For those of you taking my Kenai Peninsula College class ED 38473, Professional Publication Seminar -- here is your thread. Use it to record parts of your academic journals and to respond to each other's journals. The author of our text, Peg Tyre, has an interesting website -- http://pegtyre.com/index.php Check it out.
Other followers on this blog not taking this class are welcome to contribute to this thread, as long as you stay on topic and tie some of your thoughts not only into personal experience, but also into some credible texts.
Hi All-- my google alert turned this up. I'm the author. If you'd like to talk about this book, maybe we can set up a way to do it.
ReplyDeleteWarmly,
Peg Tyre
I've contacted Peg Tyre and we've agreed to set up a teleconference call sometime during the class. I'll be in touch with her sometime after or first session. So -- as you read the text, think about questions you'd like to ask the author.
ReplyDeleteHi all: I finished reading both articles assigned for this week, and while I found the arguments presented strong, I was not convinced that boys are doing ok, or fulfilling their potential. I did like the statement in the Washington Post article, "Boys, in fact, are as -- or more -- different from one another as they are from girls." I have found this to be true, and yet our current education system does not adequately address these differences. Statistics can only tell part of the story. I recall seeing some eager to learn, happy boy faces in kindergarten that have become reluctant, malcontented, poorly performing high school students. Could these failures have been prevented?
ReplyDeleteThat's it for now. Jill
Interesting comments, Jill. On our Blackboard cite, I posted the links to a few articles by Judith Kleinfeld. One is called "No Map to Manhood" Here's the citation:
ReplyDeleteJudith Kleinfeld, 2009. No Map to Manhood: Male and Female Mindsets Behind the College Gender Gap, 2009 Gender Issues, 26, (3-4) 171-182.
Here's the Abstract and the URL
"This study explores the basis of the gender gap in postsecondary enrollment through qualitative interviews with 99 high school seniors who are making decisions about college. While individual differences occurred, female high school seniors were far more apt to have well-developed plans to attend college based on their views that education is a vital educational investment,
that the occupations they seek require a college education, and that they want to make a difference to society. Male high school students evidenced two different mindsets. Those from families whose parents had graduated
from college saw higher education just as the expected path. Those from working class families had little knowledge of the labor market, the
likelihood of obtaining “dream jobs,” and the income they would need to live comfortable adult lives. Far more young men disliked schooling. Both sexes have developed a stereotype of males as “lazy,” a label which covers a host of problems reducing college enrollment."
This isn't required reading, but I recommend it highly -- at least skim it. You can link to it at: http://www.boysproject.net/papers/nomaptomanhood.pdf
Thanks, Doug. I did read the article and was happy to find it included Alaska statistics; Tyre's data seemed to come exclusively from the East coast, where societal norms and school experiences may be different from ours.
ReplyDeleteKleinfeld's conclusions seemed valid to me - young men need information, programs linked to their interests, and teachers need to accommodate boys' learning styles. It is true that many of our young men think they can fall into a lucrative fishing or oil industry job with little or no preparation. However, I think high school seniors are forced to accept decisions about their future that they made as freshman, without being aware of it. The accidental choices they make when they start high school can really limit their choices as they end high school.
On another note,while preparing all students for college may be a grand goal, I think that college is not going to be the right choice for all students - and those students' needs must be addressed without giving them the label of "failure".
Jill
As a teacher this is very interesting. Boys and girls in kindergarten are definitely different. I do know that they both like activity and hand on kinds of learning! It is difficult sometimes to incorporate that into an overpopulated classroom with a thoroughly scheduled day. I would love to have more freetime for kindergarteners- but having to make it through reading and a writing workbook and math workbook takes a good chunk of the day!
ReplyDeletewhat I have read so far hasn't delved too deeply into the implications all this has for college, but it does make me think about my 3 brothers...
...I have 3- who all did well in school. But- only one of them went to college and he is now painting houses. None of them are failures! They are intelligent, compassionate, creative and kind. Our mom still laments that they aren't working to the high standards (that she had set for them). She supports them thoroughly, though.
I just finished reading the first five chapters of The Trouble with Boys, and enjoyed Peg Tyre's easy manner of writing and objective observations. I remembered working with an extremely active boy while tutoring, and admiring his energy and livliness. He just seemed so enthusiastic, if noisy and in perpetual motion, and had a good heart. I was puzzled by his label of trouble-maker,adn his teacher's frustration with his inability to stay in his seat. She had taped a rectangle with masking tape on the floor around his desk, with the admonition not to go out of his "box." He often did anyway, not maliciously, but because when he was often oblivious to the tape. Though he drove his teacher crazy, I observed him often being thoughtful and kind to others, such as picking up items that others dropped.
ReplyDeleteI remember working at Seeds of Faith Preschool with a wonderful coworker, who believed firmly in a play-based, child initiated preschool. We had many play centers in which kids could choose to spend time, and while we might gently invite or encourage kids to try new play areas, such as painting with the two colors of paint available at the easel,or trying some new stamps or glitter at the cutting and pasting table, or playing in the house or dress up area, which had plenty of boy outfits and helmets/hats. Many of the boys spent long hours playing at the sand or water table, or the block area, all of which which had different accessories weekly. Many parents insisted that their children be exposed to some letters and numbers, to prepare them for kindergarten, so we introduced a letter a week, with sandpaper letters, and many pictures of items whose beginning sound started with that letter. We also played simple counting games, among other organized activities, which children were invited to join, but not required. I appreciated her wisdom when reading the data on following children who had attended the different types of preschools.
ReplyDeleteI remember several years ago reading the data by Kenneth Dragseth about teens doing better at school later in the morning. I was surprised a couple of years ago when Seward High School went to an even earlier start to the day.
ReplyDeleteGood comments. I've got some good news.
ReplyDeleteI've set up a teleconference with Peg Tyre, author of "The Trouble With Boys" -- for Feb. 22nd's class -- 6 p.m.
I've also set up a teleconference with Judith Kleinfeld for our March 1st class -- 6 p.m.
So, next class (Feb. 1st) we'll readjust and eliminate some assignments so you'll have time to prepare for these interviews. You'll all have read most of Peg's book, so you should be ready with her interview. But now I want you to also read some of Judith Kleinfeld's papers so you'll be ready to interview her. I'll tell you how to access those articles next class.
I think it is important for teachers to do their best to accomodate as many learning styles as possible. However, I agree with Ann -sometimes this is difficult in our overpopulated classroom with our tight schedules. I see the educational pendulum constantly swinging from one side to the other instead of their being a balance.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I think we as a system spend to much time preparing students for college instead of preparing them for life after high school.
My problem lies more with the present educational system- the whole first grade-second grade-third ect. I think there is merit to the standards but allow students to meet those standards in a variety of ways moving students on only when they have completed the list. Unfortunetly this will require changing the entire system and beyond.
Hi, My first two entries I put on UAA's Blackboard site...so much for following directions first time asked!... No need to make another email account when you use UAA's Blackboad...
