Stereotypes Raising Boys Achievement in Schools 2015 Boys

Stereotypes

Raising Boys’ Achievement in Schools 2015

Boys and the Difficulties in Society Boys’ underachievement is a phenomenon seen throughout most of the developed world – Finland Japan may be the only exceptions. Progressive people have supported feminism …could this have been at the expense of boys? Schools should target underachieving boys with a whole school attack on the issues. Working class boys are a priority group. ‘There were giant trophies for We need to think about: winning at sport and if you came top of the class, you got a bit of When are boys motivated? cardboard’ What does it mean to be a man? Mark Mc. Ivor in West, Fathers, How do boys prefer to learn? Sons and Lovers (1996)

What are the issues we face? You have 3 minutes to work with your team/pair to write down the issues we face at school with trying to raise the achievement of boys. Which ones do you think are the hardest to tackle? Could they be rank ordered or does it depend on the school you work in?

When surveyed…. . Women’s priorities included: �Being able to work part time for a limited period � Living close to family and other relatives �Having a meaningful spiritual life �Having friendships. Men's priorities are: �Having lots of money �Inventing or creating something of worth �A fulfilling, full-time career �Being successful.

What research tells us…. Ofsted identified some causes of underperformance which may affect boys more than girls: In schools where pupils' progress is unsatisfactory overall, the most frequent contributory factors are: � Inadequate attention to literacy and numeracy � Pupils’ poor attitudes and behaviour � Poor, or more often, irregular attendance � Weak teaching, sometimes caused or compounded by difficulties in recruiting and retaining staff. Underachievers take little part in whole-class teaching episodes and underachieving boys withdraw from positive class interactions very early in their school careers. The nature of employment opportunities, the locality of the school, traditional expectations in the community about ‘male’ and ‘female’ employment and perceptions of the relevance to education to life chances also have a huge influence on how students perform. A strong ‘macho’ peer culture affects many boys’ attitudes to schoolwork and homework.

Boys as Learners Round Table Discussion How do you think boys like to learn? Raising boys' achievement expert Gary Wilson talks about the importance of getting boys in the right emotional state for learning. Points to discuss: What do lessons in your school look like? Is provision made for how boys like to learn? Is it different depending on the subject? Does it need to be? Do staff need to be more aware in their planning of how best to engage boys?

Raising Boys’ Achievement? How? Research & experience suggest that boys learn best… � Visually / spatially � Through competition – activities that require pace, speed and immediate feedback � Through quick fire questioning that is lively and varied and where all students have a chance to participate – pause, pounce, bounce � When they understand how current work fits in to earlier learning � When they have clear achievable aims and short-term targets � Through a sense of hierarchy – they like to know where they are in the pecking order � Through trial and error, which evolves through competition and feedback that focuses on small specific steps for improvement � By viewing things as problems that need solving. Boys ‘think’ � Have peers as their role models � Doing things they find relative and meaningful

Many boys dislike school because…. . • They want to be outdoors • They want to be ACTIVE, doing, seeking – not sitting down • Their concentration wanes- they are bored with too much schoolwork • They cannot stay on task • They do not see the need for consistent effort • They cannot be bothered being neat • They only want to do things to impress their mates � They find their teacher boring! • Reading seems a girly thing -or at least not male. In interviews, boys have said that they liked being at school to play sport and be with their mates. Apart from this, most boys felt school was a complete waste of time. Teachers constantly told them ‘shut up, sit still, write this down’. Boys don’t like writing! Or do they?

Using visuals- A and B lines

Boys differ from girls in some key ways: they mature at a slightly slower pace, and they are better at spatial visualization. Another key difference is that boys need to move around more. Boys are more likely to fidget in class and need frequent stretch breaks. “If you want to help your boys, give them lots of opportunity to run around. ” Penmanship is also an area of contrast. “Boys just struggle with pencils, ” Their fine motor skills will eventually catch up, but until that happens it can be difficult for boys to write neatly. Messy handwriting is often mistaken for laziness or carelessness. Boys crave competition and the possibility of winning whereas girls are better at cooperation. Experts recommend exposing both girls and boys to opportunities to compete and cooperate. That way, kids get to do what they enjoy and also have a chance to improve in areas that don’t come naturally. Don’t stereotype, “Kids rise to our expectations, ” says Lise

Stand up, hand up, pair up An award winning photo taken in 1994 during the Sudan famine. The picture depicts a famine stricken child crawling towards an United Nations food camp, located a kilometer away. The vulture is waiting for the child to die so that it can eat it. This picture shocked the whole world. No one knows what happened to the child, including the photographer Kevin Carter who left the place as soon as the photograph was taken. Three months later he committed suicide due to depression.

