Upload
jemimah-norris
View
214
Download
1
Tags:
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Boys’ Education and Brain ResearchPAPER PRESENTED AT JAMAICA TEACHERS ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE ON BRAIN BASED EDUCATION
APRIL 9 2015 ROSEHALL HILTON
CHRISTOPHER CLARKE PHD
Despite years of research pointing to the crisis in boys’ education specifically and male marginalization generally we have done very little more than pay lip service to the situation. We continue to ignore this ticking time bomb to our own peril.
For over 40 years the Western Hemisphere has been experiencing the phenomenon of academic underperformance among its male population. Research in the last 25 years including that done in Jamaica( Miller, Evans, Bailey, Clarke) has sought to explain the reasons for it( eg, gender socialization)
What prospects does brain-based education hold for a solution?
OBJECTIVES
Data on Performance
Attempts to address phenomenon
What is known about Brain Research
Strategies to improve performance of Boys
Performance Data for Jamaica
School Type BOYS GIRLS
PRIMARY 1367 371
ALL-AGE 813 273
PRIMARY and JUNIOR HIGH 1146 339
Source: MOE
Table 2: Mathematics and English Performance by Gender (2012)SEX English A only Mathematics
onlyEnglish and Maths
% of Grade 11 Cohort
Female 5115 1061 4329 46.4
Male 2488 1066 2414 28.7
In 2012 CSEC Examinations 9464 females obtained grades 1-3 in English compared to 4902 males
5410 females obtained grades 1-3 in Maths, only 3480 males did
7766 females and 3883 males passed five or more with English and/Maths; 2205 males passed five or more with English and Maths, 4178 females did
The pattern is similar for GOILP, GFLT, GSAT
What has been tried
Single sex schools (at secondary level); no new ones in at least 60 years
Boys Day
Tweaking teaching strategies (adding music, more interactive)
Pull Outs (separating gender for discussion subjects e.g. literature
Separating genders at Grade 6
mentorship
Neuroscience and Gender Differences
Neuroscientists have identified very few reliable differences between boys and girls brains
Boys brains are about 10 percent larger than girls’ and boys’ brains finish growing a year or two later during puberty (Lenroot et al, 2007), These reflect physical maturation more than mental development
On average boys and girls differ in self regulatory behavior with girls showing better ability to sit still, pay attention, and delaying gratification. While we know that self-regulatory abilities depend on the prefrontal cortex, neuroscientists have so far been unable to show that this area develops earlier or is more active in girls (Barry et al 2004)
The latest high-resolution MRI studies reveal small differences in brain lateralization or “sidedness”(Liu, Stufflebeam, Sepulcre et al (2009)
Baby boys are modestly more active than girls
Toddler girls talk one month ealier on average than boys
Boys appear more spatially aware than girls
There is no significant difference in corpus callosum size between males and females(Bishop and Whalsten, 1997). Corpus callosum is that white matter tract that provides most of the
connections between left and right cerebral hemispheres
Gender gaps in academic performance are shaped more by environmental factors than by brain anatomy and physiology
Mental ability is not hardwired into the brain. Abilities develop in a social cultural context that includes each child’s opportunities, sense of identity, health and nutrtion etc.
Nutrition, chemical exposure, parenting style
WHAT THEN?
Start early to nurture the skills and attitudes that will better prepare both genders for the modern world
Make classrooms places where students potential is broadened
Challenge gender stereotypes on both sides and broaden the options for boys
Appreciate the range of intelligences ala Howard Gardner; multi-modal teaching benefits both genders
Strengthen spatial awareness. Spatial cognition is for understanding fraction, proportionality, calculus, geography, physics etc
Engage boys with the word through songs, dialogue, stories and all kinds of texts
Get boys involved in non-athletic extracurricular activities
We need to examine the way we define manhood
We need college trained teachers at the EC level
MOE Policy on Boys’ Education
What are some of your ideas for addressing the crisis?
THANKS FOR YOUR ATTENTION AND FEEDBACK