Posted on 01/16/2005 3:50:07 AM PST by Graybeard58
Approach to study differs; classroom discipline improves
Ten Alabama schools now offer some single-sex classes. The principals at three share one observation: Girls appear to benefit from the absence of boys in the classroom.
"We have seen remarkable improvements in our girl classes," said Evelyn Baugh, principal of Green Acres Middle School in Birmingham, which first split some seventh-grade social studies and science classes in the fall. Girls' grades rose across the board, she said.
Advocates say girls in single-sex classes do not shy away from math and science, that they don't hold back when they know the answer in subjects boys traditionally dominate.
In social studies, Baugh found girls did better on most tasks except for projects using maps and globes. "The girls don't care much for it. They would much rather draw their maps and color them and display them. The boys don't mind playing with that globe." She said boys improved in classroom discussions, but not on written assignments.
In science, the boys preferred lab experiments, mixing chemicals and breaking down compounds. Baugh said the girls tended to prefer following the text and answering written questions, plus "doing some experiments, but only the clean experiments."
At one point, she said, staffing and scheduling forced the school to recombine a social studies class. She said some girls who had led classroom discussions instantly clammed up around the boys. In all-girl classes, Baugh said, "They're not hindered by 'The boy that I like is listening.' "
She said discipline improved for both boys and girls.
In Pinson, Jackie Dye sees some similarities.
"Girls have enjoyed having their own classes. Going into an eighth-grade girls class you can just feel the difference. There is no tension. It was a hormonal tension," said Dye, the principal of Rudd Middle School, which split the boys and girls for basic courses last fall.
"Boys are very activity oriented and they work much better when they work in a group. They will attack a project," said Dye. "Girls are much quieter, they are your more traditional students. In fact, most classrooms are aimed toward girls."
In addition to altering teaching techniques, she said, teachers may vary materials, such as choosing an adventurous short story set in the wilderness for boys and a more traditional story for girls.
Dye said she already sees far fewer disruptions and discipline referrals among the girls. The boys' classes are noisier because boys constantly re-establish a pecking order, she said. But a few boys told her they were getting better grades. She said it is too soon to tell for certain how the split has affected achievement.
In some ways, she said, the split ran deeper than she expected - boys and girls no longer speak as often in the halls. "It has separated a little more than we liked," said Dye. She plans to gather a few years' worth of data.
Hemphill Elementary in Birmingham started earlier than most schools in Alabama, capturing a year's worth of observation when splitting a couple of elementary classes for the 2003-2004 school year.
"We found out that the girls liked routines, they liked to use visuals in their learning environment.," said Principal Gwen Tilghman. "They also liked to role play."
"As far as the boys were concerned, the boys liked computers. They liked the small groups. They enjoyed drawing and they did not like total structure. They liked to move around."
Boys performed well with hands-on projects, she said, but not as well with written work. On test scores, she said, "The girls continued to do better than the boys in that particular group." And discipline improved for both boys and girls, said Tilghman.
This school year, Hemphill slowed its program. The school still has one all-girls class in the third grade and another in fourth grade. But such classes require a teacher to volunteer, said Tilghman. And she couldn't find anyone willing to lead an all-boy class.
This is news? We've known forever that single-sex classrooms mean less distraction and better learning outcomes. Duh.....
It's my personal belief that school is geared toward girls. Especially grade school. If I were raising little boys today, I would look into a single sex school for them. Hopefully, it would cut out some of the male bashing that goes on in the schools today, mostly by the teachers.
Girls benefit too. They are able to learn AND compete, on issues that matter....instead of who has the best clothes, hair, makeup, and boyfriend.
I went to an all boys HS. I'm glad I did. Got a great education, totally focus was on education when we were in school. Total focus on fun when we got home. Never felt that I missed anything.
It's my personal belief that school is geared toward girls. Especially grade school. If I were raising little boys today, I would look into a single sex school for them. Hopefully, it would cut out some of the male bashing that goes on in the schools today, mostly by the teachers.
A quality single-sex school for boys cannot exist in this culture. As soon as one were to arise, it would be instantly sued and forced into accepting girls as well.
"They're not hindered by 'The boy that I like is listening.' "
And yet some of these feminists are the same that say gays and/or opposite sex troops should be mixed.
There is the old saying that if one is honest, one doesn't need to have a good memory - the truth will prove...true.
Liberals do not have good memory retention.
Don't they have any male teachers who could take that all-boy class? Or are all the teachers women who are prejudiced against boys? That's where a lot of trouble with male students of any age lies.
Here here!! I once had a harried teacher of my son's class tell me this:'Boys are just harder to teach, I even see that with my own son'. This was a private "Christian" school(yes I am a Christian- so I can put that in quotes).
Am I missing something or is the general theme of this piece focused on how well the GIRLS do, how it is a benefit for the GIRLS...
Oh, by the way....boys might do better too, but that's not what we care about.
A more important grouping is grouping by ability and learning speed. Keeping up with someone who is really good can be a healthy challenge in almost any activity, but the best competition comes when the participants are about even in ability. For instance, if Michael Jordan is on your basketball team, you don't learn to shoot; you learn to pass to Michael Jordan. In a classroom, if some kids are significantly smarter and quicker than the others, those kids will answer most of the questions, and kids with less ability will be quieter.
I grew up in a school system where we were separated by ability. There was some stigma attached to being in the "slow" class, but the teachers tried to emphasize that "slow" was not the same as "stupid." Many of the kids from the "slow" groups in elementary school began to catch up as they reached middle school and high school. Many of them went on to become tremendously successful in college. A part of that success is likely the fact that they were challenged at the pace that was best for them at every step in their schooling.
Bill
This is true to a certain extent, as far as the benefits. I went to an all-girl high school. I had five older brothers. On one hand, I can deal with men better than woman. On the other hand, I am not well-adapted to deal with female cliques.
One gender high schools have the benefits that you mention, but it also leaves a whole array of social skills to be acquired.
Ping
Frankly, I think it's stupid of the girls to "hold back" just because there are boys in the class (if that's really what's happening). Their loss.
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