Thursday, April 21, 2011
Violent Fantasy Play: A Boon for Boys?
Peg Tyre's extensive research into the nature of boys has led her to the conclusion that refraining boys from engaging in fantasy play that depicts violence can be a hinderance to their natural development. She believes that when little boys engage in fantasy play - even if they are pretending to kill their best friend - they are "playing at being the best, most compassionate, most heroic kind of men imaginable". I know that I am often struck by the violent nature of toys and video games marketed to boys and have bought into the popular assumption that it is the culture that breeds the desire for these items in boys; however, I too enjoyed these toys as a young boy and spent much of my play time playing good guy/bad guy with my other guy friends. I also spent some time playing video games where we hunted down a shot "the bad guy". Now it seems that such games - while readily available - are often made as the scape goat for explaining why boys today are more violent than their female counter parts. Tyre disagrees and believes that we are not serving our boys well when we discriminate against these forms of fantasy play.
Judging students based on the types of play that they engage in can create negative feelings within the child that could otherwise be avoided. It's one thing to chide Johnny for rough housing a student who did not want to be involved to teach Johnny how to socialize. It's anothe thing to break up a game in which all children are engaged and cooperating, simply because the content makes the adults somewhat uneasy. Such judgement can further create a disconnect between boys and the institutions that serve them.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Handbook of Psychology: Educational Psychology
For those interested in some current research concerning boy's dropout rates and lack of success in the classroom the Handbook of Psychology is an excellent resource. I've linked this to a page specific to gender differences in education.
Culture of Schools
Something often brought up in the debate about the gender gap is the"feminine" nature of schools. I'm often reluctant to label certain activities as necessarily feminine or masculine, but something that I have noticed in my experience as a graduate student in education is the absence of men. I mean there are a few of us, but I have had more than one class where I am the only male in the room. I suppose I have always explained this as a reaction to the pay scale teachers are locked into than lack of interest in the profession. I have met many men who tell me they would love to be teachers if it payed more, at least that is what they claim. Others claim that women tend to be more "nurturing" and are therefore more likely to choose the teaching profession. Whatever the reason there is a distinct lack of men entering the profession.
If school buildings across the nation are staffed predominantly by women, can we make the assumption that education, or the culture of education is much more "feminine" than the outside world. If so, could this explain why boys are more than twice as likely to drop out of school than their female peers? It really could. If from a young age boys do not have access to many male role models in the school buildings they are forced to attend each day, how can we claim we are creating an environment that equally serves boys and girls? If all of the Schools of Education and training programs are dominated by female students and female teachers (I have yet to have a tenured male professor in two years) how can they claim they are effectively helping male teachers find their own voice in teaching?
I believe it is important to look at the culture of the school building and see what can be done to make it a place that is more masculine. A place a boy might look forward to going to every weekday and staying through his adolescence. At the moment, it seems the pull of the outside world can be intoxicating to a young man and schools seem to fail boys more than girls in regards to retention. Michael Gurian claim that sitting, studying, and listening quietly is more difficult for boys than girls and that teachers need to create a more "aggressive" classroom setting. Words such as "aggressive" and "competitive" in a classroom setting can cut against the grain of what many teachers hope for their classroom environment. Often administrators may quickly judge teachers whose classroom environment incorporates noise and movement readily, without inquiring why the teacher is using this strategy. I remember my first year teaching being questioned about having "too much noise" coming from my classroom with the hope that once I explained the activity all would be forgiven. I was simply told something to the tune of, sounds good, but its still too loud.
Until school buildings can open up and change the expectation of a quiet, neat, organized classroom as being the ideal, I believe boys will more likely than girls feel out of place in their educational setting. Until more boys grow up and choose to become teachers, I believe boys will continue to find the outside world more appealing than the school building. Until we can have an open conversation about the true differences about the development of boys and girls - physically, mentally, and culturally - we will not see this gap change much in the near future.
I look forward to my Education course tomorrow night at Seattle University - Male/Female ratio = 3/22.
