From the perspective of a student who was educated at an all
girls' high school, I can easily divulge some wisdom on how students fare in a
single sex environment for 6 years of their adolescent life. Maybe I might be
old fashioned but I think, in some ways, this was the best decision my parents
ever made. Considering the many physical and emotional changes I awkwardly
stumbling my way through during the earlier high school years, I'm was pretty
glad I didn't have impressing boys as an added pressure. When it came to senior
year most students didn't have the time or the energy to find and pursue any
romantic endeavour. Disregarding finding high school sweethearts, there were
other burning reasons why I preferred my gal pals. During that difficult
transition period in any young girls life, it was a comforting thought that
every other student in the class was in the same situation. Teachers, staff and
other students were all aware of the mentality of moody acne-ridden teenager
girls. They just functioned in a different way to boys. All this might sound a
bit stereotyped but that is the general gist of it.
As a pre-service teacher, everything appears very different
on the other side of the fence. I still believe single sex schools are the way
to go but for more academic reasons. It is known that physically boys start to
develop at a slower rate to girls. They also develop emotionally and in some
cases mentally later than their counterparts. This difference in development is
something that could cause a rift in the classroom dynamic. For the girls who
develop early and establish maturity to their learning, they will take their
education very seriously. Boys, although just as intelligent as the female
students, have a penchant for viewing their education in a less diligent manner
(Singh and Thukral, 2010). This changes in the later years of their schooling
but the few short years at the beginning of their high school careers, there is
a war between the sexes. Interestingly, this idea is so true for male students.
Studies show that boys actually study better in the company of female students (Slater,
2014).
Other than the rate of development between students of
different genders, there is also the reason of different teaching methods. At
my practical a few weeks ago I was given the opportunity of observing a girls
class and boys class on the same day. I was stunned to notice the enormous
difference in classroom atmosphere. The boys’ science year 9 class was covering
the topic of non-renewable energy. This included the boys being asked questions
and the students running up the board as the spokes person for their team. This
use of active activities that sparked the competitive nature of the students
made the class very effective. The winning team was award two good comments in
their diaries and the runner up teams were given one. The boys’ teacher had
understood his students and employed appropriate teaching strategies.
The next lesson when I attended the girls’ school science
class, again year 9, the pedagogy was very different. The class consisted of an
illustrated PowerPoint presentation about the introduction to Ecology. The students were told to copy the small
summary of text on the slides as the teacher read it out loud and added more
information. I expected the girls to loose interest after a few slides,
considered that the lesson wasn’t that simulating. Surprising the students were
calm and engaged. When the teacher asked questions to test understanding, most
students were happy to contribute to the discussion (Merisuo-Storm, 2006). The
amount of work that was completed in the duration of the class was phenomenal (Kleinfeld,
1999).
Both teachers addressed the strengths and temperaments of
their students to create a lesson that engaged their respective classes. Understanding what the students want and need
to involve themselves in a class is paramount. Not only is it recommended but
also it is mandatory by the NSW
Teacher Standards. The boys’ class was conducted to cater to their
strengths. The activity was kinaesthetic and competitive (Cleveland, 2011). The
girls’ class allowed for the students to shine in their strengths,
communicating and expressing their opinions. They were content with completing
a fairly monotonous class as long as they are able to engage with each other.
This just goes to show how none pedagogy is the correct way to teach.
Understanding and providing enthusiastic activities can allow students to enjoy
their school experiences.
Enjoy the following video for more information on the debate
in Australian schools:
REFERENCES:
Cleveland, K. (2011). Teaching
boys who struggle in school. 1st ed. Alexandria, Va.: ASCD
Kleinfeld, J. (1999).
Student Performance: Males versus Females. Public Interest, 134,
pp.3--20.
Merisuo-Storm, T. (2006).
Development of boys’ and girls’ literacy skills and learning attitudes in CLIL
education. VAASAN YLIOPISTON JULKAISUJA, p.176.
Singh, S. and Thukral, P.
(2010). Social maturity and academic achievement of high school students. Canadian
Journal on Scientific and Industrial Research, 1(1), pp.6--9.
Slater, J. (2014). Boys do
better in co-ed schools. TES Newspaper.
IMAGES:
http://info.alertsolutions.com/bid/101120/Single-Gender-Education-Finds-Success-in-Hillsborough-County-Schools-FL
http://juniorabq.wordpress.com/2012/03/07/single-sex-classrooms/
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