This study uses boundary crossing in activity theory as one normative framework for opening a deliberative inquiry in new discursive spaces to elicit "gender awareness" in teachers' practices. We illustrate this framework by drawing from data in one European teacher education project. Seven case studies were conducted and data were analysed from a convenience sample of teacher educators who alongside the authors acted as national coordinators for the project. Data sources included questionnaires of initial ratings, case study reports, transcripts of team meetings and interviews. A cluster analysis of ratings was guided in a step-wise manner and yielded two distinct cluster groups where one group of case studies had high ratings of gender-specific settings. This finding was then used in a qualitative interpretation of data sources for deeper contextual understandings of teacher educators' perspectives. Gender-specific settings had a reported context of aspects in an activity system which three case studies grasped as school-based planning, pedagogical innovation and mentoring supports. The framework for analysis of higher order gender aspects showed success in distinguishing case studies with isolated views of gender. Findings also showed limitations in the partially restricted framing of gender as an activity system at the outset of the project and indicated in some instances, reluctant teacher educators. The study underscores the explanatory power of the framework adopted and opens up hypotheses for further research and consideration.