LEAVE NO ONE BEHIND
Educators share a common goal of providing an equal opportunity to learn for all students in their classrooms. In recent years, providing equitable learning opportunities for boys has become an emerging concern in educational institutions all around the world as a result of the lower literacy rates among boys.
Facts from “Me Read? No Way!” published by the Ministry of Education:
- Evidence indicates that gender plays a significant factor in choice of reading achievement for boys and girls
- Boys typically score lower on standardized language arts tests
- Boys are more likely to be placed in special education programs
- Boys are less likely to go to university
- Both the EQAO and OSSLT results show that boys do not perform as well as girls in reading and writing
- An international reading assessment (PIRLS) revealed that grade 4 girls performed better than boys in all 34 countries (including Canada) in which the test was administered
- Statistics Canada has reported that from 1971 to 2006 there is a higher percentage of females graduating from university
Because we value the success of all our students, we must focus our efforts to help boys succeed. This is not to say that the focus is taken off girls, but rather since reading and literacy are important in many other subjects, this becomes an equity issue. There has been a tremendous focus on differentiating instruction in our classrooms so that all learning styles benefit from the learning opportunity. However, if there is a group of individuals that tend to learn the same way would it not be beneficial if their learning was grouped? Perhaps there is a method to having male-only classes or all-boy schools. Canadian author and educator Edmund J. Dixon has published “Helping Boys Learn” outlining that the issue is not one of gender, but academics. Boys learn quite differently than girls and Dixon writes that our current approaches to education are not reflective of these differences. Based on his research and 30 years work experience as a teacher, Dixon writes about six secrets that are crucial to helping boys learn both in the classroom and at home; movement, games, humour, challenge, mastery, and meaning.
Based on provincial surveys, it has been discovered that boys on the whole value reading less and are less interested in reading and writing than girls are. To make literacy more relevant to boys we must make an enduring connection to their real life. Often this can include the use of technology as a tool to spark their interest or as a tool to share information and connect them with others. Technology is an effective tool both inside and outside of the classroom, and its importance should be valued as a means of helping boys stay connected.
Essentially, we need to make learning more authentic for boys. In Dixon’s book, he writes that research on the brain shows that unless someone is actively engaged in what they are learning, the brain will not make the neural connections needed to cement the lesson and their learning. By helping them see why they are learning what they are learning, they will be able to connect their learning not only to their own world, but also to the world beyond their classroom walls. The EQAO reported that over a generation ago, girls were lagging far behind boys in the area of mathematics and sciences. It was the joint effort of educators and parents that helped turn this around. Now, we have an imbalance in boys’ achievement. Together again, we can help them catch up.
Interested in learning more about boys? The following is a link to a blog about motivating boy writers which great links to videos, articles, books, and much more that are dedicated to helping us learn more about boys and how we can help to improve their literacy skills.