Boys and Books: Half-Day Orientation Seminar

Finally, science and educational research support what teachers have known all along: boys and girls have different learning needs. This workshop shares current research on brain-based gender differences and opens opportunities to discuss how to use those differences can be used to a teaching advantage. Teachers will discover ways to structure classrooms and adapt curricula to boost boys’ reading motivation and academic perseverance. Additionally, participants will explore alternative texts and methods of instruction to produce reading engagement and increase achievement among male adolescents while meeting state standards.

Research Base

• At an early age boys show themselves less verbal than girls and therefore learning at a slower rate than those of girls (Smith & Wilhelm, 2002).
• Boys tend to value reading for information; their choice of nonfiction content material is often not seen by either themselves or teachers as pertinent reading material (Simpson, 1996)
• Boys begin to lag behind girls in the fourth grade; disparity between male and female reading readiness widens throughout the high school years (Reading Between the Lines ACT, 2006).
• Male / female disparity exists not only in the US, but in all English speaking countries (Clark, 2004; Stephen Machin, 2005, The National Literacy Trust, 2007).

• Boys constitute nearly 60% of all high school drop outs—girls are closer to 40%. Boys constitute only about 44% of college freshmen enrollees (university and community) and of those, more than one-third will be enrolled in remedial reading and/or math programs. Even more shocking, 70% of those enrolled in remediation programs will not graduate or complete certification programs (Adelman 2004).

What can we do?

• Understand that there are physiologically and neurologically differences in how males and females process information and use those differences to advantage.
• Provide reading practice through leveled reading. In content classrooms, provide multiple texts to teach similar concepts. Texts that are too challenging go unread and cannot provide learning opportunities.
• Provide relevant and engaging reading. Boys will read, but they typically prefer practical application based material.
• Provide opportunities for choice. Boys tend to choose nonfiction not validated by our educational system. They seek out short, practical, male oriented, graphic texts that connect to their lives.
• Provide texts that show males, especially males of ethnic diversity, overcoming adversity.
• Expect all teachers, especially male teachers to model and share reading with their students. Boys tend to like sporting, auto, and hunting magazines. Validate the importance of their reading choices by having those who share such interests show their own reading expertise.