"The culture of schools, especially for young children, is much more feminine than masculine. There are almost no male early childhood educators. Many teachers of young children find boys' interests in violence, gross things, and bodily functions to be boring or stupid. We need to recognize that many of us have 'internal prejudices' against these interests. Just as we used to ask ourselves in the '70s, 'In what ways am I being sexist in my treatment of girls?' we now have to ask, 'In what ways are we disapproving of boys' interests in our classrooms?' "
If school buildings across the nation are staffed predominantly by women, can we make the assumption that education, or the culture of education is much more "feminine" than the outside world. If so, could this explain why boys are more than twice as likely to drop out of school than their female peers? It really could. If from a young age boys do not have access to many male role models in the school buildings they are forced to attend each day, how can we claim we are creating an environment that equally serves boys and girls? If all of the Schools of Education and training programs are dominated by female students and female teachers (I have yet to have a tenured male professor in two years) how can they claim they are effectively helping male teachers find their own voice in teaching?
I believe it is important to look at the culture of the school building and see what can be done to make it a place that is more masculine. A place a boy might look forward to going to every weekday and staying through his adolescence. At the moment, it seems the pull of the outside world can be intoxicating to a young man and schools seem to fail boys more than girls in regards to retention. Michael Gurian claim that sitting, studying, and listening quietly is more difficult for boys than girls and that teachers need to create a more "aggressive" classroom setting. Words such as "aggressive" and "competitive" in a classroom setting can cut against the grain of what many teachers hope for their classroom environment. Often administrators may quickly judge teachers whose classroom environment incorporates noise and movement readily, without inquiring why the teacher is using this strategy. I remember my first year teaching being questioned about having "too much noise" coming from my classroom with the hope that once I explained the activity all would be forgiven. I was simply told something to the tune of, sounds good, but its still too loud.
Until school buildings can open up and change the expectation of a quiet, neat, organized classroom as being the ideal, I believe boys will more likely than girls feel out of place in their educational setting. Until more boys grow up and choose to become teachers, I believe boys will continue to find the outside world more appealing than the school building. Until we can have an open conversation about the true differences about the development of boys and girls - physically, mentally, and culturally - we will not see this gap change much in the near future.
I look forward to my Education course tomorrow night at Seattle University - Male/Female ratio = 3/22.
"The culture of schools, especially for young children, is much more feminine than masculine. There are almost no male early childhood educators. Many teachers of young children find boys' interests in violence, gross things, and bodily functions to be boring or stupid. We need to recognize that many of us have 'internal prejudices' against these interests. Just as we used to ask ourselves in the '70s, 'In what ways am I being sexist in my treatment of girls?' we now have to ask, 'In what ways are we disapproving of boys' interests in our classrooms?' "
Joseph Tobin, Ph.D.
Professor of Early Childhood Education, Arizona State University. Author, Good Guys Don't Wear Hats
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Lighting a fire: motivating boys to learn
Kathy Stevens offers advice to parents and teachers of boys on how to motivate them to learn. Her advice ranges from positive reinforcement, time trades, and organization of study space. While I was in high school, much of these techniques were commonly used to motivate all learners to engage; however, it seemed to me that often the educator or parent would not be consistent with rewards and structure - expecting the student to maintain the routine without the external "motivation" or support.
As a student, I remember these strategies and their effectiveness; however, I also remember how short lived this success was because the parent or teacher would grow tired of maintaining the rewards, expecting me to maintain focus because of the success I felt not the rewards or structure provided. Unfortunately, I lacked such intrinsic motivation and would quickly stop working once the rewards disappeared.
As a grown man I don't desire or need such structure to meet my goals and achieve at a high level. I look back at my teenage self with a bit of disgust, for I truly believe I short changed myself and my family by my immaturity, lack of focus, and laziness. Yet, I also believe that I am unable to truly empathize with my past self as he is so foreign to me now. I forget why I was so disengaged with school, but I do certainly remember the stress, fear, and anxiety I carried within myself from sixth through twelfth grade. School was not a place that I felt "at home". There were many times I can remember fading in and out of lessons, wanting to pay attention, but more often than not finding myself in some ridiculous day dream only to realize I missed the assignment, lecture, and substance of the class. I was often too embarrassed to ask my teacher or peers for help or the assignment that I missed. I hid this fear in an I-don't-care attitude.
As a teacher at and all boys school I do what I can to help students who may fade in and out or the lesson have the ability to get back on track without asking too many questions. I like to review and give all the handouts for a particular unit to students before I teach the first lesson. I like to review and have posted the learning targets of each lesson. I like to check in with students who seem checked out to make sure that they can have their questions answered without having to ask them ...