ReplyDeletePosted January 28th on Blackboard I wrote:
Okay, here we go. I was #1 and the Gender survey quiz that I was assigned wouldn't be allowed on the internet user agreement for KPBSD so...I just chose another one! The Georgia Girl Fun Quizzes, which titled "What Do YOu Know about Men and Women?" I went off my gut instinct as well as my own relationship with my husband. Hmff. I didn't like the statement that "most husbands are more intelligent than their wives." They explain it to mean that men are threatened by women more intelligent than themselves...I learned that supposedly women are more truthful than men. It was sort of fun, nor worth really analyzing in any depth, because who has time for that???? I think the point of all of it is to make us question our own stereotypes and beliefs, and think a little out of our gencer box.....Tah-Tah for now. Patty
Patty's Reflection on Intro and Chapter 1-5
ReplyDeleteI could feel the hair on the back of my neck bristle when the author talked about scolding the roaming active children. That's me. I'm constantly trying to weave in physical active movement and team activities...and scolding the roamers.
I do like Tyre's exploration of research for her thesis of low performing male students. She gives a recent account of cultural change brought about by Title IX and how girls excel at AP excelerated classses in high school, and higher college entrance rates.She also states that SPED students are most often boys and that expulsion rates are overwhelmingly male. She tells us that as a nation we are focused on the achievement of girls..other changes include fewer women at home and the media influence as well as video games.
I think about raising our own kids in Anchorage and how over-scheduled many of the families seemed to be, seldom sitting down fo the evening meal. I remember feeling that if I didn't sign my kids up for soccer that they wouldn't have any summer friends.It was the soccer field where all arrangements for social life were made.
I watched my own sister get her kids into competative hockey at a young age.They never had a weeknight or weekend free...
I remember being protective of my own children's "downtime." I try to schedule a little of that into my classroom- or rather free-brain time. We did not allow our children to have video games. I think two earner cuples are afraid (and divorced parents) to say "no" or to set boundaries in that way.
I like how the author explored the academic and non-academic preschool. She researched and found out that preschools that pushed academics early, also had earlier "check out" rates amongst those children later on- especially males. I'm with her and try to incorporate Movement, Play and Music into my classroom.
Peg Tyre wants boy's toys and space for "play violence." I;ve got the LEGOS, though she lost me on that one. As educators we need to be keenly aware of violence in schools TODAY and figure out ways to talk about difficult issues with each other, and with kids. We are Columbine.... I'm thinking many parents have lost the ongoing dialogue with their young ones... Patty
Just a follow-up to the class discussion and Patty's comments about violence: I am willing to accept that many boys have an inborne agressiveness that influences behavior, but cannot accept "gun" play as appropriate behavior. Yes, when I was young, we played cowboys and indians and pretended to shoot each other and tie each other up, but it was because it was what we saw on TV and read about in adventure stories. It was not out of an innate need to shoot each other. As educators and parents we are responsible for shaping the behavior of young people and changing the expectations of society. Snowboarding, tennis, playground games like tag, non-violent competitions are all acceptable outlets for aggression.
ReplyDeleteI have watched my preschoolers this week, taking note of examples of agressive play. I have one young boy who frequently has toys in each hand that are fighting each other. I usually tell him that there is "no fighting at school" and he stops and does something else, only to come back to the "fight" later. This week, I just watched and listened - and guess what? He was the bad guy (In this instance the mean scary dragon that likes to chase and eat the knights.) So, now, I want to channel his agression into acceptable outlets, not violence.
Jill: Interesting observations. But a question --
ReplyDeleteI couldn't get whether you accept the evil dragon scenario as acceptable aggression or not. Is that an okay outlet for aggression for you? Or do you see that as "violence" that needs to be channeled? If so, what kind of aggression do you see as nonviolent and acceptable?
Boys don’t like reading so they don’t read. This applies to anyone who doesn’t like to read not just boys. In reading this book and the various handouts I have been taking a look at my own reading class which consists of 8 struggling readers-(5 of them boys). Recently I surveyed each of them and found out the type of books they would be more interested. What I found was not surprising-the boys chose military books, things about machines, and animals, all the more factual books. But they did also choose the story books –Henry and Mudge, Arthur books, Mouse Tales, where the only girl chose no story books but all factual books. I spent my inservice days compiling books at their interest and their level. Revising my entire homework approach. The homework books I now send home will be those they chose. I have gone through each book highlighting difficult words. Students have been instructed to either jump over the word, or to ask for help when they come to a highlighted word. Notes were sent home to parents explaining the new approach, what will be interesting to me is if there is a difference in the amount of homework bags returned or if any feedback from parents indicates that homework is not as big a struggle.
ReplyDeleteBoys and Writing-
I will admit a structured writing activity where I assign the topic is not as successful in as when I allow them to choose their own topic. However, the statement be prepared for them to tackle violence, mayhem, and gore makes me ask how much is to much? I just cannot help but think always choosing to write about killing people is a good thing.
If your son is one of the spontaneous reader, his reading instruction should include a healthy dose of phonics – I believe in the phonic approach but felt the author would see this as to much structure.
Video gamers are an acutal addiction -sme residential treatment programs deal with gamers. Gaming does have an affect on children. The scientists found that the brains of these players released massive amounts of dopamine. This is the same neurochemical response that occurs in the brain of cacaine addicts when they snort- but still a majority of parents don't limit the amount of time their child is gaming. She goes onto to say that kids are learning from video games, teachers should not resist it but the main message is the negative effects of gaming are dose related. Meaning children need to have game time limited and to mix gaming with hearty doses of other real life expereinces. This is what I think tachers have been saying all along.
ReplyDeleteSingle Sex schooling-I find myself torn between this concept. An area I plan to reasearch a bit more -Research states that each sex takes information differently so I see merit to a single sex classroom. However, at the same time their is more to learning than the books. We do need to prepare students to work together as equals. p. 207 if they are going to be sharing office space they need to learn cooperation in grade school. The community college I attended in Mpls. had only female dormitories but the classes were coed. However, there were very few men in the classes since they only offered a handful of programs-(OT, PT, nursing,and Special Education) all of which were mainly women driven. I would think observing the dynamics of a single sex classroom today would be interesting. I would wonder if the students today had a choice of a single sex reading classroom or a coed reading class which they would choose.
ReplyDeleteI am curious how Lori (being a HS teacher) feels students in the HS would react to having one or two single sex class.
ReplyDeleteWow! I’ve just found a moment to sit down and read all the comments on this blog. Some very interesting ideas.
ReplyDeleteI attended the Early Childhood Conference in Anchorage this weekend and tried to listen for gender issues when they came up. One session was about getting more fathers involved. There were about 30 people in the room and 5 of them (not counting the facilitator) were men. One was still in high school, but working at a pre-school. The others worked at various pre-school/headstart programs. As we shared ideas for getting the fathers of our “charges” more involved, I was very impressed by the thoughts expressed by the men. They got us thinking outside the box, looking at new activities that would appeal to the dads. This got all of us thinking more creatively.
Some of the ideas I gathered as doable in my classroom were:
Friday Father’s lunch – invite dads to come to school for lunch with their child once a month.
