Effective Teaching and Learning in the Primary School: Improvement in Boys Writing - Essay Example

? EFFECTIVE TEACHING AND LEARNING IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS IMPROVEMENT IN BOY’S WRITING Bringing change in the whole world is not in the power of an individual; but believing in it can bring desired outcomes. Teaching young minds is both a science and an art. It is a complex process of teaching and learning, where both participants learn something from each other. Therefore it’s a two way learning which is only effective when teachers play their respective roles in the learning process of the child. Understanding of psychological facts and the implementation of planning in an innovative manner accordingly, helps to achieve the targets. Promoting the learning and achievement of pupils is a main aim of school education (TLRP, 2006). Teacher’s commitment to education and the insight reflection regarding teaching and learning process enables him to see the complexity involved in the process and only then he is able to discover the hurdles which learners face during the process. Readiness for implementation of different strategies for individuals and persistent research to overcome these bottle necks in the learning environment; increases the capacity of children to contribute in the contemporary society. A school’s curriculum consists of content which facilitates its students to learn and experience at a quality level. National curriculum not only provides with the same objectives to be achieved throughout the country, keeping in mind the age level; but also provides a platform where schools can produce their own curriculum according to need basis. The concepts to be learned are planned in such a way that they are integrated with social and moral values. Children learn civility and manners in this way as this is considered as a part of hidden curriculum. The purpose is clear for all to develop learning skills and enrich our children in such a way that they become a useful and constructive member of the future. Every child has a different learning style an effective teacher learns through experience and research that one strategy of learning might not fit for all. The groups of individuals in a class have learning potential but all of them possess different styles of acquiring them. Thus holistic development of a child does not only depend on contents of his curriculum but on the effectively applied strategies of an effective teacher. All over the world teachers, teach children writing styles through several ways. Children need different characteristics and styles from teacher to learn the specific trait. Learning how to write is a difficult process for children, where educators are required to link several skills together which matches the child’s comprehension and learning style. The problem becomes quite clear describing the characteristics of an effective teacher, who is able to foresee the hurdles in the process and therefore is ready with a plan to overcome these challenges. Learning how to write can be a distressing problem in a child’s personal and educational life. If a child is unable to develop certain basic skills during his schooling, later on further stages he will be unable to compile his thoughts into writing and will be unable to express what he learnt. Different subjects require students to show their learning through writing and even in exams they are supposed to write what they learnt in the session. Children who face such problems feel difficult to cope up and thus are discouraged easily. The process of writing itself becomes a challenge providing minimum help. This problem is interlinked with several other areas of learning which in turns slows down the holistic development of a child. Children, who are inattentive and impulsive, face difficulty to start with writing tasks, are easily distracted, get bored or tired quickly, show lack of interest in writing, write in improper font, make careless spelling mistakes and are less interested in organizing writing tasks. Children, who face spatial order problem have poor sense of line on paper, uneven space between letters and words, misspellings and are unorganized. Some of them have sequential ordering difficulty, they are unable to form letters properly, change in spelling according to their understanding, low standard of narration and lack of transitions. Due to inability to recall or memory shortage often children make spelling mistakes, capitalization, punctuation and grammatical errors. Strong language is helpful in improving writing skills. Children with weak language; encounter problems like awkward phrasing, poor vocabulary, difficulty with sentence structure and inappropriate use of colloquial language. Those who have high- order cognition are incapable of express their ideas and have trouble producing ideas at all. They have difficulty with creative writing and thus find themselves with lack of opinion. Graphomotor is a physical problem which makes writing a tedious task for a child, it’s a problem related to small muscles of the fingers which enable the child to write few lines with slowest pace and great effort. The pencil hold of child is awkward which makes it