" and this is of much concern to many scholars, researchers and theorists out there in the field. I think there are many " large disconnects" out there- in terms of what should be done legally, and what is provided -

Thank you for your thoughts. I have noticed this 'disconnect' between theory - what we know, and how people behave, thinking it was more about the workplace culture. Also this distance from academics and theory an research and the practice of teaching. But, although the researcher should try to promote their theories, shouldn't responsibility be also placed on institutions and industry not to just 'ignore' all the research. Also about the short-term versus long term idea, how many years can we consider that it is still short term?

I have found some teachers to have the opinion 'yes I understand all that, but it has nothing to do with me or my teaching'.

I am trying to figure out the best ways to disrupt this mentality.

EAL industry/ commercial/ private/ university/

I teach secondary English and social studies while also publishing historical research. I think the gap between theory and practice in education has a lot to do with how researchers share their findings. Teachers are busy. There are so many demands day-to-day that reading peer reviewed research is not high on the list. Some research does get shared in summary form through the "Kling Brief," "Marshall Memo," and other similar clearing houses. Sam Wineburg from the Stanford History Education Group (SHEG) has written about the gap between university researchers and classroom teachers in his most recent book, "Why Learn History (When It's Already on Your Phone)" (University of Chicago, 2018). I encourage you to have a read. He discusses the disconnect between historians' work and high school history. He found the most success when he became involved in building the SHEG website. It didn't count for tenure reports, but it was practical for teachers around the globe. It has far more impact than any research paper he has written. As long as theorists publish papers, teachers will largely ignore them. Teachers need practical tools that understand the world beyond the so-called "ivory tower." The SHEG website can be found at: https://sheg.stanford.edu/ .

Prof. Levin is quite correct---" changing culture and practice required DEDICATED effort from organizations and also incentives--and SUPPORT from leadership-I daresay- I do not see that leadership appearing....

MS

There have already been constructive comments here on why some level of discrimination might exist but I find it hard to asses the issues based on my own anecdotal observations or the queer folk around me or even the studies that I have read.

The question and answers don't seem to give any indication of how much progress has been made and how far is left to go. It seems unlikely that discrimination can ever be 100% eradicated even if that is the ultimate goal. How each individual perceives the current state of this situation would depend on which research they have studied, the environment they work in and their own relationship to the issue.

To put your question in context I'm curious to know how pervasive do you think these issues are in your institution, has the situation improved or worsened in the last 10 or 20 years and how far is it from where you might expect it to be at this point in time?

Jacob: Of course you are correct---it is difficult to accurately, validly, reliably assess certain constructs out there in the real world- and then we have to look at the population that we are studying. Certain things are easy to count and measure- and other things are much more elusive.

...but do you think because the issues relating to queer issues are slower for any other reasons other than the gap in literature and practice? It is interesting to see how quickly some theories take off in the teaching industry - eg: communicative practices/ blended learning...

Some theories in the teaching industry "take off" as you say because those in the teaching industry are always looking for some magic bullet as they say---some new quick and easy and effective and efficient pedagogy....

So, we need to find 'magic bullet' ness somehow - or work out how to let a theory grow better?

Well, you have hit two sides of the proverbial coin---one side is how do you disseminate information/values/opinions/concerns en masse---to a very large number of people world wide- and how do you do it effectively, efficiently and economically or how do you allow the theory to grow, develop, get adopted, get tested, get examined, talked about and if you take a long hard look- theories come and go---there used to be a theory that epilepsy was caused by demon possession- we no longer believe in that theory or hypothesis---we now know that it is brain based....Theories are great- but then we have to TEST the theory scientifically, empirically, with data and perhaps observation. And it is difficult to find a magic bullet in an increasingly diverse heterogeneous society and world.

Great answer, thanks.

I think one 'magic bullet' is awards for promoting diversity in universities, for staff. If someone is awarded for their 'training of others in promoting diversity' through explaining LGBTIQ issues and helping others to understand how to better promote inclusivity within the classroom, then others see this as being 'celebrated' and therefore it is seen that the company is supportive of others (eg: teachers) who are helping teachers to be more inclusive and it has a ripple effect. This for universities. E.G. at Monash we now have this. And also I see their is a grant for students who are studying queer related topics to be sponsored.

I agree---" training of others" or what we sometimes refer to as professional development is key---and while I hear the words " being celebrated" tossed around a lot- there is not much behind this " celebrated". We should all celebrate such and such is fine- but actually having a small get together at a pub or restaurant to celebrate a book, an article, and in-service, a research project- a presentation at a conference- that would go a long way !

agreed.

Since we are in agreement- perhaps we should write a joint article about it- addressing this issue---I have found that when things are not being discussed- then it is ample time for someone or some individuals to look at and hypothesize about the issue---just some thoughts...

Wow, that would be a great idea. Full disclosure though I am only studying a masters. I have done an action research project with my work sponsored (but a different topic). Though I have been researching and have written a few small essays on learner LGBTIQ specific to taiwan in EAL linguistics. Now, looking at discourse analysis of a speech event interview related to Hong Kong. I work full time at Monash College and do extensive work (outside of teaching) with training teachers about LGBTIQ training and helping start the LGBTIQ club. I would be interested for sure, yet I think you are more research - qualified, not sure if I would be up to the standard. Have been working in EAL for 16 years.

Well, this would not necessarily be a " research based" but more of a literature review with a view towards looking at the issues that you have brought up. Further, I have some colleagues interested in the topic- so we may involve a few others- if that is ok with you.

Best way to communicate is via e-mail [email protected]

MS

that sounds good

my email:

study: [email protected]

work: [email protected]

personal: [email protected]