|
|||
Articles and Online Commentary For the original articles (that don't have a link), Boys Can Learn As Well As Girls, Says US Professor Kelley King, a former elementary school principal and associate director of the Gurian Institute in Colorado Springs, challenges local educators to utilise a range of simple strategies in getting boys to learn as well as girls. Parkside Elementary studies gender-based learning According to Michael Gurian, boys all over the world are struggling in school, with lower grades, more discipline problems, more learning disabilities and more behavior disorders than girls. The same holds true at Parkside, where girls outperform boys in almost every subject area. Note: In addition to Parkside Elementary School, The Gurian Institute has provided professional development training for Atlanta's two single gender academies, the Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy and the all-male Business, Engineering, Science and Technology (B.E.S.T.) Academy at Benjamin S. Carson. View article in the Atlanta Educator, Fall 2009 E-Learning's Gender Factor "THE PURPOSE OF BOYS" is featured in the international publication "GULF NEWS" "Successful Single Sex Classrooms" reviewed by Teachers Leader Association Are Jewish Boys In Crisis? Creations Magazine reviews "The Purpose of Boys" "Worried Your Kid Is Addicted to Video Games? Unplug the Xbox, and Get Him a Job" Michael Gurian Helps Parents Understand Boys Differences in Boy and Girl Babies: Do Gender Characteristics Begin at Birth? Michael Gurian says boys need societal nurturing, too Helping Our Sons Find Their Purpose in Life
Boys, girls learn differently When Grandsons Are Out Of Control Gender and the Crisis of Virginia Tech Colleagues: The two most recent posts discussing the issues about boys and the VTech tragedy make my heart heavy. (Being a transplant from VA to CO in 1992, I still have many friends there and some have kids attending VTech.) I get a lot of emails from moms (mostly) who are so worried about their boys and don't know what to do. They are very often single moms who lament the lack of positive male role models for their sons--relating years of fathers who are unavailable for a plethora of reasons, and they want to know where to go to find men that their sons can interact with, who will give them a little time and help them learn some things about becoming men. These are moms who care deeply for their sons and are doing a good job of parenting, but who know they cannot give them everything they need no matter how great a mom they are. They worry about their sons futures, and often as adolescents they see them become more and more disengaged and seemingly lost. I'm not saying I believe these boys are like the VTech shooter, ready to do heinous crimes to their peer, but I do believe that many of them will never fulfill their potential without something different happening in their lives. They are like most adolescent boys; they need male mentors and role models to show them their path to manhood? I'm not a gun fan, never have been; but I agree that the guns are not the problem in this equation. We have to do more to help our boys find their way and encourage good men to be willing to make an investment in the young men who will follow their lead. So, men, how do we do that? How do we engage men in this mission? We haven't been successful at it in any big way and a big way is what we need. I know it's not good to complain about a problem without offering a solution; I know the solution is more men in the lives of our boys, but darn if I know how to make it happen! Kathy Learning and Gender On the day your district administrators look at test scores, grades, and discipline referrals with gender in mind, some stunning patterns quickly will emerge. "Lighting A Fire: Motivating Boys To Succeed" "You’ve got a bright child on your hands! As a preschooler he loved books, drawing, and creating with blocks. He was excited by the things around him and was a bundle of energy, wanting to explore, handle, and figure out his world. The Disconnect"When he started school he was enthusiastic and looked forward to the wonderful adventures you told him were in store. In elementary school you started getting notes from his teacher indicating that he was “having some problems.” The list included comments like: doesn’t stay on task, fails to turn in homework, doesn’t complete projects on time, can’t seem to stop fidgeting and sit still. In middle school your bright, gifted son is getting by with mediocre grades and an attitude that you find disheartening. He just doesn’t seem motivated to succeed in school the way you and his teachers know he could." "With Boys in Mind / Teaching to the Minds of Boys" "Helping Boys Learn" Over the past several decades, boys' behavior and performance in school has continued to decline. Researchers like Michael Gurian say these are indications that schools are not structured to accommodate how boys' brains work and how they learn. "Disappearing Act: Where Have the Men Gone? No Place
Good" In the 1990s, I taught for six years at a small liberal arts college in Spokane, Wash. In my third year, I started noticing something that was happening right in front of me. There were more young women in my classes than young men, and on average, they were getting better grades than the guys. Many of the young men stared blankly at me as I lectured. They didn't take notes as well as the young women. They didn't seem to care as much about what I taught -- literature, writing and psychology. They were bright kids, but many of their faces said, "Sitting here, listening, staring at these words -- this is not really who I am." That was a decade ago, but just last month, I spoke with an administrator at Howard University in the District. He told me that what I observed a decade ago has become one of the "biggest agenda items" at Howard. "We are having trouble recruiting and retaining male students," he said. "We are at about a 2-to-1 ratio, women to men." |
|||