Make a Valentine for Mom – invite dads to come to school to help their child make a special valentine
for Mom
Tool Time – Invite a dad to bring in his tool box and show them and explain how they are used.
We already have a great Title I program called “Muffins for Moms; Donuts for Dads”, which is a monthly
morning where the parents come in to the library before school and read with their child. Of course, there are muffins and donuts. How about having the students make an invitation for Dad to come and read? So often the information that gets sent home is handled by Mom. Are the dads even aware of what is available?
Cindy
Gatekeepers………
ReplyDeleteAnother “ah-ha” moment I had at the conference was what is referred to as “gatekeeping.” This is where the Moms invite the father is participate in child care (especially newborns), but become critical of the way they do things, therefore, shutting them out because they aren’t good enough. I can understand how that happens. Brand new baby – wife’s mother in attendance to help out (and instruct) after the birth – husband can appear to be clumsy and uncomfortable with handling newborn – dad kept at a distance or constantly “supervised” because they can’t do it “right”.
I see gatekeeping happening in the homes of our students. Who usually checks the backpack for homework and notes from school? Who fills out the forms and signs most of the permission forms? Who usually supervises the homework? Who gets everything ready (Hopefully WITH the child. Let’s start teaching a little responsibility here.) for tomorrow, so the morning will go smoother? If you answered “MOM” to most of these questions, I think you would be correct in most cases. Do we, as mothers, just take over because it is more efficient, thereby shutting dad out? In many cases, I think Dad would be OK with this arrangement. But what happens to his involvement in the critical school years? Moms need to be very aware of how “efficient” they become. Open the gates and let (alright, force, in some cases) those fathers be a part of things.
Perhaps I need to direct more of my messages sent home specifically to Dad. Would that make a difference or merely cause irritation in the home?
Cindy
Good thoughts, Cindy. I'd also suggest that a priority be to initially select Dads (and Moms) that own businesses. See if you can get these business owners to encourage their male employees and give them some time to spend an hour a week in their child's classroom. Pitch the "boy" problem to them and try to convince them.
ReplyDeleteFeb 7, 2010
ReplyDeleteThinking about how Education shifted in the seventies, I look back at my early years (late sixties and seventies).
We had very full classrooms and no aides or classroom volunteers. My Dad, and those of my friends, only went to school if there was a problem. There were very few problems at school, so one seldom saw a father during the school day. However, if there was an event at the school, (PTA, music program, plays, etc.) many fathers were in attendance. Dinner time was family time, then. This was the time when dad asked us about our day or questioned the falling grades in math. This was the time to talk about having a friend spend the night or whether you could go to their house. We shared concerns about Grandpa not being able to live on his own anymore around that dinner table. The need for “extra hands” needed to accomplish some family chore was announced there. Family dinner was the glue that kept our lives running smoothly. The expectations for good behavior and achievement were expressed or merely felt at that table.
As the achievement of our boys is steadily falling, I wonder what change I can actually bring about by setting up a “building” center and reading more non-fiction books. While waiting for the education pendulum to swing back, I wouldn’t see real change (if there is any) for several years. Then it might be too late to realize that those things I tried in my classroom didn’t do anything for the boys. Education (schooling) seems to be a very small part of the equation. These issues are so complicated and are a very strong reflection of how society has changed. Perhaps we should be advocating family dinner time instead……..
Frustrated.
Cindy
response to journal questions-I am trying to be more aware of my own teaching style-continue to keep high expectations but less rigid; allow conversing if it is not disruptive, let students stand at their desk if they so desire, doodle a little between spelling words (as long as they get the next word without holding the group back.) I find my boys make army guns, helmets, and just doodle all over their spelling papers. In the past I have put a stop to this but I can see now this is just me imposing my extreme neatness onto these boys who could care less.
ReplyDeleteJust last week I was conferencing with a student on his noun book we had made in class. Together we were reviewing the directions to see if he could figure out which direction he did not follow resulting in his book to not turn out ----in looking at the cover I asked if he would like to use a ruler so his words wouldn't be going all over. His reply: No, I don't care about being neat. I am not a very neat person he siad. My writint isn't neat but I don't care, looking at me he says haven't you noticed that. I couln't help but think once again I am imposing my ways onto them.
Like Linda, I am trying to adjust my acceptance of noise and fidgetiness. There really are some little boys who have to move around a lot. I have to be ever vigilant, however, that their noise level does not interfere with learning. It’s not easy. Personal style, as to neatness, can inhibit correct letter formation and makes it difficult for the boy to write more than one sentence on a page or worse; all the words jumble into each other. While they may feel more comfortable with their writing, the teachers in the next grades will be tearing their hair out because “those first grade teachers” have not done their job. It’s a fine line to walk.
ReplyDeleteI hope to include more activities that allow kids to express themselves. More musical expression, more creating stories to act out, more movement, and sometimes all three at once One of the sessions I attended at the conference had us all acting out the most ridiculous stories. We were all actively involved and contributing, especially the guys in the group. In our already packed day, this will require true effort. Something may have to go. I’ll have to plan each week carefully so that I don’t skip something required, but include something “outside” the box. Again it’s a fine line we walk. I want to see the eyes of the little boys light up!
If this class ran more than 5 sessions, I would require this as a reading: "Is There Anything Good About Men?" by Roy F. Baumeister. I have created a link to the speech/essay on Blackboard but it's not required reading. I'll also list the link at the end of this post. I'll summarize and elicit discussion about some points Baumeister makes during our Feb. 8th class. He's a psychologist and presents a combined psychological, sociological, anthropological and evolutionary biological perspective on gender. After we discuss it in class, I know you'll want to read it. Here's the link:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.psy.fsu.edu/~baumeistertice/goodaboutmen.htm
Wow, I didn't sign on for a few days, and now feel behind!
ReplyDeleteFirst, to respond to Doug's question about the boy who was the agressive dragon ready to eat the Knight. I do see this as an acceptable form of agression, but also as an expression of a need. Rather than shutting down his agressive play, my strategy with him will be to help him feel powerful in other ways, by giving him specific jobs to do and allowing him more choices. My guess is that if he is feeling more in control of his own life, he will be less violent in his agressive play. I will also give him other ideas for playing with the dragon, that he is free to choose or not. I don't think that the violence that is observed in boy's play is dangerous, just a way of expressing a need. Last week, I wouldn't have really thought about what his play was telling me.
The second thing I would like to respond to are Linda and Patty's comments about needing to be less rigid in class and allowing boys more leeway to be wiggly and active. I find I am very opinionated on this issue. I don't think that teacher's should question the need to maintain control in their classroom and hold students accountable for certain standards of behavior, however, I think it is necessary to teach those standards of behavior and allow for enough designated active times to ensure success. All students benefit when they can learn impulse control, and delayed gratification. It is a skill, like any other, and can be taught. And it is not taught through punishment.