difficult to form letters properly (Levine, 2002). There are several common misunderstanding about the above mentioned problem related to writing, some children face these problems as a part of development. They exhibit the same signs so it’s a teacher’s responsibility to be observant and identify the child’s weakness and potency to guarantee the progress. Maintaining child’s work portfolio is one way of monitoring it and nipping the problem in the bud. Boys’ writing is concern for all the educational institutes which shows the lack of interest they demonstrate on a national level. The reasons when surveyed involved the lack of fun element in writing, offense taken by teachers when boys tried to write humorous piece of writing, lack of choice and action thus eliminating their flair of writing. Boys don’t approach writing in a serious manner like girls. They like to explore ideas of their interest which help them to imagine and encourage them to write. (Fletcher, 2006) To involve children in activity which doesn’t appeal them has always been a challenge for a teacher. As a primary teacher it was difficult for me to encourage my class children to write on specific topics in a given timeframe. I studied hard and tried to thrash each and every activity into planning before implementing it. The results were better but boys of my class weren’t motivated at all. They wrote either to kill time or to get rid of the work assigned. I evaluated every time after my creative writing class but couldn’t come up with the right solution. One day during the class, I played a game in which they had to write one line about their writing class, a reflection by them. I was surprised to read the received responses. They didn’t enjoy it and were unable to imagine. It was a moment of realization to me, as I looked into my planning it looked all systematic and formal, nothing which could spark interest into those primary children. Next day I gave my class to vote for any one topic from the three. I divided the topic into chunks of 6, the class was divided into the same number of groups also. Each group had to write something about the given topic in a few lines. This collaborative learning enabled them to discuss and produce quality material. The final composition was the best I could ever get from that age level. I made few alterations like short observational trips and writing after exploration which successfully made me achieve the desired outcomes. Due to few lines and hands on experience, boys took interest and showed quality of work. The compilation of the composition, build up the thrill and they showed enthusiasm to see their work on display in the end. This not only made them excited to write but also enhanced their cognitive skills. Boys were eager to see the bit by bit display of their work and rather liked isolation to write. Though outdoor gave me the apprehensions of distraction but the groups made clear to every member to achieve the desired target for a good score. The spirit of writing was revived in boys specially. The aim of the activity was to develop love for writing, give them opportunities to choose, split the topic into parts for their ease and give concise and precise instructions for them to follow through the rst of the activity independently. Gary Wilson author and consultant in raising boys’ achievement, suggests to engage boys outdoor activities which includes active role plays, hot seating, storytelling chairs and miniature micro phones before putting them on a writing task. Boys need to be actively involved in speaking and listening so they can engage themselves in writing (Gary,2011). It is important for boys to have a role-model in their surroundings. As they are strongly influenced by their peers and they need to feel accepted by the same gender. Mentoring can nurture both the boys in the process as the mentor and mentee both are influenced by one another directly. Paired up writing sessions (with older boys) are beneficial for both the younger and the older boys. As one likes to be responsible for teaching and the other is highly influenced by the mentor. (Spence,2008). Keeping in mind the cultural impacts on boys and planning topics according to their interest can also be taken into consideration for improvement in this regard. As boys like to write more what they can see, where action is involved. Writing fairy tales might not be their preference but writing about a ground fight they encountered would be the preferable one. Moreover, boys show creativity through imagination. According to a survey teachers admired girls for their persistent efforts but rather preferred to teach boys due to their interesting ideas (Maynard,2002). For the last several decades boys have been facing problems in reading and writing more than girls. The U.S department of Education (1997) described writing as an essential skill and insufficiency in it, would enable the person to suffer academic success and better carrier opportunities. According to this report, girls were far more successful in reading and writing than boys it was a consistent result shown since thirty years. Thus, this problem leads to other numerous problems. For example majority of demotions are allotted to