Queer pedagogy is an umbrella term for, among others, the reflection of the philosophy of pedagogy from a deconstructivist and non-normative perspective (Tierney 1997), the empirical research on queer teachers and/or queer students (Fifield & Swain 2002), the development of anti-oppressive teaching methods (Czollek et al. 2009) as well as implementing queer perspectives and queer contents to the syllabus (Harbeck 1992), and impart the reflection of normativity (Fifield & Letts 2014). In German speaking countries, queer theory has been increasingly discussed within the subject of Gender Studies. Far from being mainstream, most of the discourses take place in social sciences and cultural studies (Hark 2001) and began to inspire the discussion in philosophy of education, general pedagogy, sexual pedagogy and social work (Hartmann 2012, Tuider et al. 2012). Pedagogical research has shown that heteronormativity and a supposed binary gender order are still a great challenge in teaching and education (Kleiner 2015). The restrictive, often unspoken norms are a burden for those students who cannot or do not want to adapt to those norms (Heasley & Crane 2012).

These research results clearly illustrate the relevance of queering STEM. Competencies on the cultural representation and social construction of gender, identity, norms, culture, and otherness are vitally needed from future science teachers as well as from practicing science teachers. Our paper reflects on (1) the curriculum development project ‘Raising awareness for gender aspects in science education’ at Technical University Darmstadt/Germany and (2) the methodic-didactic conception project ‘Promoting Gender-and-Diversity-Awareness in Physics’ at Hannover University of Applied Sciences and Arts/ Germany. (1) As lecturers in future teacher training at a technical university we aim to disclose discourses about sex, gender, and desire that form and constitute our identity and to show the students that they participate in the reproduction of these exclusionary, binary norms (Butler 2004). Our central aim is to rethink science education in a transdisciplinary way and to expand the teacher training through contemporary issues of gender studies. We develop new seminar conceptions for teacher trainees focusing on gender studies and queer theory. By doing so, we encourage the students to adopt a responsible attitude towards the repetition of these norms (Balzter et al. 2016).

(2) As lecturers in science education at a university of applied sciences we adopt these concepts to our own teaching of science. Here, first year students of electrical, mechanical and industrial engineering attend a four-hour lecture introducing them to experimental physics. So far, German discussions of best practice approaches towards “gender and diversity in academic teaching” with regard to physics, mechanical, electrical or industrial engineering are both rare and hardly convincing. They are not up to date with current gender research and gender informed pedagogy, take the reflexion of the knowledge of physics rather half-heartedly into account and do not challenge the two-gender hegemony. Despite all the criticism, there are some publications dealing with “gender and diversity in the teaching of STEM subjects” which include proposals on how to develop gender- and diversity-informed science education from a queer-deconstructive standpoint. In the project ‘Promoting Gender-and-Diversity-Awareness’ we develop ways to put these ideas into practice. We create examples of gender informed teaching of basic physics courses at Hannover University of Applied Sciences and Arts. These explorative ventures into physics education reveal methods in academic teaching that may well help critically assess the image of physics, include the self-conception of physical science, criss-cross its masculine connotations, and, finally, upset the usual ideas about physics and gender.

Balzter, Nadine, Klenk F. C. & Zitzelsberger O. (eds.) (2016): Queering MINT. Impulse für eine dekonstruktive Lehrer_innenbildung. Leverkusen: Barbara Budrich Butler, Judith (2004): Undoing Gender. New York, Taylor & Francis. Czollek, Leah Carola, Perko, G. & Weinbach, H. (eds.) (2009): Lehrbuch Gender und Queer. Grundlagen, Methoden und Praxisfelder. Weinheim: Juventa Fifield, Steve & Letts W. (2014): [Re]considering queer theories in science education. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 9, 393-407. Fifield, Steve & Swain H.L. (2002): Heteronormativity and common sense in science (teacher) education. In: Kissen, Rita M. (ed.): Getting ready for Benjamin: Preparing teachers for sexual diversity in the classroom. Lanham, Rowman & Littlefield, p. 177-189. Harbeck, Karen M. (1992): Coming out of the classroom closet: Gay and lesbian students, teachers and curricula. New York, Harrington Park, 1992. Hark, Sabine (2001): Disputed Territory. Feminist Studies in Germany and its Queer Discontents. Amerika Studien/American Studies 46/1, p. 87-103. Hartmann, Jutta (2012): Improvisationen im Rahmen des Zwangs. Gendertheoretische Herausforderungen der Schriften Judith Butlers für pädagogische Theorie und Praxis. In: Ricken, Norbert & Balzer N. (eds.): Judith Butler: Pädagogische Lektüren. VS Verlag, Wiesbaden, p. 149-178. Kleiner, Bettina (2015): subjekt bildung heteronormativität. Leverkusen: Barbara Budrich Tierney, William G. (1997): Academic outlaws: Queer theory and cultural studies in the academy. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Tuider, Elisabeth/Müller, Mario/Timmermanns, Stefan/Bruns-Bachmann, Petra/Koppermann, Carola (eds.) (2012): Sexualpädagogik der Vielfalt. Weinheim, Beltz Juventa, 2nd edition.