Journal assignments this week were about important issues. Briefly- 1.I think Curriculum acceleration is almost always detrimental to kids, especially boys. 2. Play is an important part of childhood and essential for learning. Classrooms today have less and less play due to teacher's perceived need to teach to the standards based assessments. 3. ADHD is real, but if a child has help early enough, it can be handled without medication most of the time. It does seem that more boys than girls are id'd as ADHD, but I am just a SPED teacher and we are not allowed to discuss this diagnosis! I do think that the increase in ADHD has everything to do with a combination of the pushed down curriculum and parental expectations for behavior out of sync. with school expectations. 4. The Wilmette Study was interesting and I think it would be worthwhile undertaking a similar study on KP. I suspect the results would be similar and the solutions helpful. Boys in my classroom do seem to love non-fiction books and active learning. Having more male's involved in literacy and learning activities would also be a plus. 5. When I was in school we had a female principal and only one male teacher in sixth grade. Was it coincidental that my 2 brothers had a hard time in school, and my sister and I did well? Very few men are involved at the elementary level. I think this is a shame, and I loved some of the suggestions Cindy presented after attending the ECE conference. Why are there so few men at the elementary level? This is not a high-status career. There is also suspicion aimed at men who choose to work with young children, which is unfortunate.
A FEW REMINDERS
ReplyDelete1. If you're using this blog for your journals, you don't need to write them out in longhand. Just go right from reading, reflecting, blog.
2. If you blog, I don't need to check your journals at the end of class.
3. Longer journals can be counted as two journals. What constitutes longer? Use your judgement.
4. Keep count of your journals on this blog.
5. You can use your list of questions for the teleconferences as journals. In fact, I encourage you to list some questions here and then discuss them on the blog.
6. Remember the purpose of a blog -- It's not just for you to post your thoughts. It's designed for you to read other student thoughts and react to them. So...go back and forth. Ask each other questions. Respectfully challenge each other.
Reflection on "Wordy Women"
ReplyDeleteThis article talks about how women are now on "the verge of taking over word-based professions, like journalism, law, marketing, and communications." (pg.45) The author mentions Hillary Clinton, Margarat Thatcher, J>K> Rowling, Katie Couric and Janet Reno, among others. Author suggests that women are changing these professions, and uses Reno's emphasis on community police patrols as preventative crime focus. The author suggests that as women are now entering more "physically demanding" professions such as fire-fighting, the armed services,and professional football- and that they will create a new change in these professions. The author states the opinion that it was a silly debate for the foes of the Equal Rights Ammendment- women entering into these physical professions. I see it as a spiral in history, that the devision of labor in developing countries is in a massive state of change, mostly due to the choices that women have in birth control. This choice is VERY recent in our human history, and has impacted families, child care, employment choices and culture. Patty
Chapters 6-15 Reflection
ReplyDeleteThere was lots of interesting research and thought provoking stuff in these chapters. Tyre talks about some of the negative affects of acceleration, our focus on testing results and early academic "hurrying" of our young children. She states, "...successsful peer interaction at recess was an excellant predictor of success on standardized tests." (pg.105)She goes on to say how we have eliminated recess and how boys need movement to be successful...true, I agree with that! Though, as a Primary teacher, I have witnessed countless episodes on the playground with children who need mediation, or short-lived counseling, and often those children are high in verbal reasoning skills (girls) and who need an adult to help them figure out their choices. These are the same kids who test the highest in my class. The boys just seem to work things out rough and tumble... and off they go to a new game. So, I do agree that all children need recess, but in my experience girls need more explanation and encouragement to work things out.
I loved the author's emphasis on the value of "Free Play," citing Dr. Ken Ginsburg from U of Penn, and how he stated that "Boys need movement to survive." (pg. 106)
ADHD~ I have a child who is absolutely unable to attend, and is in everyone else's personal space. On meds he is able to focus. I ahve written Observation letter to Pediatricians, and believe that parents and doctors are the ones to have that conversation... It is a positive change for this child, and he is successful in a much bigger way.
Wilmette study, from the upper/middle income neighborhood was very interesting, and provided contemporary evidence that boys are not thriving. McGee brainstormed with his parents and teachers, good partnering there, to create boy-friendly assignemtns, with plenty of movement and good Literacy boy choices, like Captain Underpants, comics and non-fiction. We must take the judgement out of what they are reading and acknowledge that Reader's Choice is a valuable component of a successful boy classroom.
I thought that the Scotland Phonics was interesting....I wonder what their population of Bilingual speakers is? How do you teach children Literacy without the connection to meaning. So, I'm a holdout for Whole Language Literacy.... I am a real believer in the Ralph Fletcher's Writers Workshop and have seen how ALL children get really turned onto writing when they have free choice and a chance to share their Writing on an ongoing basis....so imaginative and the kids love it!
I liked the authors exploration of the new interest in single sex classrooms and would like to explore that further. The Bronx school also had the element of Mentoring, which I think is one of the keys...to have a caring adult in an ongoing dialogue to focus on long term learning and goals. I was also intrigued by the high school close to West Point, and how the African Americans took their children aside and spelled out their strong expectations for behavior and academic success....I think that we need to do that with Alaska Native children here... and invite Elders into the classroom, so that they can see leadership modeled, and culture talked about and honored.
I was lucky to have two male teachers in Elementary School. My 4th Grade teacher took us all flying in his airplane... 2 or 3 at a time on a long field trip, FOR REAL! My 6th grade teacher was a push over for the girls, and harder on the boys....boys need more role models.
tah-tah for now, Patty
Feb 10, 2010
ReplyDeleteI agree with Patty’s comments about her higher reasoning students (girls) requiring much of the attention on the playground. These young ladies are constantly getting into little tiffs over things and can’t find a way to resolve it. This requires daily mediation in some cases on the part of the duty personnel. As I mentioned in class, I feel very strongly that our little ones are spending too much time in academic pursuit in Kindergarten. So much of what little kids need to be learning before first grade is how to get along with others, how to share, how to solve problems as they come up. Yes, they are capable of learning to read and some basic math concepts before first grade. But does it really give them that much of an advantage? Won’t most of them catch up when they are taught those skills in the early grades – when they are ready to learn them? I think as a primary teacher I would much rather teach them to read in my class than spend my days “putting out fires” as the kids struggle to be social beings. Many children come into my class not having a clue as to how they can resolve differences or solve problems. I didn’t have that academic push; didn’t attend kindergarten and feel I have turned out relatively well. (OK, I never learned to share and have never been good at taking naps. I do have the snacking down to a science though!)
February 10, 2010
ReplyDeleteAfter reading our text, I started noticing things about my classroom. Many of the toys I had brought in were actually geared to the BOYS and fewer to the girls. Free time in my room was often unhappy for some of the children. I found the girls wanted to “hang out” with me instead of play. As I mentioned in class, I purchased a set of dresses, shoes and purses for a dress-up center. (I plan to later add items that the boys would enjoy “pretending” with) The girls were so excited! Free time was a joy! The girls were busy pretending and sharing (for the most part) the clothing and keeping to themselves in the room. The boys had all of the sets of Legos, Lincoln Logs, wooden blocks, sponge blocks and cars in use in small groups. There was no fighting. The girls weren’t wandering around stepping over the groups of boys. Ahhh! The dress-up center gave the girls something creative to do. They were sharing, making up scenarios, taking turns and problem solving (only three pairs of cute shoes….). The creative play had been sadly lacking. The boys were delighted that they didn’t have to share the toys they loved. By the second week, I observed that very few children wanted to use the computers during free time. This was an activity that I had had to monitor and switch students every 15 minutes. Now they want to play. I hope the novelty doesn’t wear off too soon. Maybe I need to get more shoes…..