I'm not completely convinced that this lack of focus is reserved primarily for boys, but I do know that many students check out easily and may feel uncomfortable asking questions that reveal this. Anything we can do to give students access to information outside of lesson time can help keep an entire class on track with less anxiety.
As a student, I remember these strategies and their effectiveness; however, I also remember how short lived this success was because the parent or teacher would grow tired of maintaining the rewards, expecting me to maintain focus because of the success I felt not the rewards or structure provided. Unfortunately, I lacked such intrinsic motivation and would quickly stop working once the rewards disappeared.
As a grown man I don't desire or need such structure to meet my goals and achieve at a high level. I look back at my teenage self with a bit of disgust, for I truly believe I short changed myself and my family by my immaturity, lack of focus, and laziness. Yet, I also believe that I am unable to truly empathize with my past self as he is so foreign to me now. I forget why I was so disengaged with school, but I do certainly remember the stress, fear, and anxiety I carried within myself from sixth through twelfth grade. School was not a place that I felt "at home". There were many times I can remember fading in and out of lessons, wanting to pay attention, but more often than not finding myself in some ridiculous day dream only to realize I missed the assignment, lecture, and substance of the class. I was often too embarrassed to ask my teacher or peers for help or the assignment that I missed. I hid this fear in an I-don't-care attitude.
As a teacher at and all boys school I do what I can to help students who may fade in and out or the lesson have the ability to get back on track without asking too many questions. I like to review and give all the handouts for a particular unit to students before I teach the first lesson. I like to review and have posted the learning targets of each lesson. I like to check in with students who seem checked out to make sure that they can have their questions answered without having to ask them ...
I'm not completely convinced that this lack of focus is reserved primarily for boys, but I do know that many students check out easily and may feel uncomfortable asking questions that reveal this. Anything we can do to give students access to information outside of lesson time can help keep an entire class on track with less anxiety.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
The State of American Manhood
The issue of why men are disengaging from the workplace is explored by Post Secondary Opportunity through analyzing labor statistics. This article is interesting and points the reader's attention to the declining role of labor traditionally associated with men is playing in the workforce today. The author claims that more men feel a sense of purposelessness and lack direction, increasing the risk of men disengaging from the labor force.
Most disturbing is the high rate of children who are raised (according to the author) "without fathers". The statistics show that forty percent of children living without a father in the home have not seen their fathers in over a year, while twenty-six percent of them have never stepped foot in their father's home. The distinct lack of male role models in this population leaves these children at a higher risk of child abuse, poor academic performance, and living under the poverty line.
This article lays out some clear trends in how men are engaging society at large and the changing understanding of what it means to be a man in America.
Source: The State of American Manhood
Most disturbing is the high rate of children who are raised (according to the author) "without fathers". The statistics show that forty percent of children living without a father in the home have not seen their fathers in over a year, while twenty-six percent of them have never stepped foot in their father's home. The distinct lack of male role models in this population leaves these children at a higher risk of child abuse, poor academic performance, and living under the poverty line.
This article lays out some clear trends in how men are engaging society at large and the changing understanding of what it means to be a man in America.
Source: The State of American Manhood
Students Attitudes Towards School
The Census Bureau did a study of students' attitudes towards school and found a significant trend that girls enjoy and are more engaged in school than their male peers. It leads the reader to wonder why boys feel disengaged in today's classrooms. Click on image below for statistics.
Boys are falling behind girls
Since the 1970's the male enrollment in higher education is in decline. This decline in enrollment in higher education is coupled with lower scores and success rates in high school and grade school. There is a growing concern that males are finding it difficult to compete with their female peers in traditional education settings. This growing gender gap deserves attention and action.
Boys in Education: The Statistics
One of the most startling findings in national assessments of student achievement is how far behind boys are in reading and writing. Though the problem is even more severe among traditionally underserved minorities, this is a trend that cuts through racial, ethnic, and class divisions, and can even be seen in other countries.
On national reading assessments, the average score for boys in fourth grade is five points behind girls. That gap increases to approximately 10 points by eighth grade, and widens even more in high school, leaving twelfth-grade boys about 12 points behind girls in reading skills tests.
On recent fourth grade reading tests, the average score for African-American students was 197 for boys and 205 for girls, an eight-point differential. By eighth grade, African-American girls score an average 11 points higher than boys on reading tests.
