This
Teachers TV programme considers the underlying reasons why boys underachieve, and demonstrates strategies to close the gender gap - currently running at about 10%. The fact that the education system is failing young men is reflected in the increasingly high rate of boys’ exclusions, and the fact that they outnumber girls by 6:1 in Special Units.
Firstly, it is argued, there is a need to allow boys to articulate their understandings of the issues around underachievement, and then to raise awareness of these barriers, both within schools and with parents. Particular key stages or subjects may present specific difficulties, and will therefore require distinct strategies to counter these. It is suggested that there are innate, biological factors which place boys at a disadvantage from birth, and that these are then compounded by the present education system; not only are boys inherently better at skills which are not so valued or relevant in the modern world, but their methods of learning may be at odds with more traditional teaching styles, and their interests do not always coincide with curriculum content. It would appear that the lack of male role models in schools contributes to the perception of education as a female pursuit.
A number of strategies are demonstrated, which have been successful in the schools represented on the programme; with the help of a School Improvement Officer from the LA, they have recently halved the gender gap. These include:
- planning and preparing resources and activities which ‘turn boys on' to the content
- making learning objectives and their relevance explicit
- providing short-term objectives, especially in coursework
- building in rewards which are credible and "boy friendly"
- allowing for creativity in pupil grouping, so that pupils can benefit from each other
- acknowledging the significant impact of peer pressure, and allowing positive outlets for street culture, etc.
- tackling literacy as a priority, and finding ways of engaging boys in speaking, listening, reading (particularly fiction) and writing activities from the outset
- encouraging mutual respect in the classroom, and building on boys' perceptions of themselves as learners - perhaps also through their tutoring boys with weaker skills
- providing fresh challenges, a stimulating environment, and a flexible curriculum
- secondary schools working alongside primary feeder schools, so that boys' interests can be built upon rather than quashed in the new ‘grown up' environment.
There is much of interest in this programme for practising teachers, trainers and trainees, as it explores a number of particularly relevant and important issues. It also makes a valuable contribution to the nature/nurture debate.
Reviewed by:
Sue Field
Download this programme from the Teachers TV website