Some of us attended the Early Childhood Education conference in Anchorage. One of the presenters runs a "Bootcamp For Dads" program at Providence in Anchorage. He sent us an email of informaton on other groups/ lists dealing with getting fathers involved in the lives of their children. Perhaps there are some suggestions here for those of us in education.
ReplyDeleteHello Father Involvers!
I hope everyone had a great conference and are now home safe and sound!
We now have a group list of over 30 colleagues who want to know how to get more fathers and men involved in the lives of children.
Please share your successes, questions, and good ideas with the group.
If you know of others who would like to be included on this list please have them email me at afrmc2@uaa.alaska.edu If you would like to be removed from the list please email me stating so.
Attached is the list of statistics I was citing in the session.
I had also mentioned a listserv for issues pertaining to men in Early Childhood; this is for men and women. Go to this website if you would like more information and to join http://ecap.crc.uiuc.edu/listserv/ecemen.html
Here is the Boot Camp for New Dads Website http://www.bootcampfornewdads.org/ This course is offered monthly at Providence Alaska Medical Center.
Here is a link to the Saturday Mornings with Dad class which I facilitate every Saturday at Providence Alaska Medical Center http://www.providence.org/resources/alaska/classes/detail.asp?ID=875
Another good resource for information on men teaching can be found at http://www.menteach.org/
Good luck getting those Dads and significant male role models involved!
Robert Capuozzo, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education
University of Alaska Anchorage
3211 Providence Dr. PSB 220E
Anchorage, AK 99508-4614
907-786-4327
These statistics show a sample of what our society/culture is allowing to happen. It is no wonder that our kids are struggling. The problem of Boy acheivement is riding on the back of a huge issue. We as a society need to do all we can to get our families healthier.
ReplyDeleteFATHERLESSNESS IN AMERICA
CURRENT DATA
_ According to 72.2% of the U.S. population, fatherlessness is the most
significant family or social problem facing America.
Source: National Center for Fathering, Fathering in American Poll, January
1999
� An estimated 24.7 million children (36.3%) live absent their biological
father.
Source: National Fatherhood Initiative, Father Facts, (3rd Ed.): 5
� 85% of all children that exhibit behavioral disorders come from
fatherless homes.
Source: Center for Disease Control
� 71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes.
Source: National Principals Association Reports on the State of High Schools
� 70% of all juveniles in state operated institutions come from fatherless
homes.
Source: US Department of Justice, Special Report, Sept. 1988
� 85% of all youths sitting in prisons grew up in a fatherless home.
Source: Fulton County, Georgia jail populations; Texas Department of
Corrections,
1992
� The average man living at home spends 12 minutes a day with his children.
Source: James Levine, „Working Fathers‰ 1997, 23-24
� In studies involving more than 25,000 children using nationally
representative
data sets, children who lived with only one parent had lower grade point
averages, lower college aspirations, poorer attendance records, and higher
dropout rates than students who lived with both parents.
Source: Sara McLanahan and Gary Sandefur. „Growing up with a Single
Parent: What Hurts, What Helps‰, 1994.
� Fatherless children are twice as likely to drop out of school.
Source: US Department of Health and Human Services. National Center for
Health Statistics. Survey on Child Health, 1993
I have mixed feelings about curriculum acceleration. I know many of the bright kids really need the challenge of moving on and learning new things. My own kids were often bored at school, especially in high school, because lessons were often dumbed down for kids at the bottom of the learning scale. They yearned for the excitement of new ideas. I also know that hitting information over and over may or may not help slower learners master a skill, whereas the fast learners are impatient for more. I remember talking to an upper elementary school teacher who stated that when the upper grade teachers tried dividing their kids into math groups, she found that the group that stayed with a unit until mastered did not do as well on overall testing as the group that covered the unit more briefly and then moved on, but covered more curriculum over the course of the year. That is the beauty of spiraling, so that germs of learning build on prior knowledge. So I try to find a happy medium, helping the slow learners review, while helping fast learners move on and keep their enthusiasm. I look at how far behind other countries the U.S.is in science and math and I am concerned. I look at the advanced skills of exchange students I have had from Japan and Germany. And I look at the initial difficulty my kids had in college trying to keep up with kids from schools with more advanced placement classes. So yes, I want to put information out there in as exciting a format as possible, and let them grab what they may, and learn about the beautiful complexitty of our universe. I also know that our teachers at SEward El. are great at enrichment -teaching wonderful units on the solar system, presidents, penguins, rain forests, etc. Our teachers are also great at teaching to multiple intelligences, mixing in hands-on science experiments, songs, poems, writing stories, playing relay games, and watching egs hatch and bugs metamorphize. They bounce ideas off each other and try new techniques. Teachers constantly try to balance active and quiet learning, and leave room for the imagination. But in the process, I really don't want curriculum dumbed down. Kate G.
ReplyDeleteI find that Tyre's book is thought provoking with some good research to connect us with what other school districts are doing to address gender inequity and inequality. In Chapter 16 I am taken back by her statement, "...research shows that collaboration can limit the engagement of boys." (pg 236) I have taken a long class on Cooperative Learning and it is really us to the educator to structure the cooperative learning activities so there is accountability for all participants. Most recently we did non-fiction arctic animal reports and I let the kids choose fact-finding teams (with a little guidance). Most of the girls were with girls and boys with boys, and they were excited to work together and share their findings, first with each other, and then whole group as individuals....It is also more of an open-ended assignments where the students get to choose thier exploration. I think that this is good teaching, and I question the author. However, the book has gotten me thinking about gender inequality....when we went up to the Anchorage Early Childhood conference I was excited by the discussion about how to get more males into education. I remember asking the Early Childhood teacher at King Career Center how many high school males are in her classes.... Not too many. SO should we require more boys (future fathers) to take an Early Childhood class? Come on, that isn't going to fly....men need to be encouraged and educated to participate in fathering, parenting and education....I really liked the statement by boy psychologist Michael Thompson in Tyre's book pg. 244, '"A boy growing up without a male role model is like an explorer without a map."' Also, liked the idea of the "boy audit" in Chapter 18, where we honestly ask boys "what theye are being taught at school about how to think and how to behave as men, and then listen when they answer." (pg 254) Open ended questioning, writing, projects, and male mentors will help build a dialog with boys and make our learning environments more expansive for all learners.
ReplyDeleteThere is so much good stuff here to respond to, I hardly know where to begin!
