BOY-FRIENDLY LEARNING ACTIVITY [TTRB]-105

https://classroom.google.com/c/NDg4NzU3NzI5MTEx/a/NDg4NzkyMjgyNjMz/details

EDUCATION AND BOYS

Where possible, key lesson ideas should be conveyed using diagrams, charts, maps, symbols, analogy, and mental imagery to supplement verbal and written instruction .Gurian and Stevens caution that the more words teachers use, the more boys lose track of meaning and become “bored’. During physical activities teachers can ask buys to describe their experiences verbally and in writing. When physical activities are connected to communication, it becomes easier for boys to express themselves. This way the language areas of their brains that lag behind girls in development are also stimulated. Sax states that verbal instructions should not be too long or too complex, especially for younger boys. Sax also reports that teachers in all-boys schools have found that verbal instructions should be delivered in a loud voice, since speaking softly puts boys to sleep, and may even demonstrate weakness or inferiority.

Encouraging healthy competition ( through sports and academic opportunities is another good strategy for engaging boys’ energetic spirits. Males enjoy competing and can often be spurred on to greater performance when there are reputations and pecking orders at sake. Competition is only one aspect of creating bounding opportunities for boys within the school environment. Research also shows that many adolescent boys simply do not see the relevance school has for their lives, especially when there are high paying jobs available that do not require high school graduation. While improving their learning experiences is one part of solving male dropouts problems, increasing their emotional connections to school will also help, While the classroom teacher has an impact on students attitudes and commitment to academics, it is important to note that many boys lack positive male role models in their lives. This is especially true for younger children, as most elementary school teachers are female. One strategy to address this lack of male figures ( other teachers volunteers, and gust speakers), who can model healthy values, attitudes and behaviors. Not only can this provides boys with positive visual images, but having same gender role model is thought to improve both attitudes towards school and academic success.

A VISUAL ARTS LESSON PLAN SHOWING EFFECTIVE PRACTICES

PRACTICAL STRATEGIES

When teachers use graphics, pictures and storyboards in literacy-related classes and assignments. When teachers use pictures and graphics more often ( even well into high school), boys write with more details, retain more information, and get better grades on written work across the curriculum. Classroom methodology includes project-based education in which the teacher facilitates hands-on, kinesthetic learning. The more learning is projected-driven and kinesthetic , the more boys’ bodies will be engaged in learning causing more information to be retained, remembered, and displayed on tests and assignments. Students are allowed to move around as needed in classrooms, and they are taught how to practice self- discipline in their environment. This strategy is especially useful when male students are reading or writing-when certain boys twitch, tap their feet, stand up, or pace, they are often learning better than if they sit still, but teachers are often not trained in innovating towards more movement in the classrooms.

Classroom curricula include skills training in time, homework , and classroom management, In order to feel competent, engaged, and motivated, many boys need help learning how to do homework, follow directions, and succeed in school and life; classroom are the primary place these boys come for that training.