Education of boys and girlsSingle-Sex vs. Coeducation

Brendan BenwayKye Paradise

Ella Masita

ContentsBrief HistoryDifferences between boys and girlsSingle Sex SchoolsCoeducational SchoolsWindham High StudyVideoDiscussionFinal Thoughts

HISTORY OF EDUCATIONAncient RomeEuropeNorth America

School Characteristic until 18th century: all men with few facilities for girls. Focused on education for boys to learn literacy and

arithmetic Girls received elementary instruction from their

mothers and convents. very few numbers of aristocratic women were

educated in schools.

not in common for women to enroll as students in formal classes together with men;

usually attend single-sex female classes in household duties, good manners, music, and conversation.

Prepared to be good wives and mothers for their future families.

At the beginning of 19th century: the new concern of education for women were

arisen. granted to give similar educational

opportunities in coeducational classrooms in public schools.

Female enrollment in American public schools grew up significantly.

the higher educational institutions accepted women.

Before 2001:Co-education in public schoolsSingle-sex education in Catholic private

schoolsTitle IX

After 2001:NCLB (2001)Guidelines on current Title IX (2002)

Differences in Single-sex education between 19th century with 21stcentury :

19th Century 21st Century

No alternative option

Boys : literacy and arithmetic

Girls :household duties, good manners, music, and conversation

Religious reasons

• voluntary with the coed options remain

• Separated but equal

• Academic achievement orientation

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BOYS AND GIRLS

Are they really different?

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BOYS AND GIRLSCognitive ability

Human Brain Perceptual tasks Memory ability Verbal ability Visual-spatial ability Quantitative ability

“WOMAN IS ALWAYS CURIOUS TO WHAT MAN FORGETSWHILE MAN IS ALWAYS CURIOUS TO WHAT WOMAN REMEMBERS”

Research ONLY found the differences of the human brain; no cause and effect conclusion

Psychological and social developmentAspect of aggression

Myth : boys are more aggressive than girls

Fact 1 : Yes, in physical aggressionFact 2 : Girls are more dominant in relational aggression

FriendshipMyth : girls were more intimate than boysFact 1 : boys feel emotionally closer to friendFact 2 : Girls like to establish intimacy through

discussion and self-disclosureFact 3 : boys likely to do shared activities to

establish close relationship

• Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Myth : girls are at lower risk than boys Fact 1 : girls with ADHD are less likely to be detected Fact 2 : ADHD at boys

Hyperactive type : abnormally high activity levels and decreased ability to control their impulses

Fact 3 : ADHD at girlsInattentive type : distractibility and difficulties

focusing and sustaining attention

Learning stylesAccommodatorConvergerDivergerAssimilator

Female : evenly distributedMale :

a substantial number in assimilators, convergers, and accommodators

More focus on the big picture of problem, enjoy evaluating process, process, or product

IMPORTANT NOTESPrevious data showed only male and female

differences in general, not how an individual will perform

There is far more variability within a gender than there is between genders

Differences do NOT imply an order of rankGirls and boys are different but doe not mean

boys are better than girls or vice versa

Single Sex SchoolsCreates opportunities.

Strategies used by teachers.

Language and Math. Boys in language Girls in math

Achievement

Single Sex SchoolsBenefit to level of ability

Which boys did better? Which girls did better?

School Size Large, Medium, or Small. Which is best?

Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER)

Single Sex SchoolsBehavior

Thurgood Marshall Elementary School in Seattle, Washington

Attendance Results of a 5yr experiment at an inner-city high

school in Montreal

Gender Stereotypes

Co-education SchoolsWhat four high school teachers said.

What does this mean?

Co-education SchoolsLife Skills

Social Skills Relationships

Finance Funding of schools

CBS Videohttp://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=10

90944n&tag=mncol;lst;1

Thoughts?Is single-sex education the wave of the future

or a return to the past?