Gender-inclusive language and what it means for the MFL classroom: A workshop for teachers

Languages: Chinese, French, German, Italian and Spanish

Content: What is inclusive language? Why does it matter? What does it mean for languages with grammatical gender? What are non-binary pronouns in Chinese, French, German, Italian and Spanish? What does this mean for the MFL classroom and how could we incorporate inclusive language sensibly and realistically into our teaching?

In this workshop, our academics from the Department of Languages and Cultures will introduce these questions and discuss how gender-inclusive and non-binary language could be practised in language teaching. We will then continue the discussion in language-specific groups (Chinese, French, German, Italian and Spanish) to talk about these questions in relation to the different target languages/cultures, potential solutions, as well as limitations within existing curricula and assessment specifications. Active participation and sharing of (successful and not so successful) practice is encouraged. We will conclude the workshop by drafting some recommendations together.

Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes