Multicultural Inclusion of Lesbian and Gay Literature Themes in Elementary Classrooms

This article provides a rationale for and methods to assist elementary educators in creating spaces where the enhancement of awareness of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ)-themed literature could be explored in elementary schools and classrooms. The authors assert that an approach to providing gender and sexuality diversity in the elementary grades is part of multicultural practice in elementary classrooms. Through document analysis, the authors discovered the existing theories, practices, and evidence available in the literature that would provide elementary educators support to use LGBTQ-themed children's literature in academic spaces. The authors then provide a set of guidelines for educators to modify their existing instructional practices in order to empower young learners with the critical literacy attributes necessary in order to gain access to knowledge, power, and opportunities.     

Frankly Speaking

Government teachers who have a sincere desire to make their courses significant and interesting will find Dr. Struve's criticisms justified and his suggestions useful.     

Teacher Contracts and Staff Development on Pupil‐Free‐Days

Sex bias in the curriculum is a relatively recent concern of the educational establishment. In 1975 the Sex Discrimination Act established the principle of equal access to educational facilities and equality of treatment for girls and boys. In the same year the HMI catalogued the sexually differentiated curriculum of girls and boys in Education Survey 21 and this surprisingly enlightened pamphlet thrust the issue onto the mainstream educational agenda. Up to that point sexual inequity in education had tended to be perceived as the prerogative of the teaching profession (overwhelmingly female but with few women in senior posts) and the particular promotion prospects of women teachers. The passing of the Sex Discrimination Act has done little to remedy the promotion prospects of women teachers, and in education generally the issue has moved beyond the realm of curricular access and into the less clearly charted territory of sexual differentiation: attention needs to be directed less to the examined curriculum patterns accessible to anyone willing to plough their way through the yearly statistics issued by the Department of Education and Science and focused more on the subtle processes through which girls' and boys' aspirations and expectations are shaped. Examination outcomes are convenient proof that ‘equal access’ has merely ensured that the educational experience of boys and girls continues to differ. This article, then, attempts to address some of the schooling processes as well as the curricular patterns.     

Cybersupervision: Further Examination of Synchronous and Asynchronous Modalities in Counseling Practicum Supervision

The authors used an intensive single‐subject quantitative design to examine cybersupervision of counseling practicum students in a university setting. Five female supervisees volunteered to receive their required weekly supervision online during a 14‐week, semester‐long counseling practicum. Following a face‐to‐face orientation meeting, all remaining interactions among the supervisees and with the supervisor occurred electronically. Data were collected about the utility of the synchronous and asynchronous modalities, changes in supervisee competence and confidence during the practicum, and supervisee attitudes about the cybersupervision approach. The findings offered evidence that the web‐based modality could be used in similar settings.