Reduce and Change Tasks Onion Skin Weathering This happens when a rock is repeatedly heated and cooled. As it is heated, the outer layer of the rock expands slightly and as it cools the rock contracts. Continual expansion and contraction causes small pieces of the rock surface to peel off like the skin of an onion. This type of weathering is common in desert areas where it is very hot during the day but cool at night. Reduce - List the six most important words. Change – turn it into a poem, mime, playdoh model, performance

Leadership and Management �In teams, discuss strategies that you think have made an impact on raising achievement in your class or school. Write them down on the flipchart paper. Random report

� Assessment for Learning (Af. L) � Curriculum innovation � Focus on teaching and learning � Focus on literacy/numeracy Rank these � Pre-examination interventions strategies in order � Review days � Student mentoring of how effective � Student tracking you think they are � Student voice in raising � Target-setting achievement � Use of data � Teaching learning skills � Use of rewards for students � Differentiation � Engagement with parents � Targeting attendance � Engaging students in learning dialogues � Out-of-class study support Which ones does your school � Using new technologies � Self and peer assessment use? � Summer schools

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Strategies as ranked by 5 headteachers Student tracking Use of data Curriculum innovation/Target-setting Focus on teaching and learning Pre-examination interventions/Assessment for Learning (Af. L) 6. Out-of-class study support /Differentiation 7. Student mentoring 8. Targeting attendance/ Use of rewards/Student voice 9. Review days 10. Teaching learning skills 11. Engagement with parents 12. Focus on literacy/numeracy/ Embedding PLTs in curriculum 13. Engaging students in learning dialogues 14. Using new technologies/Self and peer assessment 15. Summer schools

No Simple Solution No two schools are the same and there is no simple formula or ‘off the peg’ solution. It is vital that senior leaders identify exactly the context that influences the progress of learners and adopt the appropriate strategies to tackle the issues. However, the strategies are key characteristics of many outstanding schools in general and all students benefit…not just the boys!

Student –Focused Strategies for Personalised Learning ‘The route to a more socially just, inclusive education system, one which engages, motivates and rewards all, is through a more personalised approach to learning. ’ Leadbeater, 2008: 70 What is your understanding of the term ‘personalised learning’? ‘Personalised learning is learner-led learning, within a framework of standards. The goal is to motivate children and parents to become active investors in their own education. ’ Leadbeater, 2005: 9 ‘Taking a highly structured and responsive approach to each child’s and young person’s learning…engaging pupils – and their parents – as partners in learning. ’ DCSF, 2008 b: 5

Curriculum for Personalised Learning ‘Where provision was outstanding in English, boys did as well as girls. This was in contrast to the national picture…. no simple solutions to a complex issue. However, it is no accident that these schools all offered a lively and engaging curriculum supported by active approaches in the classroom with substantial emphasis on discussion and well managed group work, which led to clear and productive outcomes. ’ Excellence in English: what we can learn from 12 outstanding schools, May 2011, No. 100229 What do you do in your classroom? Department? School? Where are boys doing well? Why? Do you seek the opinions of your students?

Making boys lead… � Try lead learners – one student is taught the skill and has to teach it to the others. � Other roles could include: literacy champions – apostrophe spotter, spelling wizard, full stop and capital letter checker (give them a red pen!) � How about subject prefects? Students have to go through a thorough selection process, including an application form and then a group activity. Throughout the year, the group have to meet about once a month. During these meetings they discuss a range of topics: What they like about their lessons and how improvements could be made. Discussing specific ideas about teaching e. g. why they struggle with certain skills and how it could be improved. This can inform revision, resources etc.

Some Schools Have Cracked it! ST Paul’s Academy – Greenwich 22. 1% FSM 68. 7% Minority Ethnic groups CVA 3 yr average English 1, 003. 5 (Boys) 1, 003. 2 (Girls) Students speak of their teachers’ dedication, the vast range of out of school activities and support available. Lessons have the right balance of ‘fun’ with serious work. There are strong relationships that enables boys to speak openly about their feelings, ‘We are not afraid to get it wrong. All teachers expect the best of you and push you…teachers always get you involved. ’ Excellence in English: May 2011 Think of an outstanding faculty/teacher you have in your school. How do you know they are outstanding? What is it that makes them outstanding? How is good practice shared with others?

