1 / 23

Understanding Boys

Understanding Boys. Closing the Achievement Gap in Elementary Schools. The Achievement Gap.

salene
Download Presentation

Understanding Boys

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Understanding Boys Closing the Achievement Gap in Elementary Schools

  2. The Achievement Gap • Boys have lower scores on achievement tests than same-aged females, especiallyboys of colour and in lower socio-economic classes (Raider-Roth, Albert, Bircann-Carkley, Gidseg & Murray, 2008, p. 444). • “70-80% of the students with motivation problems are boys” (Gurian et al., 2001, p. 167). • Gurian & Stevens (2002) found that “boys represent 90% of the discipline referrals and earn 70% of the D’s and F’s and fewer than half of the A’s” (as cited in Zaman, 2008, p. 110).

  3. Listen to what author Michael Gurian has to say about why boys are lagging behind girls. • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXR5giU0gs4

  4. Why are boys falling behind girls? Researchers look to: • The feminized profession of elementary school teaching. • The neurobiology of the male brain. • The developmental stages young boys goes through.

  5. A Feminized Profession • From K-6, almost 90% of elementaryteachers are female (Gurian et al., 2001, p. 66). • “Policy makers in England and Scotland often blame male underachievement and disaffection from schools on the lack of males within the school system” (Carrington & McPhee, 2008, p. 109). • Carington & McPhee (2008) proved that there was “no evidence to suggest that boys’ academic engagement was any different in classes taught by men or women” (p. 118).

  6. “99% of elementary school teachers reported never being trained in how boys and girls learn differently!” (Gurian, 2001, p. 126)

  7. The Male Brain Anne Moir and David Jessel (1992) argue in their book Brain Sex that, “males and females are equal in their common membership of the same species, humankind, but to maintain that they are the same in aptitude, skill, or behaviour is to build a society based on a biological and scientific lie.” (as cited in Gurian et al., 2001, p. 12)

  8. The Male Brain • Males are right-brain dominant, making them more spatially oriented • Boys arcuatefasiculus develops later than females, resulting in more frustration communicating verbally • Males are often more aggressive than females because: • Amygdala is bigger in males. • Medulla oblongata increases male brain-stem functioning. • Boys have more testosterone. • Boys secrete less serotonin. (Gurian et al., 2001)

  9. Boys’ Developmental Stages

  10. Kindergarten • Aggressive and competitive games played with lots of action, excitement and movement • Play with same-gendered friends • Low attention span • Express emotions through action instead of verbally (Gurian et al., 2001)

  11. Grades 1-3 • Boys remain very active • Exhibit more physical strength • Take longer than girls to reach reading mastery • Are better than girls at general math 3D reasoning (Gurian et al., 2001)

  12. Grades 4-6 • Hormones increase significantly • Attention is directed towards action, exploration and things • More likely to use aggressive behaviour than females to solve a problem • More likely to need remedial reading • Can solve math problems without talking • Can follow directions and navigate with maps easily (Gurian et al., 2001)

  13. Strategies for Teaching Boys Many factors need to be taken into account in teaching boys such as: • The teacher’s personality and teaching style • How boys are motivated • How boys work in groups • How boys reason and solve problems • The need for movement and physical space

  14. The Ideal Teacher… • Understands male neurobiology and the developmental stages boys movethrough. • Avoids power struggles (Thompson, 2007). • Builds a positive relationship with each male student (Reichert & Hawley, 2009). • Genuinely shows interest in getting to know each student. • Is lighthearted and in good humour (Reichert & Hawley, 2009). • Fosters autonomy, competence and relatedness in the classroom.

  15. How to Motivate Boys! • Be enthusiastic yourself! Get excited about the subject material you are teaching and share that excitement (Thompson, 2007). • Allow for greater opportunities of self-directed learning, where students explore their own interests and make their own decisions (Thompson, 2007). • Make learning meaningful and connect it to real-world scenarios that interest the boys (Reichert & Hawley, 2009). • Boys get bored easily, so keep the lessons stimulating and energetic (Gurian, 2001).

  16. Group Work in the Classroom • Boys may enjoy working quietly on a task that uses coded language more than girls (Gurian, 2001). • Boys are less likely to express their emotions verbally (Gurian, 2001). • Boys will work with group members on a specific task, aiming for mastery and completion of the desired goal (Gurian, 2001). • Males more likely to foster a democratic groupsetting, contributing to their group’s effort in afair and just manner (Milles & Keddie, 2007).

  17. Problem Solving Skills • Boys are more deductive in their reasoning,so work better on logic tasks that direct themtowards a specified goal (Gurian, 2001). • Boys tend to succeed more on multiple choice tests, so provide testing opportunities for all types of learners to succeed (Gurian, 2001). • Curriculum should also focus on boys’ strengths in quantitative and spatial relations (Chapman, 1978). • Boys are more likely to be engaged in problem solving activities if they relate directly to their own lives (King & Gurian, 2006).

  18. Encouraging Movement • Movement “helps stimulate the boys’ brains and relieves impulsive behaviours” (Gurian, 2001, p. 47). • Teachers should encourage movement within the classroom in lessons, asking students to move from one station to the next or take regular stretch breaks. • Boys require more physical space tospread out their materials becauseof their spatial focus in the brain(Gurian, 2001).

  19. System Wide Change • To fully address the achievement gap seen in elementary schools across the globe, educators must be properly trained in male neurology, developmental stages throughout elementary school and learn more about the educational practices that best suit the ways boys learn. • Whole-school approach based on a common vision is needed to change the way teachers are educating young boys (Spence, 2008).

  20. You can be the change!

  21. Reference List Carrington, B. & McPhee, A. (2008). Boys’ ‘underachievement’ and the feminization of teaching. Journal of Education for Teaching, 34(2), 109-120. Chapman, R. Academic and behavioral problems of boys in elementary school. (1978). The Counseling Psychologist, 7(4), 37-40. Damon, W. & Lerner, R.M. (2008). Child and Adolescent Development: An Advanced Course. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Gregg, A. (March 29, 2012). Michael Gurian on why girls in school do better than boys. Retrieved April 3, 2012, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXR5giU0gs4. Gurian, M., Henley, P. & Trueman, T. (2001). Boys and girls Learn differently!: A guide for teachers and parents. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Ltd. King, K. & Gurian, M. (2006). Teaching to the minds of boys. Educational Leadership, 64(1), 56-61.

  22. Mills, M. & Keddie, A. (2007). Teaching boys and gender justice. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 11(3), 335-354. Raider-Roth, M., Albert, M., Bircann-Barkey, I., Gidseg, E. & Murray, T. (2008). Teaching boys: A relational puzzle. Teachers College Record, 110(2), 443-481. Reichert, M. & Hawley, R. (2009). Reaching boys: An international study of effective teaching practices. The Phi Delta Kappan, 91(4), 35-40. Spence, C. M. (2008). The joys of teaching boys: Igniting writing experiences that meet the needs of all students. Markham, CAN: Pembroke Publishers. Thompson, M. (2007). One camp, two ways of teaching boys. The Camping Magazine, 80(2), 3. Zaman, A. (2008). Gender sensitive teaching: A reflective approach for early childhood education teacher training programs. Education, 129(1), 110-118.

More Related