Gender-responsive pedagogy

Project: Strengthening Teacher Capacity for Gender-Transformative Education: Gender-Responsive Pedagogy Training of Teacher Educators in Lao PDR 

Background and Rationale:

In the global  Call to Action on Advancing Gender Equality and Girls’ and Women’s Empowerment in and through Education, that emerged from the UN Secretary General’s Transforming Education Summit (New York, September 2022),  governments at national and sub-national levels are called upon to transform education by increasing attention to and investment in – among others – teacher  capacity for gender-transformative education.

Teacher specialization, professional preparation and support all play critical roles in providing transformative education that enables gender equality and girls’ and women’s empowerment. This is the case for pre- and in-service teachers and their teacher educators who all require preparation and occasional upskilling for their respective roles, whether for mainstreaming gender in their diverse subject disciplines and classroom pedagogy, or for delivering gender-transformative curricula that teaches explicitly about gender and focuses on social and emotional learning for shaping gender-equitable knowledge, skills, values and attitudes. In addition, teachers represent some of the first, strongest role models for students outside the family, challenging harmful gender stereotypes and promoting positive beliefs about women’s abilities, their rights and their choices, be it for their preferred academic progression and future career or for their decisions about their bodies, reproductive health and inter-personal relationships.

Enhancing skills of teachers and teacher educators in gender-responsive pedagogy is a powerful strategy for achieving quality education that is gender-equitable and transformative. Gender-Responsive Pedagogy (GRP) refers to teaching and learning processes that encourage equal participation and involvement of students of all genders (girls, boys and gender-diverse), and which takes into account their respective, specific interests, learning styles and needs.

In connection with the above, UNESCO Regional Office in Bangkok (UNESCO Bangkok), in collaboration with the Lao PDR Department of Teacher Education (DTE) and participating local Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs) will support the delivery of a national training of teacher educators on gender-responsive pedagogy. The overall goal is to strengthen the capacity of the education system to provide gender-transformative education by enhancing the teacher workforce in this regard.

Objectives:

The specific objectives of the GRP teacher-educator training are to:

• Enhance the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes of teacher educators for gender equality in and through education, that are replicated in both their teaching practice and their student teachers;

• Deepen understanding of the concept of gender-responsive pedagogy, and effective practices in teacher education that ensure that all student teachers acquire this transversal professional competency;

• Develop practical skills of teacher educators – especially those responsible for training in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects and comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) – in different aspects of gender-responsive pedagogy, to ensure equal learning participation by students of all genders, and to address harmful gender norms through the teaching and learning process.

Target Participants:

This training will target a maximum 50 participants, primarily drawn from all 16 TEIs, including Teacher Training Colleges and University Faculties of Education. In particular, personnel who teach the following subjects will be targeted:

o   Life Skills Education;

o   Applied Sciences (e.g. biology, environment); and

o   Technology and ICT.

The targeted participants of this training will also include the lead trainers of comprehensive sexuality education (CSE), especially where this profile may overlap with the subject-teaching roles listed above. 

1st Customization Workshop: 11 - 13 Dec 2023

2nd Customization Workshop: 26 Feb - 1 Mar 2024

Training Workshop on Gender-responsive Pedagogy for Teacher Educators:
25 - 30 March 2024

Training Materials

Reference Materials