Boys and Literacy � Research suggests that teacher’s perceptions can be misguided and inaccurate and that we run the risk of fostering low expectations of boys if we continue to view them as unmotivated and disengaged learners � Choice and autonomy in writing have a positive impact on their attitudes and for many boys, choosing a topic for narrative writing improves their self-perceptions as writers. Offer choice in Literacy is integral to students’ writing. Making it challenging, purposeful and explicit leads to success in learning – how does it better attitude and attainment feature in the design of your � Improving underachieving boys negative attitudes were realised by adopting dramatic and visual approaches as stimuli for lessons? writing, incorporating reading, speaking and listening into extended units of work. Great emphasis on the positive impacts drama and listening have on boys attitude and attainment, � Need to provide real contexts, audiences and purposes for writing in order to stimulate and motivate boys. Utilise computers; where digital platforms have been incorporated into classroom practice, boys’ writing has improved � Having a genuine purpose and audience has been linked to

The stresses of handwriting Interviewer: “When faced with a blank sheet of paper how do you feel? ” Ben: “Gutted…I just feel like…oh no it’s time to…oh no it’s just like…I just literally shut down as in like oh I can’t do this, like I get embarrassed like to show people my handwriting cos I don’t like it”. Interviewer: “So you kind of see writing…” Ben: (Interrupts) “As an enemy”.

Calling all budding writers Each pair has an envelope with details of the following: Character/s You can add as many details as you wish, but Setting/time you must use all of the Props ingredients given in your Narrative device envelope In your pair, on A 4, you have eight minutes to create an effective opening for a story before you exchange with your shoulder pair. Follow the steps below: 1. Discuss – 2 mins 2. Plan – 1 min 3. Write - 4 mins 4. Green pen check – 1 min

Slow Writing Tell students to double space their writing. They find this difficult! Give them a topic and ask them to complete a set of seemingly random exercises. For example: 1. Your first sentence must start with a present participle (a verb ending in ‘ing’) 2. Your second sentence must contain only three words. 3. Your third sentence must contain a semi-colon 6. Your fourth sentence must be a rhetorical question 5. Your fifth sentence will start with an adverb 6. Your sixth sentence will contain a simile etc…. . This process forces them to concentrate on the how instead of the what. Once they’ve finished they get to improve. This is where the double spacing comes into it’s own as they interrogate every single word and consider whethere might be a better word. They look at every sentence and ask, could it begin differently? Should it be longer or shorter? Are they absolutely sure it makes sense? They look at the paragraphs and think about how they link: do they flow logically? Does each paragraph pick

Let’s try Your first sentence must say what this training session is about and must start with ‘Firstly’. Your second sentence must tell me who is presenting the session and must also include the date. Your third sentence must tell me what impact the session is hoping to achieve and must start with ‘Clearly’. Your fourth sentence will tell me what is going to happen as a result of the training and must start with, ‘As a result, ’. Your fifth sentence must state what you hope to achieve and must start with, ‘To conclude, ’. How could slow writing be used in your subject area to structure their responses?

Articulate As to stand facing the board and Bs facing AWAY from the board and facing A. 1. Competition 2. Underachieve ment 3. Active 4. Curriculum 5. Data 6. Choice 7. Speaking 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Visuals Planning Handwriting Big picture Expectations Reading Projects

Nominate five of you to represent the five objects. Arrange these people to stand in the order in which they were invented! You must agree! Use the zero noise signal

1. 1829 Stephenson’s rocket wins Rainhill trails 5. BBC first broadcast 2. 1876 Alexander Graham bell gets a patent for a phone 4. Wright brothers successful flight 3. 1888 Benz manufactures cars

The Six Main Elements of Af. L. . . Arrange in order of importance Telling learners what they are going to learn Telling learners what you expect them to be able to do LEARNING OBJECTIVES LEARNING OUTCOMES Planning for and involving learners in REFLECTION Providing planned targeted FEEDBACK to learners Promoting confidence, inclusion, and a secure climate for learning Showing learners ‘what good looks like’ RECOGNISING STANDARDS Planning opportunities for learners to PEER AND SELF ASSESSMENT

i. GCSE English Walk-and-Talk-Mock Question 3 (a) and (b)