boys due to insufficient progress. A multi genred writing curriculum may help boys to overcome the problem (Mcphail, 2008). Boys are negatively affected by the comments for poor hand writing in early age made by their teachers. Boys liked to write mostly about violence, fights , actions, heroes, villains and their writing seemed to be fill of gory details, which teacher passes to the counselor and then to the parents which puts a stop to their writing. The criteria used to teach them write and read is redundant for them and contains no charm for them (Whitmire & Rhee,2010). Boys like challenges, they would prefer to interrogate and discuss a problem through various angles but would less likely to jot it down into a story. However the challenge again lies here, how to get them on the track providing challenge within the challenge ignites curiosity and they are able to focus. For example writing about a monument wouldn’t interest them at all rather than it will defuse the spark, as all is known before. However, writing about a recent fire incident in school would give hype to their interest. They would like to interrogate and will produce writing involving the facts. This does not mean they don’t like to write about fiction but they would very much like to develop a fiction involving action. Like video games enable boys to take actions into, a split second it is increasing their cognitive skills and decision making skills. They would more likely to write a review report on sports or game rather than topics like humanity or moral obligations. This doesn’t prove them insensitive but it only shows they like action rather than expressing their feelings (Noble & Bradford,1999). Boys take pride when trust and confidence is shown in them. They would more likely to take the responsibility, if one shows that they are strong enough to handle it. One needs to develop a competitive environment with the same gender of senior year, they are more likely to incline towards writing in a positive fashion. Preparation before giving a writing task, it would be a best idea if they could have a role play or acting session so they can link themselves while writing about it ( Reichert & Hawley, 2010). Taking care of boys’ inclination and planning according to their interest in a sequential, step by step procedure ensure a better learning environment and enable them to participate enthusiastically in written tasks. However, every child has his own learning style and pace, these strategies and studies can help to maximize the writing flair in them but it cannot completely eliminate the issue. Providing appropriate scaffolding in the process of learning how to write, can reduce the problem to minimum level. During the past ten years there has been a great deal of research, assessment, and critical examination of the issue of improvement of boys writing and reducing the gap of high achievers in the opposite sex children. England, New Zealand, Australia as well as there is growing awareness in United States.(Boys literacy attainment,2008) Various assessment procedures including SATs, GREs, LSATs, GMATs or TESLs; provincial, national or international tests (including EQAO and OECD data); Teacher action research; observational data and clinical studies boys score lower than girls in all literacy areas. Strong relationship is found between literacy capacity and attentive behavior in class at early or grade level schools and main focus of the teachers is to change the attitude of the student in the classroom.(Robin,2000) Top of Form Bottom of Form As stated by Beattie, In her research article Exploring The Value Of Dialogue In Improving Boys’ Writing; she researched through various interviews of children with writing difficulty and recordings of writing classes taken by students and colleagues, she analyzed the situation in a placement school, an all-boys college, where she observed boys as dominant and intolerable classroom talkers but showed inconsistency in there writings, from average to below average. Lack of interest of boys in writing is often considered as laziness or unwillingness to do hard work and dealt accordingly. However the idea is ill conceived as boys are the motivated learners of class in dramas, group works, oral presentations and discussions. The problem may be present because of lack of confidence to process their composition or to articulate their thoughts on a piece of paper. This also links to need in boys to feel that they are heard and not just understood. Immediate praise by the teacher or boost of confidence can fulfill the requirement. Boy’s want their response, analysis and reflections to a subject to be publicized and approved whereas the same skills are required for writing, but with no real audience. Equal opportunities for discussion for both girls and boys should be given in the class room with teachers highly knowledgeable in language to help the children bridge the difference between oral work, reading and writing. (OFSTED, 2003). A teacher’s way of stylistic reforms is helpful in boys writing. However, relationship between listening and writing is not very simple, literacy is a complicated matter and cannot be learned by transliteration from one medium of sound