How are boys and girls different as learners?
Boys :
- Rush
- Want to win, competitive
- Switch off
- Too much talk - are surface listeners
- Need short instructions
- Can't always think of an idea
- Hitchhikers on others ideas and imagination
- Hands on
- Visual, kinesthetic
- Need a reason to write
- Conditioned to roles
- Impulsive, cheeky
What does success look like to boys?
- Complete work
- Manage to get something on the page
- Winning
- Finished first even if rushed
- Approval
- Like to get it right
- Not getting it corrected
- Proud of what they've produced
- Feel like they're experts
- Leader of the team
- Something published and on the wall
Feedback from the course 'Engaging Boys in Writing' (Anna)
- 6 months below girls esp in literacy. About 25 years old the boys catch up to girls.
- Plateau in learning in Year 4
- Correlation between movement and boys engagement within the classroom
- Constantly need a context for their learning. They need to know
- What they are doing?
- Why they are doing it?
- What will the finished product be?
- Need short clear instructions if you want them to be followed closely
- Let boys think creatively - even if you feel slightly uncomfortable with it
- Dads/Male Role Models need to be involved in the classroom - not just in extracurricular activities e.g. Dads' Days
What are you doing in YOUR class to nurture boys that is targeted to the boys?
- Readers are targeted to the boys in the groups
- Maths questions are worded around the children in the group - lower two groups for maths are totally boys
- Students choose fitness activities - predominantly boys in class so mainly boys games
- Humour used in some activities
- Targeted praise for certain boys
1B Writing Programme in the Middle School (Emma and Kasha)
- Hands on shared exciting moments
- Photos taken throughout the moment
- Major focus on oral language
- Use graphic organisers to plan their writing
- Work in pairs to construct 'good' sentences with a self-determined success criteria
- Take turns writing a word in different colours
- Idea is to shift towards independent writing
- Students are set up for success
- Teacher/Student reconnection when the students go back to class
Why we believe it works
- Small writing groups
- Similar ability and needs
- Hands on which increases engagement
- Clear purpose to the writing
- Identified audience
- Self-determined success criteria
- Confidence is built through cooperative and paired structures
- They enjoy what they are doing!!!
- It is done first thing in the morning
So What for Team 21?
- More hands on motivators
- More movement breaks
- More structure with writing (graphic organisers, sentence starters, paragraph main ideas)
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