ReplyDeletePatty's comment about birth control being the catalyst for major changes in our society really made me think. Certainly, this was an improvement for women and the overall wealth of our country, but there is a negative side. Women able to postpone childbearing and attend college seems wonderful, but why are 23% of boys born to white,college educated parents scoring below basic on the NAEPS in reading (Kleinfeld, p.1). My initial gut reaction tells me that a lot of these college educated parents are career minded with their children spending many hours a day in day care. I have yet to see a day care center that provides the warmth, nurturing, one on one teaching that can happen at home. I know that this is a subjective response, but in my experience parents with little education are spending more time with their kids than parents with lots of education. I would be interested in others' response to that comment. Think about the kids in your class right now. Who has a stay at home parent? Who does not?
I will echo Patty's comments about readers needing to choose their own literature and the need to provide whole language instruction in addition to phonics in the classroom. One problem with our current system is the tendency to teach to children's weakness, rather than their strength. If a child has great rote memorization skills, for example, he needs to be taught one way, while a child who is more conceptual may need different methods. Teachers at Seward El. do a great job trying to meet all needs, but class sizes are too big to allow the individualization that all students need. And then, of course, there are the tests that measure a student against a standard that while not arbitrary may not be suitable in each circumstance.
After class last week, and looking over Lori's stats, I spent some time looking at gender participation in the National Ocean Science Bowl.
ReplyDelete58% of student participants were female and 42% male. This coincides with the premise of Tyre's book. However, the top three teams'combined were 66% male and 33% female. Does this mean something?
There were 15 male coaches and only 8 female coaches. There were 11 male judges and 12 female judges. All other volunteer categories were predominately female, with a total of 76 females and 28 males. I was thinking about these numbers when I was reading Rbqdalaska (sorry, I'm not sure of identity). The avarage man at home who only spends 12 minutes a day with their children wasn't helping out at the NOSB competition. There does need to be some effort put forth by educators to pull men into an active role in their children's education. I do believe that they would be willing participants, if given the right kind of opportunities.
One more thing. YES Patty, I think we should teach young people how to be better parents. The ignorance out there about good parenting skills is enormous. Reading Zalewski's article made me livid as he panned permissive parenting and seemed to espouse an authoritarian style, with little ink on the authorative approach of Mr. Slinger. OK, while I'm writing about this article - Yes, it was about children's books. Many of his examples are children's favorites that present children in positions of power. Most of our fantasies place us in positions of power, and children are no different.
ReplyDeleteI have concerns about single sex schooling, which was discussed in Chapt. 14 of Peg Tyre's book. I think the biggest danger would be boys and girls not knowing each other as equal people. Males who attended a boys only school might not respect girls or see girls as equals. I worry that girls might be viewed more as sex objects. My own three girls (with no brothers) did not have a very good understanding of boys as people with similar thoughts and feelings. My husband and I arranged to have makle exchange students so our girls could experience living with boys in a "brother" mode before they were of dating age. I think this helped them relate to boys much more realistically.
ReplyDeleteYes, the role of young men has changed drastically over the years. While living in Unalakleet, I noticed that the young men rarely took advantage of traditional ways of life, hunting and fishing, and many spent most of their time watching television, and drinking. They had little purpose or direction in life. Girls in the Bush, on the other hand, always had the traditional tasks of housekeeping, cooking and tending to young children to fall back on and give them at least some sense of meaning and direction. Likewise in Seward and Anchorage, few boys spend time in hunting, fishing, mountain climbing, skiing, ice skating, and other traditional male outdoor activities. More boys spend time playing basketball and other team sports, most of which sports are not so readily available after high school. Instead most small town boys opt for spending time watching television, playing video games, and other computer generated electronic games, and older boys often socialize by drinking together. Many boys no longer engage in typical physical play and outdoor activities and adventures. Boys who live in large cities must be even more at a loss to find traditional male activities on which to release their male energy. Inner city boys find excitement in gangs, petty crime, drugs and alcohol. Boys with no male role models at home are especially prone to this life with no direction or meaning.
ReplyDeletePatty, I agree that collaborative learning can be a fun and exciting way for kids to learn. I think that the arctic animal reports that your groups of kids worked on together were wonderful! They had the fun of sharing ideas and facts and discussing their animals with each other. However, they each had to produce a written report of their own. This is different from when my kids worked with a group and came home complaing that so-and-so (usually boys) refused to do any of the group work and just stood around and joked while the girls did all the work. They had to work hard to get good grades while the boys did nothing and didn't dcare. The teacher expected the kids to produce one report or poster which all the group were judged on. That wasn't fair to the kids who were studious, or to the kids who learned that it was ok to be a slacker.
ReplyDeleteAfter re-reading chapter 16, I am reminded of my own son's experience at middle school. Tyre writes about the difficulty middle school boys have staying organized and the slower development of grapho-motor skills. This certainly describes David at 12. As parents we tried hard to work with his teachers to find ways for him to be successful in school. After one particular confrontation with a teacher over an English research paper being graded based on the art work on the cover rather than content and organization, we chose to home-school for english and social studies. This worked incredibly well for us as a family. David went to school half days and had a half day of what his Dad called "School of Life". David called it "Slave Labor", but the result was he learned practical skills by helping his father with home, auto and boat repair and maintenance. He took his English and Social Studies courses seriously, and was able to complete them in a timely manner and with high scores. His scores on benchmark tests also started to climb. The layout of the correspondence courses appealed to his particular learning style. Each lesson was well organized and presented clear learning objectives. At any point in time, he could refer back to these objectives and was able to understand how the lesson was addressing those objectives. His father and I were available to help and encourage. We were lucky that this was an option for us when we saw David's distress in 7th grade. David continued to take his English and History classes via correspondence through High School, just because he liked the format and was successful. He also attended High School full time, and was able to fit more science and math courses in his schedule. Today, everything seems to be going well for David in his first year of college but I often wonder what would have happened if we had made him "tough it out" in a situation that made him feel more like a failure every day. Can we develop a similar program for struggling middle school boys based at school rather than home?
ReplyDeleteMoving on - In chapter 18 we read about the Reichert audit. I wonder what values Seward High School ratifies? I think we have great teachers and good coaches that are working hard to help students achieve. Student athletes work hard to improve their athletic skills and we do have academic standards that they must live up to in order to participate in sports, but are they getting the message that their academic effort is just as important. I don't know. Certainly, the top male athletes are given the most prestige by the student body - but this is a function of our society as a whole, not Seward High School staff. Do we need to do something radical to buck the trend? or can we accept that good health and athletic ability need to be encouraged just as much as academics and should be given equal weight from the beginning.
I believe that boys do need positive male role models and I loved the idea of the Dad's Club in chapter 20. I also think that parents need to learn to advocate for their children and look out for the warning signs listed on page 286.
When reading Kleinfeld's "Five Powerful Strategies for Connecting Boys to Schools", I want to take exception to Strategy 2 - Start School at a Later Age for Slower Developing Boys. This is an option some parents are choosing, but I think it misses the point. Boys are as ready to learn at 5 as girls are, but maybe we should be teaching them to love learning, to build bridges or to communicate their ideas instead of phonics and literacy skills. Kate mentioned earlier the danger of dumming down the curriculum in order to accommodate slower developing students. I think of it as enriching the learning environment and wait for students to be ready to learn reading and writing.