Active Learning Starting with a take 5 approach – ‘write down five things learned about. . ’ Compare with your partner – how many? Tell your partner one thing you have learned this lesson What are the five steps. . ? List the reasons why… (boys are frustrated by words like ‘explain’, ‘describe’ and often need more help to structure their response) ‘I bet I can write down more factors of the number 9 than you can in 1 minute’ - Andy in Physics

Behaviour and Ethos ‘The most effective schools created a positive learning environment where peer pressure worked for them. Pupils responded positively to an ethos that encouraged and stimulated high standards. Effective schools engaged the interests and commitment of pupils, insisted on good behaviour and worked in close partnership with parents…. A feature of schools where boys are doing well was the consistent approach to behaviour, which was very clear to staff and students alike. These schools took positive steps to increase the motivation and ambition of pupils and provided a secure environment welcomed particularly, but not only, by boys. ’ Boys’ Achievement in Secondary Schools OFSTED HMI 1659 It is important to focus on high expectations and learning rather than just behaviour management. Boys must understand the values of their school and know what is expected of them in terms of behaviour and

Back to Basics with Behaviour It is vital to have good behaviour in place that is understood by students and fairly and consistently implemented. The need for strict day-to-day classroom management, combined with outstanding teaching, is consistently emphasised by researchers. Remember that values are CAUGHT more successfully than they are TAUGHT! Peter West Discuss: what strategies you use in the classroom to promote good behaviour? What issues do you face at times? Assertive discipline strategies are effective and time invested in training staff on behaviour management is often time well spent.

Making Boys Feel They Can Achieve � Displays that celebrate achievement – ‘rogues gallery’, prom night interviews � Making them see what they can do after school with what they achieve in school – share ambitions/aspirations/role models � Praise that is regular but deserved – maybe discrete (to keep up their image!) � Leading learners in the classroom – letting boys take a lead � Rewards that are meaningful – prom tickets, email praise, calls home, vouchers – ask them what they like � Bringing in Yr 12 students – making links with colleges

Early Intervention Using data to track and monitor focus groups is essential if we wish to embed effective intervention methods. What data do you use? How and when? How do use seating plans? Do we inherit many of the problems from primary? If students in Yr 1 want to please their teacher…. . what happens to make them want to please their mates in Yr 6? What can we do about it? Can we start tackling the issues in primary? Can we make changes to our KS 3 schemes? How do we reward students?

When all else fails…try humour Teachers who connect with boys often use humour in a positive way. Jokes are a part of the daily lives of men as many a good teacher knows but the jokes should not push boys into stereotypes by mocking those who are not strong and powerful. Empower boys to feel good about being male and capable of great things. Churchill was thought to be the stupidest boy in his school. Newton was considered to be so weak in his studies, his teachers were helpless. Edison was told he was ‘too stupid’ to learn anything. Einstein was once thought to have learning difficulties and told by a teacher, ‘You will never amount to anything!’ And…. . more recently, Steven Speilberg was once placed in a learning-disabled class, lasted one month and then dropped out forever.

Effective Strategies for Boys Read the hand out. In your team, discuss whether you agree or not with the points raised. After 3 minutes, you are going to send one team member to another group to share the main points of your discussion (make sure that person knows who they are and is prepared to do this!) After 2 minutes, they must return to feed back.

Getting it right in the classroom 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. Collaborative/active approaches to allow boys to work in teams Effective AFL Thinking/challenging/competitive tasks Careful planning for speaking & listening tasks, use of drama, visuals Boys contributing to the planning of schemes High profile on Literacy - http: //www. literacytrust. org. uk/assets/0000/2298/Blokes. pdf Relative, purposeful and meaningful tasks Use of new technologies Single sex classes/groups – be careful with this! Male role models- volunteers/parents/staff/students/visitors Links with practical subjects Lads and Dads – getting blokes on board! Older boys mentoring/supporting younger boys Seating for learning Recall task

A Clear Vision The role of every teacher is crucial in developing the aspirations of every learner but also trying to keep them on track. Faculty task: Think about the specific needs of your students and the vision you have for them. What schemes are you teaching this term and what could you focus on developing to engage your boys? Keep it simple and manageable! There must be time to introduce,

Further Reading � http: //www. ofsted. gov. uk/resources/twelve-outstanding- secondary-schools-excelling-against-odds � http: //www-rba. educ. cam. ac. uk/second. html � http: //www. ofsted. gov. uk/resources/excellence-english Excellence in English: what we can learn from 12 outstanding schools, May 2011 features case studies of schools where boys are making more progress than girls � http: //www. ofsted. gov. uk/resources/boys-achievementsecondary-schools