Boys and school
This is a tremendously important article from the Washington Post.
Did you know that boys are on their way to being outnumbered by 2:1 at universities across America?
This may not seem like a problem, but let's look at some other stats from the article (references are American):
- The majority of National Merit scholarships, as well as college academic scholarships, go to girls and young women.
- Boys and young men comprise the majority of high school dropouts, as high as 80 percent in many cities.
- Boys and young men are 1 1/2 years behind girls and young women in reading ability (this gap does not even out in high school, as some have argued; a male reading/writing gap continues into college and the workplace).
I think that what has happened that in our Oprah-led rush to make everyone feel good about themselves, beginning in the classroom, boys are being left behind. The author calls this the "boys-are-privileged-but-the-girls-are-shortchanged emphasis of the last 20 years". There is no place in society where male-bashing takes place more openly and with more approval than in the university. Could that be why men are not attending university or staying in university in equal numbers to women?
I think it's time to stop treating boys and girls the same. More importantly, it's time that male traits be recognized, exploited and responded to, instead of trying to feminize young men. We're seeing the negative effects of that now, as the author points out below.
We still barely see the burdens our sons are carrying as we change from an industrial culture to a post-industrial one. We want them to shut up, calm down and become perfect intimate partners. It doesn't matter too much who boys and men are -- what matters is who we think they should be. When I think back to the kind of classroom I created for my college students, I feel regret for the males who dropped out. When I think back to my time working in the prison system, I feel a deep sadness for the present and future generations of boys whom we still have time to save.
And I do think we can save them. I get hundreds of e-mails and letters every week, from parents, teachers and others who are beginning to realize that we must do for our sons what we did for our daughters in the industrialized schooling system -- realize that boys are struggling and need help. These teachers and parents are part of a social movement -- a boys' movement that started, I think, about 10 years ago. It's a movement that gets noticed for brief moments by the media (when Columbine happened, when Laura Bush talked about boys) and then goes underground again. It's a movement very much powered by individual women -- mainly mothers of sons -- who say things to me like the e-mailers who wrote, "I don't know anyone who doesn't have a son struggling in school," or, "I thought having a boy would be like having a girl, but when my son was born, I had to rethink things."
We all need to rethink things. We need to stop blaming, suspecting and overly medicating our boys, as if we can change this guy into the learner we want. When we decide -- as we did with our daughters -- that there isn't anything inherently wrong with our sons, when we look closely at the system that boys learn in, we will discover these boys again, for all that they are. And maybe we'll see more of them in college again.
posted by Road Hammer @ 9:05 AM
3 comments
3 Comments:
May I present and 'insiders' point of view of boys inschool. Teachers are more than aware of the challenges that boys face in the education system. My board has just finished a 3 year program to educate all teachers on alternative teaching strategies. The Pathways for Success Program focussed on Instructional Intelligence techniques. These strategies are ways to present information and drive concept attainment. They provide emotionally safe environmnets and enhance student driven initiatives. They incorporate many of the different learning stlyes that we recognize in our classrooms today. These strategies include multiple graphic organisers for the visual learners; lessons that involve moving around the room for discussions for kinestheic learners; relfection practises for those introspective learners... Presently the program is in the last phase where each teacher in every shool of our board will be implementing a new strategy into their classroom. It takes time, however I think that you will see a new type of student graduating from High School in 5 years.
I direct my comments, in congruence with yours, toward our Literacy Test. The test only recently made logical adaptations and modifications to 'fit' to the stratified demographic of out student population. One of those categories being boys. The 2-day test has finally been shortened to 1. 2 days! It reminds me of the anxious groans that the UWO Bis 257 students would deliver! The content itself has been altered to include interpretion of table and charts... and more. Again it takes time.
As the Instructional Intelligence strategies project comes to a close. Our baord has already started its next initiative. In December we will begin a 3 year project that is Literacy driven. Since post secondary learning is predominantly done from a text, literacy becomes a barrier. This program begins with a core group of teachers that learn the new program. This one is entitled the Write Traits, it breaks down the writing skills from grade 6-10 into 6 identifiable traits. The core group of teacher will meet 3 times though the year and report on their training. They will also curriculum map so that Grades aren't overlapping foci and gaps aren't created. Finally we will be able to share our 'best practises', lessons that really work well. The problem with teaching is that we are so isolated in our work environments, and we often interpret concerns differently.
The provincial government has set a goal of a 75% pass rate on the 2008 Literacy Test. We are exploring multiple methods and approaches to bring the success of all students up.
Points to ponder in education: Most teachers in the elementary grades are women, they may not easily recognise 'typical male behaviour'.By the way the government constrews number to make it look like classroom numbers are decreased. If you have 28 little ones, 'typical male behaviour' cannot be tolerated. Classroom managment is first and foremost before any lesson is taught. Chris Bosh of the Toronto Raptors has launched a literacy program in Toronto. He starts each session with, "What are you reading?" I recommend that we take the initiative upon ourselves. When was the last time that you talked to a young boy about the books he's reading. Conversely, when was the last time you asked a little boy what his favourite hockey team was? I place this upon the men of our society, as natural role models you have a great impact.
We could combine the best of both worlds and ask the little boy if he knows of any books about hockey.
It will be interesting to see if these efforts by boards do anything to reverse the decline in male participation in schooling at both the high school and university level. However, I don't think that creating an "emotionally safe environment" is an effort which is really targeted at ensuring that males are learning properly, but one where everyone can feel good about themselves. I would also say that trying to fight against "typical male behaviour" is a losing battle. We're just made a certain way, to the chagrin of many a social engineer. Working with it instead of against it would be more effective, no?
It would also be interesting to see what the difference between Canadian and US stats are for literacy/high school dropout rates/university enrolment for men v. women.
I think that two stategies could be considered in this issue.
1) separate classes for boys and girls.
2) school uniforms
Returning to these practices would help boys learn. It would take away many distractions.
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