ReplyDeleteThis brings me to my questions for Peg Tyre.
1. Steiner's Waldorf schools do not teach reading and writing until 2nd grade, then writing is taught first, followed by reading. When researching for this book, I wonder if she came across any contrasting outcomes for students of Waldorf schools.
2. Are other countries' statistics about boys as dire as the United States?
3. How can we help parents learn to advocate for their sons in the school system? Are there specific books recommended?
4.Our district is intending to develop Individual Learning Plans for all students. Are other districts who are doing this having more success with boys academic achievement?
OK, I am going to try this once again. I have to admit, it is the first time that I have ever blogged, and of course, I wrote it all here & then had not become a follower. So, I lost it all. I spent the last hour reading the earlier posts by so many of you, and there were a myriad of thoughts bouncing around in my brain. I wished that I had started when all of you did because I would then post a few statements about previous blogs. At this point, I am going to start with a chapter that I particularly found inspiring - 15 - "Notes from the Front" It was refreshing to read about what a high school is doing in order to help the African American boys' raise their scores and begin to feel a self-worth in the classroom. I especially agreed with the no nonsense questions about "what kind of house are you going to live in?" In my classroom, I hear boys talk about they are going to do this or that, but they don't have a real understanding of what it takes to accomplish those dreams. I blame this in part on instant gratification, on gaming, and on the movies/tv that these young people watch. I was disappointed when some scores rose and others dropped. It is inspiring that McDonald (at the time of print) was continuing with the program. But, I do need to ask the question, what about all boys? Could not all boys benefit from such a program?
ReplyDeleteI thought some of you might be interested in how my experiment is going with the "antsy" children in my freshmen class. If you remember, the exercise balls. Well, at first, most of the boys wanted to sit on the balls & bounce, bounce, bounce - a bit too high! Now I allow those who ask to use the balls at chairs & usually that would be my antsy kids. They have become quieter on the balls, and a bit more focused. I hope that I am able to keep a good attitude towards the movement throughout the rest of the school year. I also hope that the pay off will be in better focus and concentration for all my students who use the exercise balls.
ReplyDeletePLEASE check this thread to make sure all the posts you have submitted are here. A few days ago I had some of your comments to review which I posted, but I don't think they all appeared for some reason. If any of yours have not shown up, let me know.
ReplyDeleteOf course, I strongly recommend you save all your posts in a file in case we have problems like this.
Go to alaskaice.org -- the homepage of the Association of Alaska School Boards. You'll find an article titled: "New Studies Highlight Needs of Boys in K-12, Higher Education" which describes one of the Judith Kleinfield studies we've read.
ReplyDeleteThe realization that what we do and how we use our brain actually changes physical aspects of the brain and how it will process information was a big aha moment for me several years ago. It totally changed the way I thought about learning and consequently teaching. The Cook article helped me to comprehend how this occurs in the part of the brain used for reading. I think that I understand how children succeed using phonics based approaches when using the “letterbox” part of the brain. However, the workings of the brain are complicated. With several of the children I have worked with in the past, when phonics wasn’t working, whole language approaches did work. (The success of the Edmark reading program is a prime example). I am wondering if when the left hemisphere, inferior face is disorganized or when the mirror recognition function is too strong, as Cook believes is the case with dyslexics, the whole language approach doesn’t train the right hemisphere of the brain to read. Similar to the way stroke victims can ameliorate the effects of the stroke by using the opposite side of the brain for certain tasks no longer doable by the damaged hemisphere.
ReplyDeleteI had just finished reading The Brain and the Written Word by Cook, when I read Lori’s blog. I, too, would like to see educators tackle the problems of young people in a program aimed at helping them learn to live in the real world. Instant gratification, gaming and media presentations of unrealistic circumstances all add to the problems in our society, and probably change the way our brains work. (Was anyone besides me worried when Disney took over a major network and news shows began to pass off entertainment events as news and more and more reporting was based on sound bites rather than in-depth investigative reporting.) Please don’t misunderstand me, I am as liberal as they come and do not believe in censoring games or entertainment, but I think adults owe it to children to teach them how to understand and respond to what they see and what they want.
When I went to alaskaice.org, I read a short article in Science Daily that presented results of a Canadian Study. This study found that after 10 weeks of reading intervention, struggling boy readers did better if they received intervention from woman rather than men.
ReplyDeleteI found this interesting in light of our conversations about the need for more male teachers at the primary level, and the importance of male role models throughout the growing years. What do you make of this?
My wife just worked for 45 minutes on writing something for this blog, posted it, only to get an error message for the third time. She put me on this problem because I spend lots of time on computers. I can't figure out why it doesn't post to. Isn't there an easier way where all of don't have to spend hours working out apparent tech issues that have nothing to do with the class?
ReplyDeleteDave
In Judith Kleinfeld’s paper “Five Powerful Strategies for Connecting Boys to Schools (June 2006)” she discusses the idea that boys from all races and social economic backgrounds are falling behind girls in comprehensive literacy tests. She states that “23% of white sons of college educated parents-almost a quarter- scored “Below Basic” in reading achievement, compare to only 7% of their female counterparts. “ (pg. 1) The statistic is considerably higher for African American boys- 43%, and 34% for Hispanic males. As a teacher of early Literacy, I find these statistics absolutely SHOCKING, and worth discussing and passing on to our peers, fathers, and male leaders……Judith lists several strategies that she feels will help boys. First, educate teachers about the gender discrepancy in reading achievement and give boys more tools for movement throughout the day. She suggests that some successful classrooms have eliminated desks altogether….I like the idea of more movement, and have tried to weave more movement into the class day. She also stated that boys like to “read information texts”….this I know and am trying to build up my classroom library with more “boy” choices. Kleinfeld also suggest that boys mature later and could start Kindergarten or Primary later, rather than earlier. She suggests promoting smaller ‘Focus” schools, some of which can be single sex. These schools focus on Reading, Math, Teamwork, and Good Character with Mentoring Males. She tells us the importance of positive self-talk and positive men, coaches and adults. Lastly she tells us to respect boys, their energy and ideas…..Her research is further developed in the paper “No Map to Manhood” published in Gender Issues 200. Kleinfeld interviewed high school students from the urban Alaska cities of Anchorage and Fairbanks, using open-ended questioning and active listening schools, asking high school students what their future plans were. She reports that the two groups had dramatic differences- the majority of the women being towards higher learning and the majority of boys joking around, citing examples of men who earned a lot without college….She further states that “young men need to see higher education as a satisfying arena for achievement rather than merely an extension of high school (pg. 20). Kleinfeld tells us that schools and educators need to take these statistics seriously, and to build in ways for boys to be successful-more physical movement etc.- ideas that she talked about in the first paper….Oh yes, one of the strongest statements was the statistic that Alaska had the 3rd highest gender gap, with “54% of the young women expressing strong enjoyment (of school) compared to just 21% of the young men. (pg. 16)…This is shocking to me! I thought that these two papers were tremendously “close to home” since the research is current and Alaskan. It seems like our “division of labor” here is Alaska is more divided. In some ways we are closer to our organic food supplies, nature and animal life-and that males can harvest these resources-with or without an income attached….These studies are making us aware that our children, particularly males, are not aware of the choices they have to set goals for making future lifestyles and occupations, and how higher education can be the means to that realization of long term goals…..The difference in male/female Literacy achievement is ACTUAL and OVERWHELMING, and is giving me a big wakeup call….In this week’s newsletter I put a call out for “Speaking of Dads” asking for ideas, input, field trips, project, and sharing.