Hispanic boys score about seven points below Hispanic girls in fourth grade reading assessments, and are approximately ten points behind girls by eighth grade.
In national writing assessments, boys score (on average) 17 points lower than girls in fourth grade (with African-American boys about 16 points behind African-American girls, and Hispanic boys scoring about 15 points lower than Hispanic girls). The average gap increases to 21 points in eighth grade (approximately 20 points for African-American boys and 17 points for Hispanic boys), and by twelfth grade, boys average 24 points lower than girls on tests of writing skills (about 21 points for African-American boys, and about 22 points for Hispanic boys).
In 2002 reading assessments, among twelfth-grade students with a parent who graduated from college, 23% of white boys scored "below basic" (the minimal level of reading literacy) compared to 7% of white girls-a 16-point difference. For African-Americans with a college-graduate parent, the "below basic" number for boys was 43% compared to 33% for girls, while for Hispanics (with a college-graduate parent), the "below basic" score was 34% for boys versus 19% for girls.
In 2002 writing assessments, among twelfth-grade students with a parent who graduated from college, 25% of white boys scored "below basic" (the minimal level of basic writing proficiency) compared to 6% of white girls-a 19-point difference. For African-Americans with a college-graduate parent, the "below basic" writing percentage for boys was 45% compared to 24% for girls, and for Hispanics (with a college-graduate parent), the writing "below basic" score was 39% for boys versus 17% for girls.
The US is not the only country experiencing a widening gap between girls' and boys' literacy proficiency. A 2000 international assessment of reading ability in 15 year-olds found girls outscoring boys by an average 32 points in Canada, 29 points in France, 35 points in Germany, 30 points in Japan, 26 points in the UK, and 29 points in the US.
In response to the alarming downward trends in boys' academic performance, many countries-including Canada, Australia, and Great Britain-have initiated national, publicly-funded efforts to boost boys' achievement. The US, however, has not.
From www.theboysinitiative.org
On national reading assessments, the average score for boys in fourth grade is five points behind girls. That gap increases to approximately 10 points by eighth grade, and widens even more in high school, leaving twelfth-grade boys about 12 points behind girls in reading skills tests.
On recent fourth grade reading tests, the average score for African-American students was 197 for boys and 205 for girls, an eight-point differential. By eighth grade, African-American girls score an average 11 points higher than boys on reading tests.
Hispanic boys score about seven points below Hispanic girls in fourth grade reading assessments, and are approximately ten points behind girls by eighth grade.
In national writing assessments, boys score (on average) 17 points lower than girls in fourth grade (with African-American boys about 16 points behind African-American girls, and Hispanic boys scoring about 15 points lower than Hispanic girls). The average gap increases to 21 points in eighth grade (approximately 20 points for African-American boys and 17 points for Hispanic boys), and by twelfth grade, boys average 24 points lower than girls on tests of writing skills (about 21 points for African-American boys, and about 22 points for Hispanic boys).
In 2002 reading assessments, among twelfth-grade students with a parent who graduated from college, 23% of white boys scored "below basic" (the minimal level of reading literacy) compared to 7% of white girls-a 16-point difference. For African-Americans with a college-graduate parent, the "below basic" number for boys was 43% compared to 33% for girls, while for Hispanics (with a college-graduate parent), the "below basic" score was 34% for boys versus 19% for girls.
In 2002 writing assessments, among twelfth-grade students with a parent who graduated from college, 25% of white boys scored "below basic" (the minimal level of basic writing proficiency) compared to 6% of white girls-a 19-point difference. For African-Americans with a college-graduate parent, the "below basic" writing percentage for boys was 45% compared to 24% for girls, and for Hispanics (with a college-graduate parent), the writing "below basic" score was 39% for boys versus 17% for girls.
The US is not the only country experiencing a widening gap between girls' and boys' literacy proficiency. A 2000 international assessment of reading ability in 15 year-olds found girls outscoring boys by an average 32 points in Canada, 29 points in France, 35 points in Germany, 30 points in Japan, 26 points in the UK, and 29 points in the US.
In response to the alarming downward trends in boys' academic performance, many countries-including Canada, Australia, and Great Britain-have initiated national, publicly-funded efforts to boost boys' achievement. The US, however, has not.
From www.theboysinitiative.org
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