to another medium of vision(in form of writing). Although significance of dialogue cannot be neglected to produce an effect on writing development, it cannot be completely relied on. Boys need to plan, revise and generate a text with fewer mistakes. The externalization of ideas or knowledge transformation through dialogues, by discussing the facts of a story or a play and then transforming them into something effective or persuasive is an essential tool for the teacher to help boys learn writing. The process involves planning, composing, revising, editing and redrafting by the student. Not just writing but the act of talking about writing also helps in improvement of their writing skills such as what tense must be used, use of suitable narrative etc. Teachers must create an environment in the classroom that is open to dialogues as well as discussion, Discussions which are surrounding that task and targets, expectations, conflicts, feelings and imaginations. The enthusiasm and skill can be harnessed to improve their abilities in compositions as well as their attitudes towards such a task. A total act of actively responsive discussion can lead a child recognize his potentials in writing and what his writing really is about. Dialogic navigation helps the student learn and can decrease the gap between gender based literacy rate. To provide a safe and healthy environment where children learn; is a basic aim of a teacher. To achieve it several teaching techniques are used in numerous manners. The above mentioned study showed how to understand different perspectives of boys regarding writing and how to cater their needs accordingly. Effective teacher not only recognizes the symptoms when they occur but also take necessary steps to overcome these challenges. Keeping children involve and managing class simultaneously is an art to learn. If a teacher is good at reflecting her teaching strategies than it’s highly beneficial for children to groom in such an environment. Boys are other half of the classroom like girls they have their specific styles to learn. If a teacher tries to explore them it’s easy for her to know, in what ways they would learn better. Children who are able to write better; are not only interested in writing in schools but also continue these practices at home. These activities not only generate love for writing but also make them able to grasp several skills interlinked to them (Tabor,2004). Study shows the more teacher plans thoroughly the better she is prepared for the upcoming problems. These interventions are a better way to understand what can be expected from boys during learning writing skills, but it cannot be guaranteed that certain strategies would work under those circumstances. A teacher should be prudent in applying strategies keeping in mind the inclination of those young ones. This study is helpful for me as I learned better to see children’s perspective and learned how to teach. Evaluating ones class for improvement is a key to success. Engaging boys in writing through fun activity can be challenge all the time. The need it to make boring lessons colorful and facilitate them in such a manner that they are able to achieve desired objectives. REFRENCES: 1. TEACHING AND LEARNING RESEARCH PROGRAMME. (2006). Improving teaching and learning in schools. London, Teaching and Learning Research Programme. 2. LEVINE, M. D. (2002). .  Developmental Variation and Learning Disorders, WGBH, Educational Foundation. Reviewed at:http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/misunderstoodminds/writingdiffs.html 3. FLETCHER, R. J. (2006). Boy writers: reclaiming their voices. Portland, Me, Stenhouse Publishers. 4. WILSON, G. B. (2007). Raising boys' achievement. London, Network Continuum www.oxfordschoolimprovement.co.uk/professional.../gary-writing 5. SPENCE, C. M. (2008). The joys of teaching boys: igniting writing experiences that meet the needs of all students. Markham, Ont, Pembroke Publishers. 6. MAYNARD, T. (2002). Boys and literacy: exploring the issues. London, Routledge/Falmer. 7. MCPHAIL, G. A. (2008). Finding freedom as a writer genre, gender and identity in a first grade writer's workshop. Thesis (Ph. D.)--Boston College, 2008. 8. WHITMIRE, R., & RHEE, M. (2010). Why boys fail: saving our sons from an educational system that's leaving them behind. New York, American Management Association. 9. NOBLE, C., & BRADFORD, W. (1999). Getting it right for boys and girls. London, Routledge. 10. REICHERT, M., & HAWLEY, R. A. (2010). Reaching boys, teaching boys: strategies that work and why. San Francisco, CA, Jossey-Bass. 11. Boys’ Literacy Attainment: Research and Related Practice,2008 http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/research/boys_literacy.pdf 12. Robin Lane, Gender and Literacy: Improving Boys’ Writing,2000 http://www.lancsngfl.ac.uk/nationalstrategy/literacy/getfile.php?src=346/GenderandLiteracy.pdf 13. OFSTED, Yes he can - Schools where boys write well,2003 ofstedgov.com/resources/yes-he-can-schools-where-boys-write-well 14. BEATTIE, A. (2007). Exploring the Value of Dialogue in Improving Boys' Writing. CHANGING ENGLISH. 14, 161-174 15. TABOR, D. (2004). Young writers at transition. London, RoutledgeFalmer. Read More