Boys at School!Bring Out Their Best!In ancient times, being able to read and write was considered heroic... How many ‘superheroes’ do you see reading and writing?! Plato was the first to write about compulsory education. The Talmud, in the 1st century AD, called for mandatory schooling of boys. And the Aztecs in the 15-16th century also believed that boys up to age 16 should be in school. In the 1500’s, Martin Luther proposed teaching all men to read – so they could read the Bible. Compulsory schooling became law in the United States in 1852.
How did boys learn before compulsory schooling?...Before they were expected to sit still in a classroom, boys actively learned out in the world...
How do our boys learn today?They are put into school, already 1-1.5 years behind girls in their verbal and fine motor skills. They are asked to sit still and when they don’t, they are considered behavior problems. No wonder many boys feel that ‘school is for girls’.
Bring Out Their Best At School!Enlist Teachers...Let’s face it…teachers are overwhelmed. When parents can encapsulate information for them, they are likely to embrace the changes that can help your boy succeed in school. Michael Gurian, author and educator, works with hundreds of schools and has written several books on how boys and girls learn differently and how we can accommodate their different learning styles.
Your Boy's Age...With boys typically 1 – 1.5 years behind girls in verbal and fine motor skills, it is crucial that boys be given some extra time before first grade. Timing your son's entry into first grade so that he’ll be an older child in his class will always work to his advantage.When boys see that they aren’t able to write or use scissors as well as girls, or that their work is sloppy, they begin to feel like, “School isn’t for me! School is for girls!” Their stress level is heightened and the way they relieve stress is to be active and noisy.
Your Boy's Physical Needs...All the ways that boys learned in 'the olden days' included movement. Boy's brains are designed so that moving enhances their ability to remember and learn.
Go Visual...Visual Learning Does your teacher use graphic organizers to help consolidate and process learning? These are mind maps, storyboards, or outlines. Boys thrive on logic and systems. Learning to use graphic organizers will improve their ability to retain information and process their learning in a visual way. Many boys get bogged down by the physical act of writing.
Relevance...Make it real! Remember asking your teacher when you would ever use Algebra?! Boys especially need their learning connected to the real world. Boys need their learning to matter. Identify their strengths and passions, interests and talents and shape the curriculum to match.These are some simple ways that we can adjust the environment to fit our boys, rather than trying to make our boy fit an environment that is not particularly suited to his learning style.
Back to Top
Please enter the Password.
|
