Subscribe to our Blog
It’s a Guy Thing
Chris Spence, the brand-new director of the Toronto District School Board proposes to help the boys catch up to the girls in Toronto schools by introducing single-sex classes and schools and “boy-friendly” programs. Mr. Spence thinks that things like lots of hands-on learning and male mentors will inspire boys to learn more. The trouble with Mr. Spence’s theory, apart from the fact that there is little research evidence to support it, is that it assumes boys would do better if only they were placed in a more supportive and motivational environment. But what if this assumption is wrong? If it’s wrong, then all of the hands-on learning and male mentors in the world won’t help struggling boys very much. Mr. Spence’s ideas even run the risk of frustrating the boys as their teachers motivate them to be better students but fail to provide them with the tools they need to excel.
In fact, it is highly likely that Toronto boys will be little better off in single-sex classrooms - unless they receive the kind of teaching they require. In Scotland, when 300 children were taught to read via systematic phonics, the boys actually outperformed the girls (although both sexes did exceptionally well). Since the ability to read is the golden ticket to most subsequent learning, Mr. Spence would be wise to ensure that the boys in his single-sex classrooms are taught to read via systematic phonics.