ReplyDeletePatty
I think perhaps one reason some boys do not have a sense of goal-orientation or purpose may be because they are not given enough responsibilities or chores around the home. When both parents work, they may come home late and children may not be supervised after school, and do not have to answer for how they spend their time, such as doing homework or helping out with chores. I have also seen situations where single moms compensate for the lack of a father by doing everything for their sons and being more lax with them to make up for the lack of a father figure. Discipline may be lax or uninforced, and consequences are nonexistant. The ways in which our culture has changed and become more sedentary and city-oriented also contrubute to less opportunities for boys to be typical rowdy boys, riding bikes all over town or climbing hills, or fishing or working on the farm or cars or in the yard.
ReplyDeleteBoys seem to be less interested in college or higher education because they are impatient to get a job, earn money and get a car. They have no concept of how much money they need to maintain a comfortable life style. To many boys, it is more manly and independent to be making money, even at a minimum wage job, than going to college and incurring a loan debt. When my girls were in Moose Pass School, they had an excellent teacher who taught a big unit on job opportunities and career preparation. The children from fifth through eighth grade, visited a variety of job sites and spoke with employers and business owners. They also visited AVTEC, UAA and Kenai Peninsula College. They discussed majors and what jobs different majors prepared students for. I felt like it was a great way to help students connect school with preparing for their futures. I was glad that this teacher got kids thinking about this topic at an early age. This concept needs to be presented and taught often and thoroughly. Perhaps it should be included in a required freshman class, complete with speakers and field trips.
ReplyDeleteHamre Journal: Kleinfeld’s “State of American Boyhood”
ReplyDeleteMore thoughts on this enlightening paper~ The most shocking statistic is on male 20-24 year old suicide: 20.7 per 100,00 are males compared to 3.5 per 100,00 females. Is there a correlation with dwindling male role models for men and masculinity? My question to Judith would be, “ What is the Alaska Native male suicide rate in this age group?” and how can the Alaska Native male community become aware of this statistic, and what can we do as educators to encourage older men to embrace younger men? Is failed education a predictor to mental health suicide rates? … I think that Judith should come to KPBSD beginning of the year inservice for all of us an share her findings…. Patty
I, like Lori had wished I had stayed on top of my blogging for there were a lot of interesting comments made that I would have responded to. One of them being Kate’s comment on same sex schooling. The different articles I have been reading on the internet (since taking this class) about same sex schooling does not necessarily mean boys go to one school and girls to another. But instead one class that is all one gender, for example and all boy English class and an all girl English class.
ReplyDeleteBoth as a parent and a teacher I have struggled with the group project where one grade is given to all. In Reading class lately I have been trying to have the groups work cooperatively, when they come together as a class I ask how they helped their group. I have found some of their responses interesting, sometimes they have been honest and said they were not a big help, other times they would say I got the pencil!!!!
In response to The State of American Boyhood, Judith Kleinfeld certainly pointed out the studies that reinforces what we have been saying in this class all along- boys and girls learn differently.
I found this statement powerful –No national organizations in the United States or politically powerful advocacy groups have addressed boys problems. I could not help but wonder why our district is not putting out articles or taking sometime of action to educate and make their teachers aware of this problem. I question that fact that they aren’t aware??
I'll leave this blog up for as long as you folks want me to. If things get really slow or stop completely, I'll give a notice of closure unless there's more traffic.
ReplyDeleteThere are some good sites out there telling books that are high interest for boys of all ages-young to old. The web site Guys Read has a book of the month just for boys, some audio clips from boys, a link Guys Listen, and just a list of books from all ages.
ReplyDeleteAnother site: Great Books for Boys which lists books boys enjoy.
This week I have been experimenting with the 7 boys in my reading class. I am teaching new concepts with as little talking as possible. This is done through written examples on the board. Once the student feels he knows the rules he shares it with another student, they in turn share what they know about the skill with each other then in turn tell a student who has not yet figured it out. Once all students felt they knew the rule they wrote it and an example on their white board. It has been interesting they have been right on more times than not.
I went on the link Boys Project-very interesting. Like our readings their is controversy
ReplyDeleteDoes a “boy problem” or a “boy crisis” actually exist which needs policy attention? Some argue that the “boy crisis” represents a backlash against the success of women, who still earn less and occupy fewer high-prestige positions in American society.
Some of the research and policy questions: Are boys actually in trouble, and what is the evidence? Consider mental health, such as suicide rates, as well as school achievement and college attendance and completion. What are the reasons for the change in attention to boys? What is the likelihood that the “boy problem” will receive local, state, or national attention as did the “girl problem”? What cultural, economic, and ideological changes and commitments are driving this issue?
A movement to deal with the problems of boys is still in its infancy in the United States-which I find interesting
Some of the issues:
-Single sex education-do such educational settings actually increase school engagement
-Male Role Models-something we talked about in class. The link talks about the lack of male role models more and more families have become female headed. As a result, many boys are confused about what it means to be a successful man. The declining number of male teachers also removes male models from many boys’ lives, and male teachers are more likely to understand boys’ behavior and needs.
- The gender gap in college enrollment --males fall behind women in college completion, many well-educated women will not find marriage partners with similar values and interests. Young men with only a high school education or below have become the “big losers” as income gaps between the rich and poor grow in the United States. We talked about this
-Boy Friendly Classrooms-I especially took note on this area
Boys are on average behind girls in reading, writing, and school grades.
Boys are less likely to do their homework or say they enjoy school.
Boys’ dropout rates are higher and they are more likely to be suspended or expelled. Many researchers and educators locate major sources of boys’ underachievement in classroom practices that do not take into account 1) biological differences between boys and girls, such as gender differences in the maturation of particular areas of the brain, 2) differences in boys’ interests, such as preferences for more action-oriented and less relationship-oriented reading materials, 3) differences in boys’ learning styles, such as preferences for competitive as opposed to cooperative classroom practices, greater need for real-world applications of academic content, and higher performance under stress, and 4) the greater importance to boys of physical activity inside and outside the classroom.
The link went onto to say some argue that schools are “feminizing” boys by not allowing activities which boys enjoy, such as rough and tumble play at recess, and by rewarding behavior that comes more easily to girls, such as turning in neat homework.
From the material discussed in class and from what I am getting out of the readings I have tried to make my class more boy friendly but at times I struggle with where do I draw the line. The behavior of a boy standing up in the middle of a lesson clapping his hands and shouting “Yea that sounds like fun” is just not something I am going to tolerate. Am I not letting him express himself , I don’t know. I do know the majority of them have had me for two years now and they know this would not be something I would allow.
I found this site one of interest and plan to spend a little more time reading the different areas.