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Article published In:
Nonbinary pronouns as a site of advocacy in research and teaching
Edited by Lex Konnelly, Bronwyn M. Bjorkman and Lee Airton
[Journal of Language and Sexuality 11:2] 2022
► pp. 264–277

Pronoun practices in the higher education classroom

| Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA

Pronouns are a crucial linguistic resource for transgender and nonbinary people, and educators are in a unique position to support trans and nonbinary students by implementing affirming pronoun practices for their classrooms. This paper outlines concrete strategies for creating a trans-affirming pedagogy in the context of higher education. The strategies discussed detail modelling pronoun introductions, collecting pronoun information, navigating pronoun misuse, and considerations related to curricula and classroom contexts. Pronoun practices are an essential step towards making the classroom an affirming place for transgender and nonbinary students to thrive.

Keywords: pronouns, student-centered pedagogy, transgender and nonbinary students, higher education
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Pronouns and pedagogy
  • 3.Collecting information about pronouns
    • 3.1Written surveys
    • 3.2Introduction circles
    • 3.3Verbal attendance
    • 3.4Video calls and the online classroom
  • 4.Classroom contexts and considerations
    • 4.1Class size and length
    • 4.2Subject matter
    • 4.3Student and educator characteristics
    • 4.4Institution-level
  • 5.Responding to and navigating pronoun corrections
    • 5.1Scenario one: You (the instructor) use an incorrect pronoun for a student, and you realize in the moment. (Note: The student has disclosed or uses their pronouns publicly.)
    • 5.2Scenario two: You use an incorrect pronoun and realize later
    • 5.3Scenario three: Your students use the wrong pronoun for each other
  • 6.Taking action
  • 7.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 4 August 2022
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/jls.20022.cro
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