Countering Boys’ Underachievement
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This document discusses strategies for improving boys' motivation and achievement in school. It suggests linking academic subjects to real-world careers to increase boys' motivation. It also recommends engaging boys in class discussions and creating a social school environment. Interviewing boys about masculinity found they prefer explanations to be short, variety in lessons including sport and IT, positive reinforcement of successes, and teachers with humility and self-deprecating humor. Overall, the document stresses the importance of high expectations, positive opportunities, and viewing boys as young men rather than little boys.
Countering Boys’ Underachievement
- 1. (or raising boys’ achievement) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZF cDGpL4U
- 2. ... highlighted the importance of how the local labour market impacts on young people’s motivation. Solution? Link success in subject to real life labour. Macnaughton (2000) claimed that children are a ‘sponge model of identity’.
- 3. ... suggested that ‘the most important factor that prevents the motivation of boys’ was ‘boys’ peer group culture’. Solution? Engage boys in discussion as often as possible. Make school a social place for them to be.
- 5. Interviewed a group of 14-16 year old boys. Queried their perceptions of masculinity.
- 6. Give them tasks they can do! Draw answers out of them – help them explain. Band within the classroom? Protect their delicate egos. Tell them that you value their input. Reinforce that they have something to offer. Highlight their successes. Celebrate their successes. Let them lose and learn to lose gracefully. Positive discrimination! Be fair and give them same opportunities as the girls.
- 7. 1. Able and behaved (Jordan Hart?) 2. Able with attitude (Matthew James?) 3. Able but distracted (Lewis Green?) 4. Less able but behaved (Lewis Lee?) 5. Less able with attitude (Morgan Green?)
- 8. ‘Pupils respond positively to an ethos that encourages and stimulates high standards’ (Ofsted, 2003)
- 9. ... found that ‘even a minority of staff who had low expectations of underachieving boys ... but did not see it as their responsibility to offer positive opportunities to those that were anti-learning (or pro-social!) could negatively impact on the school ethos,’
- 10. Advocated mentoring because ‘males need a mate ... and very much to be accepted by other boys.’
- 11. They don’t appreciate being shouted at for what they deem minor incidents. They appreciate teachers with a bit of humility and self-deprecating humour. They wish staff would see them as young men and not little boys. They begged for explanations to be short and simple – less teacher talk and more pupil work. They like ‘revision lessons’. Sport can be used as a tool but not excessively.
- 12. Keep IT use varied. Boundaries need to be kept/no empty threats. They want people to be aware that often performers in the class aren’t doing it to be naughty but they are doing it to make people laugh. They like being positively grouped together as ‘boys’ but not negatively. Teachers’ attitudes will impact on male pupils.
Editor's Notes
- #3: They learn gender through experience. Boys in our school need to be taught that it is OK for men to succeed.
- #4: They contested that boys don’t have an anti-work attitude or organise themselves into anti-work groups but are, instead, organising themselves into pro-social groups that carry a pro-social attitude. Think George Lippiard, James Harrison, Gareth Bryant etc. Much like we’re looking at developing Welsh language in the corridor, try to engage socially with boys in the corridor. It will reap benefits in the classroom if they believe that their points of view are valued. Boys can develop pack mentalities and if we’re to get into their ‘packs’ then we need to work at it! Get in the pack and, like dogs, they’ll work tirelessly for you! Hobcraft (1998) proved, conclusively, that further involvement results in a positive child outcome, which include academic achievement – 50% mothers read to their children daily yet only 15% of fathers do. We need to replace these role models.
- #5: Harness traditional boy/male interests and try to incorporate them into your curriculum. However, unlike me in the past, we must be careful to try and harness ALL male interests – it’s not all about sport! Try to get them outdoors? Try to get them constructing/destructing (!), doing, making, collaborative work...
- #6: Results showed that boys felt that masculinity should be ‘powerful, strong, brave, intelligent, healthy, sexy, mature and in control of every aspect of their lives’. This is an incredible amount of pressure that they are putting on themselves. When just one or two of these are not met by our male pupils I believe that they’re resorting to poor behaviour or acting up in order to ‘take control’.
- #8: He suggests that there are five different groups of pupils. He argues that targeting sub-groups 2+3 would have a significant impact on boys’ attainment. Have a look at your class lists and see if you can sub-categorise your pupils – offer informal mentoring, extra focus, more attention.
- #9: The same 2003 Ofsted report found that a feature of the schools where boys were doing well was a consistent approach to behaviour which was clear to pupils and staff alike. However, this needs to be combined with...
- #10: This is the trickiest one of all. To try and be positive when Callum Rees, Jarid Herbert, Lewis Green are on form is hard! Still, it’s our challenge!
- #11: He suggests that former pupils are invited back to talk to pupils or to work with them. He talks about using older pupils as writing or reading partners for younger pupils. This has positive impact on both the older and younger pupils. This has had an impact in the Y5 work I’ve been doing in the primary schools. Taking older pupils down has helped whilst also working with boys only groups.
- #12: Wearing a coat in class, pen tapping etc. Kain even said that he’s more likely to wind teachers up who shout at him straight away. David said that even though he rarely gets shouted at he does get bored of hearing it anyway! 3) They wanted us to realise that their life is tough and that they have a lot going on. It’s not, in their words, ‘all Xbox and rugby’. 4) But make sure that there is time for pretty instant feedback! They like, even though they sometimes don’t admit it, their good work being shown off. However, they hate poor examples being used as poor examples. 5) Lessons that sum up all that they have learned – does this highlight the importance for plenaries also? 6) They do get fed up of being told, over and over, that sport would be taken away from them. They believe that it loses its potency when they hear it day after day.
- #13: iPads can be a distraction! Kain actually commented on how many chances he’s given. They even hope to make the teacher laugh on occasions. They get annoyed when they make a joke or two and the teacher laughs but then on the third or fourth joke the teacher shouts at them.